January is a traditional time for “starting fresh”. We make resolutions to help us transform the coming year into a better, happier one, than the year we just finished. Usually, those resolutions, are to lose weight, work smarter, and maybe to give up smoking. It is our hope that making these improvements will bring us happiness—at least that’s true for me. However, happiness originates on the inside, not from any of these externals. The true key to changing our lives so we will be happier, is to make changes in our inner selves, develop habits that will bring joy.
Strengthening our inner selves also prepares us to deal better with problems and challenges that may arise during the year. We cannot control our future, but we can make ourselves stronger, more resilient, and able to react to whatever comes in a positive manner.
Happiness and spiritual calm as goals are not as easily quantified as a weight loss goal. For this reason, I advocate a “daily” approach, instead of setting a benchmark for a year-end (ego lose ten pounds) that requires daily adherence over a long period of time. Think about each day as a separate unit. Try to implement the three suggestions below, each day. One of the advantages of daily goal setting is that every morning you start all over again. There is no mid-March slow down. If you miss a day, a week, a month, you simply start again.
What are we doing once a day?
- Start each day with gratitude. Say a word of thanks. I try to thank God for each New Day—for having a roof over y head, for being able to make breakfast. This year, I will try to write one thing daily in a gratitude journal. Research has shown what the Bible, other religions, and even secular literature have determined to be true—gratitude is a great re-maker of the human spirit. Keeping a gratitude journal is a good thing to remind us, when we feel low, how much good there is in our lives. If we do nothing, else, we should do this step.
- Do good. Check out local volunteer opportunities to be sure but fulfilling this can be as simple as smiling at someone, letting someone go head of us in line, saying something nice to another person even on Facebook, or simply refraining from being mean when someone disagrees with us.
- Make things less important in our lives. Throw out or give away something that is not needed any more. One item per day will help de-clutter our houses and our hearts. Think before we spend. Do I really need that?
Make “Each day is new.” your mantra. Do not be discouraged, if you miss one or more of these daily transformation exercises. Missing whichever of these you have chosen to do daily does not mean failure. Just start over again. After all, every day offers the opportunity for a fresh start. That’s 365 fresh starts in 2019. Happy New Year!
Published in Jan 2019 in Senior Buzz Brunswick County
