What do you do with a New Year? How can you take advantage an opportunity to "turn a new leaf," one that won't fail like a list of Resolutions?
I've used a helpful approach the past 5 years, answering these questions:
1. If the last year were a movie of your life, what would the genre be?
2. What were the three to five major themes that kept recurring?
3. What did you accomplish in the last year that you are the most proud of?
4. What do you feel you should have been acknowledged for but weren't?
5. What disappointments or regrets did you experience during the past year?
6. What was missing from the past year as you look back?
7. What were the major life-lessons you learned in this past year?
8. What leadership lessons did you learn in the past year?
9. What rhythms will you keep in the next year that were helpful during the last year?
10. What 2-4 things would you add to the next year and why do you think they will be helpful? Perhaps stated in the form of goals.
This year I'm adding an 11th question. "What are some things I'd like to leave behind?" Leaving some things behind will make a big difference, be they small things or big things. What I've learned over my years is this: You don't have to change everything
to change everything
Even one small change in a habit or life-pattern will shift the entire system, creating a wave of more significant changes.
I started to make a list of 14 things to leave behind and quickly noticed (a) I had trouble coming up with more than 7 and (b) 14 is too many things, which means I'd have a good chance of doing none of them since I couldn't do all of them.
I broke them down this way:
Physical: I'd like to leave sugar behind. I deal with imbalanced cholesterol numbers; not high, but the good is not high enough and exercise (6-10 miles each week in the pool plus some weights) hasn't helped as much as I need. Meanwhile, I'm trying to stave off the medications. Research says the culprit might be sugar, acting as an inflammatory that causes cholesterol to "stick" around.
Mental: Screen Time - I watch too much TV and spend too much time on the Internet. I've been good about taking Sabbath days from work; now I need to add a Sabbath from screens. Replacing screen time with books (I used to be a consistent reader) I have little doubt will invigorate both my heart and mind.
Spiritual: Comparing - my competitive nature finds a comfort zone in the habit of comparison - like the church that betrayed us; or the individuals who gossiped or spoke ill of us. My sin nature rears it's head when I'm tempted to rejoice in doing better than another, or in the stumbling of another:
You should not gloat over your brother in the day of his misfortune,
nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction,
nor boast so much in the day of their trouble. Obadiah 12
The Holy Spirit has used a recent song to encourage me. The chorus is: "I don't need my name in lights. I'm famous in my Father's eyes." Comparison doesn't help my heart focus on eternal things. Life is about who He makes me not what anything temporary can describe.
Each New Year provides a chance to start something new, for things to be different. I can't do 2 of these without help. I need my wife and I need my trusted friends to hold me accountable. Less screen time is a choice of self-discipline. That's why Resolutions don't work - no accountability. I watch it every year at the Y, people who want to, people who need to, start in January clogging up the locker rooms and the machines, but they don't stick to it come February.
Grab a group, make a pact. Bring along some friends, join a team. No matter what method you choose, turning over a new leaf isn't normally done by yourself. There's a hard way and an easier way - make 2015 different by making some choices today.
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