As we prepare to flip the calendar to 2017, many people will resolve to do better. It’s a popular time of year to vow to lose weight or get in shape, to drink or eat less and donate or volunteer more.
We see tons of articles every January about people’s resolutions that revolve around fitness, and then by February 1st we see articles about how quickly people broke their resolutions and returned to the same-old same-old.
What if we looked at resolutions differently?
What if, rather than pressuring ourselves with unrealistic superficial goals, we took stock of our daily routine and looked for opportunities to add in prayer, meditation, plans with friends, less time with technology and more time with our families?
What if we made small, achievable goals that we resolve every single day to keep, rather than big grandiose goals over an entire year that feel overwhelming?
Any time we have a change, we can look at it as an opportunity to take stock and evaluate if we are living out our lives as an expression of our values. Am I truly demonstrating through my actions what is most important to me?
As Americans, we tend to live on high-speed autopilot, stressed and rushed in our daily lives. Why not start this new year by finding ways to pause and contemplate if our actions are reflective of what is important to us? Is Facebook getting more time than my children are getting? Are my expressions, through words and action, truly reflecting what I say I value?
At Samaritas our mission is to serve others as an expression of the love of Christ. In our work every day, we see parents making changes so their children can be returned home, persons with lifelong disabilities achieve greater level of independence, seniors working to gain their health back, and refugees finding safety for their families. At Samaritas we have a unique opportunity to see how working everyday toward a goal can make such impact on individuals’ lives & the communities they live in.
This year, let’s resolve not to be so hard on ourselves, but to infuse our lives with meaning, and with peace. That’s a goal we can recommit to every single day.
Vickie Thompson-Sandy is President of Samaritas.