Plan Your New Year in Five Steps

2018 is upon us, so it’s time to plan. It’s easy to think of unfinished resolutions and unmet expectations when thinking of a new year. But 2018 will be a good year because you make it a good year; it’s all about your willingness to accept change. With a little preparation, changing can be fun.

1. Mindset. First, know your worth doesn’t depend on what you accomplish next year. Your worth was fixed by your Creator before you were born, and He calls you priceless. Second, as you make resolutions for 2018, think about how you will improve your life so you can make the most of it. It’s true, we need to fix ourselves before we can help others. Yet, remember helping others is a big part of fixing ourselves. Finally, don’t think, “I won’t be happy until __”. Happiness is a choice; a good one. You are in control of your life, so choose to learn from and find a blessing in every situation.

2. Brainstorm. Dump your goals and expectations for the new year on paper. Write what you want to change and why. Consider your health, relationships, work, and global prosperity. Try something new and experiment.

3. Simplify. Cut unimportant or unattainable things from your list given your lifestyle. However, don’t be afraid to challenge yourself. For simplification, I compiled my list of goals into categories like health/wellness, family, school, and writing; then I ordered the goals in each category by most to least important.

4. Schedule. How and when will you achieve your goals? Say you want to run a 5k. Start small - go for a one mile jog at X time before or after work. Do that X times this week on X days and add more miles to each run until you can run a 5k at X date in the future. Achieve your goals by forming a schedule you can stick to.

5. Motivation. Decide how you will hold yourself accountable, and also give yourself grace. Reward yourself for achieving goals and don’t punish yourself if you fail. Instead, recognize why you failed so you don’t do it again. Create a goals board or set goals with an accountability partner. I like to tell a loved one about my plans, which creates a need to not let them down.

Don’t fear change. Despite our own plans, God has plans for us, too, and we’ll never get where He wants us to be if we don’t try new things. The poet Erin Hanson puts it really well:

I once heard someone say,

If you don’t change you do not grow,

But I waved the thought away,

For who were they to think they know,

I’d always stayed the same,

A heart that thrived within the cold,

And I had no desire to change,

At least that’s what I had been told,

But deep within my mind,

A thought grew slowly, bit by bit,

Until I felt trapped in my skin,

For it no longer seemed to fit,

There’s a whole world sitting out there,

Changing every single day,

That proves it’s nothing to be scared of,

If you do it the right way,

For a day afraid to turn to night,

Will miss the silver moon,

And a flower that refuses to change,

Will never get to bloom,

I had thought I was a thorn bush,

Only good for snagging clothes,

But if you do not dare to change,

You’ll never find out you’re a rose.

~ e.h.