Remembering What New Years Means
It is hard to believe that we are once again welcoming in a new year, but as 2019 ends we must take a minute to look back on what we have accomplished and where we have failed. New Year’s Eve is typically a day of celebration and it is important to reflect on our past and what our futures may hold. The coming of a New Year may not be a religious holiday but it is a time of great importance. Using the day as a turning point allows us to start fresh and make 2020 special.
Our Success
All of us have had some sort of success in 2019, although we often do not cherish it at the time. These winning moments can be professional, personal, or family related. What matters is we take a step back and appreciate them now. In the moment we often fail to savor our wins and are usually quick to move on to what is next. We graduate school and we start looking for jobs, we have children and we immediately learn to be parents, or we get promoted and we go right to work. At the time it is appropriate to move on quickly but the end of the year should be a time for us to look back. We need to spend a few minutes to think about all that we have accomplished. It is good for our mental health and it is important to reset our perspective. We sometimes get lost in our routines and this brief break gives us the time to think back. When we are watching the clocks waiting for 2020, begin to think back about the great memories of 2019. Spend some time talking about them with your friends and family and be proud of yourself. It doesn’t matter how big or small our victories are, New Years is a great time to remember them.
Our Failures
We all like to believe that we are perfect and always right but that cannot be farther from the truth. We all make poor decisions and we all fail sometimes. What matters most is we learn from our mistakes. New Years is a time of celebration but is can also be a time of reflection. We make all sorts of New Year’s Resolutions in an attempt to better ourselves and thinking about our failures gives us the perfect opportunity to make sure we learn from them. If we were not promoted at work we should ask ourselves if there is a reason why? If we upset our family members we must understand what we have done in order to properly apologize and better understand their feelings. We must spend some time to realize our flaws and work to improve them. These flaws can be mental, they can be physical, they can be emotional, and they can even be professional. It really doesn’t matter. What does matter is we recognize our short coming and work hard to improve ourselves and learn. We are never too old to learn new things and we will never be too old to make mistakes.
Reach Higher
What are our goals? New Years is the time of year to think and level set. We must take a step back and look at our lives and attempt to find what makes us happy. Are we tired of our jobs and do we want to start a new career path? Are we ready to become parents? Do we want to lose weight or just live a healthier life style? There is a reason January is the season of resolutions. Every person strives for some sort of self-improvement. Some of us see success in wealth acquired, while others measure success by the happiness of their families or personal health successes. Every person has their own agenda and it is important we work hard to do better. So now is as good of time as ever to set some lofty goals. Change takes time and the New Year gives us a clear starting point. That’s why gyms and fitness centers are busier in January, people are trying to lose weight and be healthier. It is important to find things that work for our individual needs. For some that might be more gym time, while others would prefer to advance their education or career path. Look at enrolling in programs you might enjoy. This could be at a community college or at a museum or even a community center. The internet gives us access to an almost infinite number of options. So as the year ends spend a little time to acquire a new hobby or expand on an existing one. Learn something new and better yourself in a way that makes you proud of yourself. Set goals and motivate yourself to be the best version of you.
Acknowledge Others
We have spent a lot of time talking about bettering ourselves and personal gains; however, we must remember the importance of helping others. We motivate our friends and families, we want what’s best for them and for them to be happy. So we must not forget to recognize their accomplishments at the end of the year. Start a conversation and ask them if they are enjoying their new job, talk about the growth of their children, and help them appreciate their best memories. New Years is a time of listening as much as it is a time of celebration. We need to listen to our friends when they talk and we must allow them a forum to be proud of themselves. Out friends and family support us every day and we must return the favor. So these next few weeks congratulate people on what they have accomplished and ask them about their goals. Remember to support the people who matter to us the most. Spread happiness and joy to others and be a solid support for them going forward. Your friends and family will appreciate it and you will likely grow even closer to them.
Time goes by quicker then we realize and as we turn the page on 2019 we must remember what we have gained and what we have lost. We must embrace the start of a New Year as a new opportunity for success and we must cherish and learn from our past. That is how we grow as people and as a society. So go out and have some fun and Happy New Year to everyone.