4 Smart Ways To Start Off This New Year

No matter what your tradition, the New Year is a big deal. It is a time where you can start things anew or rededicate yourself to the accomplishments you’ve already been making. In the Unification tradition, we have a motto that acts as a symbol for the rest of the new year. This year, figure out a way you can make the first day of your new year a symbol for the rest of the year to come.

Here are several ways you might do that:

Choose a Focus

Whether you wish to focus on family, career, church, or health, choose a focus for each area and write down what you’d like to accomplish. Although we don’t want to start the year off already full of regrets, it might help to think of the things that we just didn’t really like about the past year. Were you away from your family too often? Did you find yourself sick more often than usual? Have you been unhappy at work? These are all great places to start.

Make a Goal

Once you’ve chosen an area to focus on, take whatever negative thought you had about it and turn it around. Spend more time with your family, get healthy, feel accomplished at work. These become your big picture goals and the motto for the year to come.

In Unification tradition, the motto is written in beautiful calligraphy. The calligraphy is hung up in churches where people can see it throughout the year. If you’d like, try something similar with your own New Year’s vision. Create a poster, take some time to decorate it, and then display it to keep in mind the wonderful year you’re set to have.

Once you know the big picture, it’s a lot easier to think of the smaller steps necessary to accomplish it. Figure out exactly what you can do differently on a daily or weekly basis. Having a precise plan of action turns making your vision into a reality that much easier.

Practice the Changes From Day One

During your New Year’s Day, dedicate some time to each of your goals. For instance, if you decide you’d like to work on your family and your health, do activities that involve both… or better yet, get your family involved in a health activity. This way, you’ll have started the year off the way you want to live it. It’s a way to celebrate your God-given potential and how you hope to fulfill it. Have fun with it and use the joyful energy and memory you create to fuel yourself throughout the rest of the year. You’ll be off to a great start!

Check Your Progress

Along with the steps you’ve decided to take to create the life you want to live, choose a timeline with which you can check your progress. Choose a day once a month or every couple months and give yourself some time to reflect. Is your year turning out the way you were hoping? Have you been making the small changes you decided to to make? Is there a need to adjust some of your goals? It’s ok if things turn out a little different than you expected. This time for reflection and adjustment is set aside just for that.

What do you hope to accomplish next year? What will you be doing New Year’s Day in order to celebrate and include your goals? Let us know and leave a comment below!