2019 - a new year! (and why I love resolutions)


Well, I'm a bit late but Happy New Year! I know, there was an unintentional blog hiatus for a while, but I have not forgotten my blog. In fact, I have been thinking, dreaming, musing and planning away in my little head during these last couple of months, but so much has happened! 

We've had Christmas, parties, gatherings, a little bit of stress and then of course the new year. I had such a good break over Christmas and really focused on enjoying the rest - there were many, many lazy days spent under blankets watching TV, spending time at home and it was overall quite perfect. Then we've had a couple of weeks readjusting to the routine and getting back to reality but now I am ready and raring to go!

I have noticed this year that there seems to be a huge societal backlash over new year's resolutions? People hate them! But I am more in love with new year's resolutions than ever, and I'm going to tell you why. 

I know that setting ourselves unrealistic goals and then not getting started, or failing within a couple of days is a bit of a tradition but this year I've tried to be really intentional about the kind of goals that I'm setting and it's actually made a huge difference. In fact, I'm still refining my goals and working out which ones are truly important to me so don't let the fact that it's now January 12th put you off getting started!

For me, there is something truly significant about turning the page on December 31st. If I'm honest, 2018 was not a great year for me - sure there were some amazing things happening - but there were also some struggles and stresses and I felt like things were flying at us from all directions much of the time. I spent 2018 trying to survive rather than thrive and by the end I was just limping towards the finish line!

However, the pages of 2019 are yet to be written! There is something so full of hope about that blank page. I know, it's just another new day - but maybe we should treat every day as if it were a new year? With renewed hope, grace for ourselves, and the feeling that the past is the past and I can move forward, anything could happen! (Now there's a thought...). 

So, with all my renewed enthusiasm, hope and optimism, I've been thinking really carefully about what I want 2019 to look like, studying each area of my life and then setting some goals. 

Now, there's the key - these are GOALS rather than RESOLUTIONS. I've found this series of blog posts from Lara Casey really helpful in making sure my goals are not only SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-based) but also that they have HEART (basically that I know why I'm doing it, and that it's pegged on my values and heart choices). As Lara explains (seriously guys, set some time aside and work through her guide!), if your goals have heart, you're far more likely to stick to them!

Like I said, I'm still refining mine, but the whole process has been hugely fruitful so far and I'm looking at 2019 with a plan and a purpose - rather than the aimless wandering that I embarked upon last year.

The Bible, as always, a great source of wisdom in all things, says:

"Where there is no vision, the people perish." Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)
"Write the vison and make it plain." Habakkuk 2:2 (KJV) 
And I just think that taking the time to think about the future, set goals, write them out, think about the whys behind your purpose and what you really want for the future is a great thing at any time - but the new year provides the perfect excuse. I know it's caused me to make some significant changes in these first few weeks and so far I'm hopeful for a better year.

And for all the days when I slip up and take a couple of steps backwards, there's this:


"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV)
What about you, are you a love or a hater of resolutions? Are you setting goals this year? I'll share some of mine with you soon!

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

2019 - a new year! (and why I love resolutions) 2019 - a new year! (and why I love resolutions) Reviewed by Love Emily on January 12, 2019 Rating: 5

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