Last January I made a single New Year's Resolution. To find joy in the journey of this year of my life. Here is a snippet of what I wrote:
At the end of each month this past year I took the time to reflect on specific occurrences or items I was grateful for in that particular month. It was a routine of sorts to help me stop, remember, reflect, and record the highlights of my days so they would be properly appreciated and not forgotten. This routine definitely helped me realize all the wonderful things that happen along the journey of life--whether they be great or small. There were months I had to search and find the finer details of life I was grateful for. Other months were filled with larger, more obvious happenings that were easy to remember. Either way, after careful moments of reflection, I found I was able to fill a page with many blessings and joyful things. Because of this effort, I now more powerfully realize that my life is abundantly filled with joy and happiness. This abundance has always been there--I have not always been able to recognize it.
I count my resolution as a success. I think I learned and grew as a result of it, which is the goal of most resolutions, right? I kept my promise of finding joy along the path of this past year and I intend to continue doing so in the future.
As I ponder my path for the coming year, I look behind and ahead and feel as though I'm in the middle of the journey. Not the long, winding journey of my entire life, but a shorter period of time and transition with my family, with our business, with my own sense of purpose. I sense this is a period of great growth, which I've already felt and seen this past year. I sense the growth will continue forward--nudging me along this pathway of new-found confidence, freedoms, and responsibilities.
And so, considering I'm in the middle of this journey, my new resolution is to move ahead with courage and confidence--building upon the momentum of the past year and striving for newer heights in the coming months, taking along with me the lessons of the past in order to survive the lessons of the future.
In more concrete terms: I resolve to strengthen myself through daily habits of scripture study, prayer, and continued reflections of gratitude for my many blessings. There are things I want to change about myself--about the way I'm raising my family. There are things I want to strengthen and grow in my personality and my confidence. There are talents I want to pursue and develop more fully. I know I will be able to achieve these things if I devote myself more fully to what my Heavenly Father wants of me and submit myself to His will. I have the faith these things will happen and I'm looking forward to it!
That's pretty much the best resolution I've ever heard.
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