Ten days into a new year.
I have read so many short writings and articles about resolutions, non-resolutions, words for the year, being a better person, taking care of yourself in the new year…and it was all good!
I love having a fresh start, a new beginning, a clean slate. It makes me feel like I have an opportunity to get it right this time. Somehow, putting that new calendar up on the wall, no “X’s” yet crossing out the passing days, feels optimistic, hopeful, and fresh.
Do you get discouraged by looking back on the year that has passed? Do you wish you had accomplished more? Or maybe accomplished less and had more down time. Do you feel good about the past twelve months and hopeful for the coming twelve?
As I thought about the new year, and this coming year is going to definitely have major changes for me, I realized that to feel this hopeful and optimistic, I must feel that the old year had gotten stale and hopeless. How can I prevent that? Why do we, in the month of December, push through the days, just to get them done and feel like we have to wait till January to accomplish something? Are we weighed down with lost opportunities, dashed dreams and fading hope of the past year and feel that we need to hang that new calendar to start fresh?
I wondered what I could do to make sure every month, every day felt like fresh start. I didn’t want to get to October or November and just coast through the rest of the year waiting for January so that I could once again accomplish something. I realize it’s a mental thing. We need that new beginning to get into a certain mindset, but why do we limit that mindset to only one time a year?
I had the radio on one day while driving and a woman was being interviewed. I wasn’t really listening, but for some reason, she said a word that flew straight from her lips to my heart. That word was “undaunted.” I couldn’t stop thinking about being undaunted. The definition of undaunted is – not frightened or discouraged, despite problems or lack of success; still determined and enthusiastic despite problems or no success. I decided that was MY word for the year. I am going to be undaunted in 2019!
So, my theory is this: if we wake every morning and encourage ourselves to approach the day undaunted, no matter what happened the day before, no matter what is on our schedule for the day, no matter what fears or insecurities attempt to overwhelm us, we will start each day as if it were January first. When we get to the end of the year, it won’t feel tired and washed up. Despite problems or lack of success, we’ll live very day of the year with all the hopefulness and optimism with which we entered the year.
Here’s to you this new year of 2019. May you enjoy every day to the fullest and live undaunted!
