Being over forty, I wasn’t going to spend time making a list of things I planned to do this year.  The idea of forming “resolutions” seemed so childish and outdated that it didn’t seem to be worth doing.  After all, I’m not sure I’ve ever really stuck to any of the ones I’ve made in the past so why bother?  Funny thing, I woke up in the middle of the night with several things on my mind.  Not an unusual occurrence, but one that brought about new deliberation on the whole concept of making resolutions.  It isn’t that the process of making resolutions is childish and outdated, the problem has been that the resolutions I was making were childish and outdated.  So, instead of creating this self-limiting, self-defeating set of rules for myself, I’ve come up with some realistic and useful goals for this new year.  Here they are:

First, I resolve to have more resolve.  This has been somewhat elusive over the years and in order to make any significant change in my life, I need to be able to stick to my guns, to stand “resolute” in my convictions and to push forward through opposition.  So,  while slightly redundant, this seemed an appropriate goal to have.

Second, I resolve to not recycle old boyfriends.  A slightly immature goal but an area that has been a huge stronghold for me and has created problems which have held me back from being able to make good progress on other goals.  I have had a tendency to be very forgiving in situations where that level of forgiveness isn’t necessarily warranted.  This year and every year forward, I resolve to leave the past in the past and to not waste energy attempting to draw water from a dry well.  If he’d been worth the effort at all, he would have been worth it back then.  Not that I discount anyone’s ability to change, but since I’ve changed pretty significantly over the years, it is more likely that the type of guy I once sought out is no longer the right type for me.  And in truth, probably never was.

Third, I resolve to follow the news more closely this year…no matter how intensely painful it may be.  In the past, I’ve tried to avoid watching news broadcasts because they seem to be so focused on drawing out the absolute worst in people and sensationalizing it.  However, I found it necessary this past year, with all that transpired in politics and government, to pay closer attention to what was going on and to spend some time in debate with others about the issues.  For a time, when I was in a season of deep personal crisis, I simply couldn’t handle adding any more negativity to my consciousness.  But I believe that I am now better able to manage the information and I kind of enjoy a healthy debate every once in a while.  So, we’ll see what happens.

Fourth, I resolve to study God’s word in more depth.  Instead of just reading the Bible each day, I am going to study a bit more intensely so that I can get to the heart of what Scripture has been trying to say to me.  Through working on my degree last year, I developed a real interest in how the Bible was put together and the history behind the Scriptures.  I want to know more about these things so that the message becomes even more deeply rooted in my heart.  Possibly, the best thing I can do for myself this year and going forward.

Fifth, although I try to do this anyway, I resolve to meet all of my challenges head on.  I try not to back down when confronted, but there have been some times when I let myself believe that I just didn’t have enough energy to deal with things.  Enough of that.  I will not be overcome by the challenges I face.  I won’t be afraid to admit when I can’t fight the fight alone.  This is the first step in getting to victory.

And finally, I resolve to focus on the three “G’s” in my life; my God, my gifts, and my girls.  As you may have guessed, God is at the center of everything I do.  I will continue to honor Him and the blessings He has given me (family, friends, health, etc.).  Though it pretty much falls under the same umbrella, I will also focus on the gifts He has given me.  I believe that God has given me the ability to write and communicate with others and hopefully to encourage others.  I will do my best to use these gifts to do what He has put me on earth to do.  Finally, my girls.  They are the people in my life who have meant the most to me.  My daughter, my mother, and my sisters as well as the many women that I have been fortunate enough to meet and call friend whether through work, school or church.  Yes, there are a number of guys out there who mean a lot to me as well, but my heart is for the empowerment of women and it will be a major focus this year.

So there it is.  The blueprint for the next twelve months.  Hopefully, God will allow me to work on these things and to grow and prosper this year.  I’m looking forward to being more effective and making a difference this year.  Hope you have a wonderful year as well!

Until next time…