Here we are with another new year and another new beginning. I enjoy the holidays and have a hard time letting go, putting decorations away, etc. The Smart One even mentioned to me today that he was embarrassed to open the curtains because our Christmas tree is still up. Back to the point, I have learned that goals and projects help me get through the rest of the winter. I have this amazing sister-in-law who posted that she is making her resolutions a bit different this year by having a word of the year. I loved it and started thinking of what my word could be. As I was searching and wondering I remembered a talk given by Elder Dallin H. Oaks, "The Dedication of a Lifetime." I reread the talk and came across this:
"There is great strength in being focused on our goals. We have all seen the good fruits of that focus. Yet an intense focus on goals can cause a person to forget the importance of righteous means. When that happens, a commendable steady dedication can be transformed into a dangerous frenzy of excess."
Phew, it is ok that I don't go overboard on my resolutions and the thought of being crazy about it gives me all sorts of anxiety and eye twitching problems. :) But in all seriousness, the part that nailed it for me was this:
"Some people live the gospel with “short, frenzied outbursts of emotion,” followed by long periods of lapse or by performance that is intermittent or sputtering. What we need in living the gospel is “the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.”
So because I want to be like my sister-in-law in more ways than one, my word for this year is:
I look at my resolutions from the previous year and I think that being more steady is a good focus for me. So much so that I think I am going to continue some of my past goals. I will post those in a couple of days when I get them nailed down. I did enjoy the bucket list goals we did last year, and in fact we completed all of them! That was a helpful twist on the resolutions for me.
Have you made your resolutions or goals yet?
Really love this idea, focusing on one word for the year. I'm doing something similar with a motto that I'm hoping will bring me more balance. Been working on it for about a month and so far, so good! Happy New Year to all of you!
ReplyDeleteI love this so much! I kind of have a word of the year also without planning too, but I need to find more joy and have made a goal to find joy everyday. So that is my word of the year!
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