Did you make a New Year’s Resolution this year? To be honest, I never have. Perhaps it is because we turn the calendar page while we are still in the midst of the Christmas season. It seems like an odd time to think about making big life changes before I have even taken down the tree, and then Lent is not very far off either.
Please don’t misunderstand; I am always striving to become a better person. That’s a 365 day a year thing for me. I guess that is why if I need to make a resolution of any sort, the best time for me to do it is the moment I realize I have the problem. I may not succeed in fixing the issue immediately, but I can continuously evaluate my progress and adjust my course as needed.
What works best for me is a daily behavior assessment. I try not to go to sleep at night until I have spent some time mentally going over my day. What did I do well? Where did I fall short? Where do I see and feel improvement? What can I do to become a better person? When I slack off on these nightly exercises it isn’t long before my personal life becomes chaos, too.
Another helpful practice is to create a plan and stick to it. If I am hoping to eat healthier, I should keep a journal and log what I’m eating. If I am having trouble staying focused, I can make sure that I plan a specific time to work on a task. If it is appropriate, I might want to find an accountability partner to exercise or pray with. If I want to declutter, I can pick one area for each week to make the task seem less daunting.
Knowing how beneficial this practice has been for me, I started doing a kid’s version with my boys before we say our prayers at bedtime. When they were little I would simply ask them what their proudest moment of the day was, and which was their least proud. When they became a little bit older, I changed the question. I ask in a variety of ways if they had a chance to be selfless that day. Conversely, I will ask if they had hurt anyone or missed an opportunity to lift somebody else up. If we identity an area that needs work, we come up with goals and plans.
It is such a simple way to keep ourselves and our flaws in perspective and it only takes a few minutes. I am very glad that my sons are so willing to participate, too. Hopefully, if it becomes a habit now, it will be a habit that follows them through their lives.
