New Year and a Slightly New Me: personal goals for the year and how I plan on achieving them

Let's talk about resolutions

It is that time of the year when we all set goals for the new year. These goals vary from health, relationships, finances, and while I’ve never been one to jump on this trend, this particular year feels a bit different. I often don’t jump on this ‘new year, new me” wave because I know how quickly the excitement of the new year wears off. Like no Susan, just because the calendar changed into the next year, doesn’t mean new habits miraculously pop up at your door. Yet and still, I have a feeling that 2023 will be my most wholesome year yet. This is not a result of a calendar change but rather a continuation of the mental, spiritual, and physical work I’ve been doing finally bearing its fruit. My goal moving forward is to continue to grow in wisdom in these three areas: mind, words, and actions.

• Mind: All throughout 2022, I have been more intentional about what I allow to run rampant in my mind all day. I am learning that my mind determines the overall quality of my life. Whenever I let negative thoughts consume me on a daily basis, I can honestly notice how my mood and joy shifts. Wisdom in this area means slowing down and paying more attention to my thought life and reflecting on whether or not said thoughts add to my purpose. This does not mean that negative thoughts won’t pop up but it definitely means that I get to decide how long I let it stay or fester. One of the bible plans I did recently said that whenever you have a negative thought about yourself or others, stop and pray. If I’m sitting here thinking that my friend is always doing the most and is showing off, I can turn that into a prayer and say: God I thank you that my friend is courageous and lives her life out loud.

• Words: One thing about words is that when they leave your lips, they can never be taken back. I know in the past, I have used my words to cut really deep and the feeling I get after, is never satisfying. I have literally been working on just being quiet more often. Wisdom in this area doesn’t mean silencing my own voice because trust me, I enjoy hearing myself talk. It simply means making a conscious decision to not speak when I’m hurt, angry, or sad. It means taking a breather and even praying before having difficult conversations. Sometimes it even means deciding that whatever the situation is wouldn’t be solved with my words. I recently made a mistake by getting involved in something I shouldn’t have and immediately regretted it.

• Actions: None of the things I want can happen if I sit idly and do nothing. Wisdom in this area means there are things that I’m praying for and God is waiting for me to get up and do something. I have prayed for discipline especially when it comes to my health and at this point, all that’s missing is for me to get up and be disciplined. I know I don’t need new information or tips, I just need to get up and do what I know to do. Wisdom in this area means learning what’s within my control but sometimes it means doing nothing. For someone with a mind like mine, doing nothing in certain circumstances feels like torture but I’m committed.

Well what’s the plan?

I don’t know where other folks get wisdom from but as for me and my house, I know it comes from the Lord. I saw this Proverbs book that dives into wisdom and I have ordered it to read as part of my devotion. All throughout 2022, I set monthly goals to make life easy for myself and I plan on doing the same. Between this and time in prayer, your girl is about to be spitting wisdom left, right, and center. If you can't tell, I’m excited to see how I come out of 2023.

Reflections: What are your goals for 2023? How do you plan on achieving them?