A New Year’s Twist
In the blink of an eye, the holidays are done. Just like that, we are in a new year and it’s time to toss out the old and bring in the new. Resolutions are kicked into high gear and the gyms are more packed than they have been since, well, this time last year.
There are years when I love this feeling, and in particular the age-old tradition of declaring a resolution, but there are other years when I’d rather just pass. I know too well that there are only a handful of times when the resolutions turned into reality and the rest of the time, they just dried up like the Christmas tree in my living room that is dropping its needles at an alarming rate. Resolutions can be so transient. Yet, there is something I do love about taking time to assess where you are and what’s ahead. I love the discussions it fosters and hope it provides for positive change in our lives. I just wonder if we all might benefit from a twist on the whole thing.
What if instead of focusing on what we resolve to do, we take a moment to listen a little harder to what our hearts are telling us?
How about if we use this yearly reboot to focus on what our hopes and dreams are for the years ahead, the calls that inspire us and forge new paths in our lives? Instead of setting ourselves up to feel the disappointing sting of another resolution gone flat, I wonder what it would look like if we take the time to feed the parts of our lives that make our hearts sing.
We talk about losing ten pounds, going on a green juice cleanse, doing what it takes to get physically fit, don’t get me wrong physical health is important, but we often forget to talk about what we will do for our emotional and spiritual health. The hard stuff, the belief stuff, the lasting stuff, that’s where I challenge us to think differently this year. Take stock of what’s in our hearts, look at the gifts we have been given, and listen to what we feel inspired to do. Pray for God to enter this space and I know you will be in awe of how well your gifts match-up with the God-given desires and hopes in your heart.
When the gifts we have been given match-up with the desires in our hearts, that’s the sweet spot.
When we take the time to listen and take tangible steps towards those hopes and dreams, surprising opportunities reveal themselves. I am so grateful that God has opened up doors where my gifts and the desires of my heart match-up. I feel joy when I’m following what God has laid out for me, and I know that’s available for everyone to experience. But it doesn’t come without doing the leg work. We all have to listen carefully to find “the sweet spot” in our lives. By working on the soul stuff, not just the outside stuff, we have the opportunity to find the place where what we are doing fills our hearts with joy and feeds our souls in a lasting way.
That’s where the twist is, instead of declaring a singular new goal for 2020, how about deciding to take the time to listen to your heart?
Listen to how beautifully the gifts you have been given synch up with what makes your heart beat a little faster. A new year is an opportunity to recommit to what lasts, to the things that touch our souls. When we focus here, we won’t come to the end of January with a resolution lost in the shuffle, we will feel renewed with a sense of purpose that has an abiding impact.
Listen to the dreams and calls in your life, see the gifts you have been given, and be inspired…we all have the opportunity for a joy-filled year ahead!