New Year's Resolutions
With the New Year still fresh on our minds, I thought I’d share some insightful perspectives of New Year’s Resolutions that have been incessantly running through my mind. It seems like everyone has their own opinion of these famed declarations. Some look at them with hope, and consider them to be noble and written in stone; whereas others laugh at them and nonchalantly brush off the beginning of a new year.
Whichever type of person you are, I hope you reflect on the idea of resolutions in a new light after reading this.
The Good: They give us the chance to start over again.Many people believe that they cannot change and that they are the way they are from the moment they were born. They think their actions and attitudes are fixed notions that define them. But this isn’t true. Our behaviors and mindsets can always be changed, adjusted and rearranged. We don’t have to stay the same person as we think we have always been. We don’t have to let ourselves be defined by our past. The way we live our lives is a choice, not a set destiny; you define your present and your future. Socrates once declared that “An unexamined life is not worth living.” New Year’s Resolutions give us the opportunity to look back on our lives and determine what areas need work to make our lives forces to be reckoned with.
The Bad: They limit us to thinking change only happens once a year. The idea of New Year’s Resolutions gives us the mentality that Jan. 1 is a brand new day in our lives, and it is the only time of the year that merits a change within us. The fact is that every day is a new chance and a new beginning to create the life you’ve always wanted to live. Every moment gifts us with the ability to become the person we’ve always wanted to be. John Henry Newman reveals to us a beautiful perception: “To live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often.” Our lives should be lived in a constant state of change and transformation. We should be restless in pursuit of perfection and always work to become the best version of ourselves we can be.
The Beautiful: They have the power to change our lives and change the world.In your heart is the incredible ability to change the world around you and make it a more beautiful place. It takes time, patience and perseverance; but it is always worth it. A famous line from Leo Tolstoy tells us that “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” The world around is flawed by hatred, violence and apathy. When we think to change it and make it a better place, we can feel helpless and discouraged that there can even be any change at all. But if we transform the way we think, our words will change. Our words become our actions which in turn become the seeds we can plant to make the world a more beautiful place.
Even though it’s past Jan. 1, it’s not too late to make your New Year’s resolutions! It’s never too late to make big or little changes in your life, to make it even more beautiful and worth living. I pray that the New Year will give you a new sense of hope and peace; and that you will grow more in love with Christ, His blessings of a new life and His gift of this beautiful world around us.
