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Each new year brings us a chance to reset. To review and reflect on our time, our dreams and our plans for the days ahead. It’s a natural turning of the page. The opening of a new chapter.
I love this verse, from Galatians 6:4-5 (MSG): “Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.”
It might not be New Year’s Day, but it is still the new year so let me ask: Are you doing the creative best you can with your own life?
This episode is somewhat of a guided journal session for you to take inventory, reflect and look ahead.
Research shows spending even 15 minutes reflecting on your day can improve your performance by 23 percent.
And there’s evidence that writing one’s goal enhances goal achievement.
In one study on goal setting, participants who wrote their goals were 42 percent more likely to achieve them than those who simply thought about their goals.
So let this be your time to look back and set intentions for the year. Make it a gift to yourself—a chance to align what matters to you with how you move forward.
Grab a pen and paper, heat up some tea, light a candle—you know, give it a vibe—and take a few moments to reset. I’ll give you a prompt then some time to respond. Feel free to hit pause if you need more.
Listen and subscribe to the Do Gooders Podcast now. Below is a transcript of the episode, edited for readability. For more information on the people and ideas in the episode, see the links at the bottom of this post.
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- First, when you think back to a year ago—to January 1, 2023—identify one area of your life you wanted to make progress on.
- It could be your faith, friendships, finances, your projects or personal growth—what is something going well in that area of your life? How did you make progress last year?
- Where have you fallen off in that area? Any areas you’ve been slacking or settling in?
- What specifically about this area of your life do you wish was different?
- Now let’s look ahead. Envision where you could be in this area on December 31. Dream a little. And be specific.
- Let’s get more specific. What are two or three actions you can take this quarter to make that change a reality? How can you make progress in the next three months? Make it tangible.
- Finally, how would you feel if you did show up consistently in this area for the next three months? How would that impact your life?
You zeroed in on one area of your life and you can repeat the exercise for other areas you want to focus on. Just don’t spread yourself too thin. Keep your focus narrow intentionally.
If you want to dig in a little more, get the Joy-Filled Toolkit now and make a plan for joy with a printable 12-week joy planner and mini-workshop podcast to help you create a season of intention. You can find it free now at caringmagazine.org/joyplanner.
The 12-week Joy Planner from Caring Magazine includes space to reflect on where you’ve been and where you’re going, with guided prompts. Space to look ahead for what matters most to you in the next four weeks, your goals, important dates, a bucket list for joy filled moments, a weekly spread, starting with a good word from the Good Word, an affirmation from Scripture to hold close throughout the week. There’s a daily joy tracker to record instances of joy alongside your appointments and tasks. Then finish the week noting a memorable moment, something you found exciting that you learned, or somewhere you found joy. And finally, a journal for however best fits your needs. This is all free for you, this is a joy-filled toolkit for you to use in your own life. And again, that’s caringmagazine.org/joyplanner.
And as a final note, if you’re starting the year a little disappointed or with things not where you’d hoped, I’ll leave you with this word from 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (MSG):
Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow.
Additional resources:
- Join the Caring X Grace Winter Book Club for powerful stories, rich theology and practical suggestions as Philip Yancey challenges us to become living answers to a world that desperately needs to know, What’s So Amazing About Grace?
- Get the Joy-Filled Toolkit now and make a plan for joy with a printable 12-week joy planner and mini-workshop podcast to help you create a season of intention.
Listen and subscribe to the Do Gooders Podcast now.
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