How to Start the Year Right

How to Start the Year Right

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RimsBFZ96Us

I'm not a guru, but I've been doing this for over 10 years now and it's been great for my mental health, emotional health, spiritual health, and sometimes even my physical health! (Hopefully this year I can shed the weight I gained here in the States 🥲)

1. Gratitude

I like to put pen to paper (yes, PEN to PAPER, because it's more distraction-free and it's more tangible) and list down everything I can think of that I can be grateful for. Sometimes, it's not even just something you got, or something that happened, or a person you got closer to, but even just the fact that nothing went wrong! If no one in your family got COVID this year, that's a blessing to be grateful for.

A great way to remember what to be grateful for is by looking at old journal entries. If you keep a planner or a journal (or even just an ordinary notebook where you scribble random whatevers), it can be really helpful to look back at old notes, especially if you date your entries.

Another idea is to scroll through your camera roll. If you're like me, then you've probably captured photos or videos of special occasions in your life. Aside from that, stumbling upon old memes and screenshots are a new and unique way to revisit memories.

Write those down and thank God that He remained faithful even during the times you weren't.

2. Goals

Write down the goals you have for the coming year. There are goals which are "workable", over which you have control and will only have yourself to blame if they don't come to fruition,, and then there are "faith goals", which are things you entrust to God. Healing of a loved one, or supernatural provision, are a couple examples.

I tend to narrow my goals down, especially for the "workable" ones. I don't want to be spreading my energies too thin, so I aim for at MOST, five goals to accomplish by the end of the year. Then I break those goals down by quarter (what's one-fourth of losing 20 pounds?), then I break down those quarterly goals by month (what's one-third of losing one-fourth of 20 pounds?). If you always want to be working toward your goals, break those down by week, too. You'll end up having to lose only half a pound of weight each week.

For those who already do goal-setting, looking back at old goals is another nice thing to do.

3. Prayer

God goes before us in every year we face. I believe that entrusting the year to Him and renewing our devotion to Him is vital in living a fruitful life this 2021. He's the one who carries us through, so why not continue to let Him carry us?

It's also important to thank God for the year that has gone by. Refer to the list you just made :)

4. Fasting

It's best to do this step with community. Many local churches fast for three, five, or even seven days at the start of the year to remind their bodies that physical sustenance is not all there is. Even more important than physical bread is the Bread of Life!

Fasting is not a hunger strike, but instead it's a symbol, a representation of how our primary source this year is God alone. Whenever we get hungry (or whenever we crave social media, for those who are doing social media fasts), let's tell our spirits that we need to depend on God more and more.