It’s that time of year again, where we start the year with strong motivation and ambitious goals we set for ourselves. I’ll be honest and think new year’s resolutions can be a waste of time. We often want to start off the year at full speed, making resolutions and commitments that are just not practical or realistic. We set them first week of January and forget them by Feb 1. I was guilty of doing this for many years, but I don’t think New Year’s resolution should be scrapped all together. I think it’s healthy and productive to make goals for ourselves. I share below what can make goals more achievable, that you look forward to sticking with them all year. I also share what I hope to work on in 2023 for myself.
Realistic Expectations
Everybody loves the saying go big or go home. But when it comes to yearly goals, I think go practical is the winning strategy. Let’s take for example nearly everyone’s goal of better health or working out more. I used to join a gym, go a few times a week for maybe 6 weeks, then found myself tapering off until ultimately forgot I even had a gym membership. As life got busier with work, or having family and friend commitments, setting aside more than an hour just didn’t seem to fit. Your health is incredibly important, and you’ll need to get creative trying to prioritize life’s demands. I always thought a really good work out needed to be an hour long. It's simple not true. You can get a great workout in 30 minutes, or even 20 minutes! The most important thing is that you’re moving and getting your heart rate up. Now if your daily routine allows for an hour, that’s wonderful. I know for me, it’s hard to squeeze an hour into my day. If I set myself up for an hour work out, I will end up not working out. I have been there and done that.
My 2023 goal, which I started in 2022 successfully is the 20-30 minute workout. Luckily youtube has thousands of work outs for all levels and time commitments. I pick about 2-3 20-30 minute work outs that I rotate during the weeks, and do them while dinner is cooking most of the time. I make a lot of sheet pan dinners, so this works wonderfully timing wise. If it can’t be done while dinner is cooking, then I do it right before or after cooking dinner. It’s so unbelievable easy to fit in a very good sweat producing workout that’s only 20 minutes. If an indoor work out seems stale and boring, a 20-minute brisk walk outside is just as easy. By making my work out goals more realistic for my life, I can better commit to exercising 3-4 days a week very consistently.
Time Management
I think time management is something most of us struggle with. Every year I want to add more time with Jesus during my day. Whether through prayer, reading the bible, or reading Christian authors. I always feel so guilty, because I see myself having time to scroll on social media, but no time to read God’s word. I really wanted to work on this. One of my goals for 2023 was to read the bible (all of it) from Genesis to Revelation. I have read many large chunks of the bible, especially the New Testament, but I have not read the whole bible in its entirety. For Christmas this year, I asked for a good study bible. My husband came through and bought me this one (which I requested) from Dayspring. I have zero affiliation with them, it’s just the Bible that seemed to match what I wanted. I’ve committed to reading 4 pages a day at very minimum. I didn’t put a time of day when to read, it was just 4 pages or more in my day however that worked out. So far it’s been very easy to do. I’ve been able to read and take my notes in about 10 minutes. I’m so excited about this goal and digging deeper in God’s word. Every time I want to peek at social media, I remind myself I have some much better reading to do!
Seeking what is good and joyful in 2023 and beyond
I’m sure seeking what is good and joyful can sound vague. It can mean many things like being involved in the Church more, or volunteering for a charity, which are all very joyful things. But I think in the everyday moments of life, and throughout our day there is joy and goodness that we can seek a bit more. For me this comes down to things I’m listening to, reading and viewing. I don’t watch overly violent or gratuitous movies, or music that has swearing or degrading lyrics. I’m sure as I’ve gotten older, my taste has changed, but overtime I really wanted to seek out more uplifting and positive movies, books and music. Life can certainly be hard enough with the ups and downs, but what we are capable of changing is what we choose to see with our eyes and hear with our ears. I believe God wants us to seek the good, and I try to be cognizant of what is listened to and watched in my home. It’s not a perfect process, but I know by seeking more joyful and positive inspiration, there is a happiness I feel, and it can make my day just a little bit brighter.
Whatever your goals are for 2023, I pray that God helps you to achieve them! If we are being practical and manage our time, anything is possible. Many blessings of health, success, and joy to you and your family!
Lisa