2017: 5 Ways to Start Anew

The New Year is upon us and with it we get all get to start anew. What better way is there to start the New Year? It is a great time to look ahead to see where we want to be this time next year and switch gears to meet our new goals - new plans, new perspectives, new goals and new faith building practices.

The New Year is the perfect time to take stock of who we are and where we are in our lives - we get a start fresh with a clean slate to better ourselves to be our very best. Beyond the usual annual list of New Year's resolutions that we all make that go unheeded, perhaps it is a good time to get a little more serious about the changes we would like to make in the New Year. To do so, here are 5 tips to realizing a better you in the New Year:

1. Write down your strengths and weaknesses.
2. Make a list of personal changes you would like to make this year for a better you.
3. Begin to initiate these changes the first week in January.
4. Assess the progress you have made monthly to try to stay on track.
5. Make adjustments as necessary to stay on track and meet your new goals.

All of us have strengths and weaknesses we need to try to change. Focusing on your strengths will help you meet or exceed your goals to improve your areas of weakness. It can be very helpful to pray for discernment from God regarding the areas you need to work on most. By doing so, you are inviting Him into the process and He will direct you in the way you should go, helping you grow in fortitude.

Thus says the Lord: "See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
Isaiah 43:19

Each day is a new one unto itself - having God at the helm will save you from being too hard on yourself, and also to stay on track. In a way, it is like putting a Light on your life to reveal the changes that are most necessary for living a happy, full life. For God is kind and merciful and His help is beyond reproach. He will help us become a little more humble, a bit nicer, more diligent and mindful in what we do and more hopeful as He grows us in holiness.

To grow in holiness does not mean becoming pious but rather He will give us a servant's heart to allow us to serve Him better by enabling us to be of greater service to others. By doing so, we are more able to see others as He sees them, moving us seamlessly and ever so gently away from being selfish and judgmental and towards a greater love and acceptance of others.

Yes, the New Year is a wonderful time for change and personal growth. Let's make it a holy year, one that we can palpably realize God's mercy for ourselves and others, his Divine Plan and all our abundant blessings.

Copyright 2017   |   Distributed by the NEWS CONSORTIUM

---

'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'

Copyright 2021 - Distributed by Catholic Online