A New Year . . . .
‘Tis the season when many of us begin the new semester and new calendar year with goals and resolutions and great intentions that this year we really are going to get organized, or lose that weight, or do those exercises, etc. And it is also the year when many of us will start out strong but will eventually find our efforts diminishing as the busyness of our lives begins to take over.
A different approach that might be helpful for those among us who struggle with unrealistic expectations of ourselves is to focus on a single word for the new year that we will use to guide our attitudes and our actions in the coming weeks and months. I know of one colleague who is now keeping a small daily journal with her as a visible reminder of her word and specific ways she tries to practice that word throughout each day.
Some words that might be worthy of our consideration are taken from the Christian tradition of the fruits of the Holy Spirit but can be applied to anyone, regardless of spirituality or philosophy:
- Patience
- Kindness
- Love
- Peace
- Gentleness
- Faithfulness
- Joy
- Goodness
- Self-Control
We may pick one virtue to guide us throughout the year or choose a different one to focus on each day or week. Regardless, the desire and intention to mold our lives in specific and positive ways can provide all of us with opportunities for making 2012 one of the best ever.
Welcome Back and Happy New Year to All!
Peace, Anne
“Thanks to all the trolls who have come to this blog in the past year and heelpd me learn to work on my tolerance of stupidity and classlessness.”This made me laugh. Sounds like you’re off to a good start with the right attitude! Some people can’t help but let their negative emotions take over when they can’t win points in a discussion by arguing about the merits of the points in the discussion. Know that when people respond with stupidity and classlessness, that you are doing much better than they are. They’re just angry knowing that you’re smarter than they are.Happy New Year!