R&R

Reflection & Redirection

I love the end of the year! This week between Christmas and the start of the new year is traditionally one of my favorites. I think the reasons I love it so much are– it’s the natural time to reflect on the past year and begin thinking about new beginnings. It is also a slow week, so there is time to do it.

I know a lot of people don’t make new year’s resolutions because they hate the failure that comes by the end of the first week. I quit making those too years ago and I exchanged them for what I call “Reflection and Redirection”.  It’s a softer way to make sure the way I meander through my week is aiming toward the things I say I want to accomplish in my life. 

As I sat down to write, I peeked at my goals and plan from a year and a half ago. I made it during Covid sometime in the summer, which as you know wasn’t the most active time.  I am amazed at the difference between wishing and hoping for something and the power of setting a goal.

What happens when you set a goal and you review it regularly (maybe weekly), is that you begin to make choices in keeping with those goals. 

I can’t tell you the number of times reading my goals over the last year and a half translated into changing my mindset. Donald Miller calls it opening a story loop—a new story about how you want to be living.  It actually affected the choices I made and ultimately my results.  

As I have been “Reflecting” on 2021, it occurred to me that I entered 2021 the same way I had every other year, as Cynthia Culver. I am so proud to tell you that I put a period on a part of my life I have loved. I am leaving 2021, Cynthia Baker. Curt and I got married on December 11th, so I guess you could say I accomplished at least one of my 2021 goals (developing a dating relationship).  

By the way, I am proud because developing a relationship is just like any other goal. My goals and your goals don’t go “poof” and just appear.  Working toward them is difficult.   Making changes challenges our deeply rooted patterns and rubs up against the old ways we have thought and operated.  Those old ways are usually responsible for us being in the same place, doing the same thing and frustrated. This is where we are going in January as we start the new year.  Our next few blog entries will be focusing on four principles required to make and sustain long term changes.

Between now and the next time we meet, I want you to spend :10 with these two questions. 

  1.   What would have made last year a great year? Or if it was great, better than it was?
  1.   If I could fast forward to next year at this time, what am I hoping will be different this year? What would make 2022 a great year?

We’ll pick up here and address the mindsets you need to make 2022 what you hope it will be. 

I’ll leave you with this. 

Seeing our goals (daily and weekly) forces us to choose if we really want what we “say” we do.  So often we say we want something, but the truth is we want something else more.  Spoiler alert: Often that thing we want more than our goal, is comfort.  So, we set goals because we want more for the one and only life God has given us.  Okay, enough preachin’ today.

I love the verse in the Bible that says God’s mercies are new every day. So, enjoy the new beginning that 2022 offers but don’t forget that every day is a new day too.  

Happy New Year, friends.