There is something special about a fresh start, blank slate (what is a slate?), or cleaned desk.
The weight of ‘once was’ is behind us and the potential of ‘what could be’ awaits us. Humans are creative, and we naturally want to better ourselves. That’s why we make New Year’s resolutions each year, either informally in casual conversation, or sketched out in detail in a Moleskine notebook (the way I roll). Here’s my take on fresh starts.
Every day is new.
The writer of Lamentations says “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (3:22-23). This tells me God’s love and mercy are not only new every morning, they are new every MOMENT. He is always with us, always faithful, always holding things together.
What does this mean for us? Every moment is a chance at a fresh start. Gary Vaynerchuk recently posted an Instagram video where he described his love/hate relationship with resolutions. Essentially he said they are good but that we should resolve to be better everyday, not just wait for another year to go by. How silly is it to limit what we can do because of a glass ceiling like the invisible flip of a calendar year?
So, if you are out of shape, don’t wait until tomorrow to take the stairs or walk around the block. Just because there is a big family meal tonight doesn’t mean that you have to toast off a box of chocolates this afternoon.
Each year I set goals, I don’t make resolutions. And I hit a lot of my goals. Of course I miss some, but who cares? When I stumble and fall I dust off, and get back on track. Why limit my own potential when God himself, the Maker and sustainer of the universe is cheering me on to make a difference in my life, family and world?
Now grab a napkin, journal or the back of one of your kid’s drawings and make a plan.
- Set a goal for your personal life, career and spiritual health…or something like that. I’ll leave it to you to set up your categories.
- Ask WHY do I want to accomplish this goal? If your why isn’t strong enough you’ll never reach the goal. Move on until something really connects with your why.
- Make the goal SPECIFIC. “I want to be healthy” is a good goal, but there is no way to measure it. A better goal would be “I want to train to run this 5k race in July.” Enter the race now, put it on your calendar, and Google “How to train for a 5k race.” Then do it.
- Start now. When you miss a day of reading, exercising, or if you have a slack day at work or lose your temper at home, get back on the horse and ride. Remember…God’s love and mercies are new every MOMENT!
- Review your goals every week to make sure you are on track. And put them in a place where you can see them.
Now quite surfing the interwebs and get going.