Arise and Shine


“And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been” ~ Rainer Maria Rilke

Happy New Year and cheers to another trip around the sun. You have made it this far and that is no mistake. You were meant to be here, now, at such a time as this.

It’s been a busy week setting up systems and breaking down annual goals into their bite sized components. Taking apart lofty ideals and coming up with realistic task lists and time spans for the completion of every task. And to be truthful, this is not a task I enjoy doing. Largely because it forces me to drill down what I say I want to do and face every step, activity and resource I will need in order to be able to accomplish that goal.

So I hauled boxes and sorted my stash of books to come up with a reading list, and now I’m glad I already have a Miracle Morning habit because my reading hour is now planned out. My fitness and health goals were next and this required I find and download workouts, check gear and plan out a schedule. And on and on I went down my major goals, drilling down, breaking apart and coming up with milestones and check points.

What I do love about check points is the mini-rewards that I build into the process. Even if it’s as mundane as baking myself a mini-cake to celebrate, it will be worth it. Last year I had a hard time finding anything nice to say about the year when I sat down to review it. I realized that I had lived for the end goal and forgot to live in the now. I never stopped to acknowledge milestones and celebrate micro-wins. I will not be that mean to myself this year. Weekly, monthly, quarterly I will find something to celebrate. Why? Because the end is not guaranteed and the process matters as much if not more than the end goal. Who I am becoming as I approach my goals is as celebration-worthy as who I will be when my goals are achieved.

So, as you start off the new year, do not just walk in with your realism lenses. Come expecting to surprise yourself and to be surprised by life. Come expecting to celebrate your wins as well as to celebrate others who win as they journey along with you. Make a commitment to work on your goals with single minded focus and always be on the lookout for small wins – it will be the wind beneath your wings when you get exhausted and can’s seem to be able to summon up the strength to continue.

But most important, commit yourself and everything about you to the Lord. He’s got you this far, He can take you further.

“2022 is the year of discipline. Decide what you want. Write it down. Make a plan. Work on it. Every. Single. Day. Your competition isn’t other people. It’s your PROCRASTINATION. Compete against that. CONQUER YOURSELF.” ~ David Goggins


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