Shine On

It’s January 2^nd and I didn’t make any New Year’s resolutions this year. And, I feel pretty good about that decision.  In the past, I have made resolutions that I didn’t end up keeping.  Ultimately, I would feel worse about myself for not living up to the promises I had made.

This year, however, I decided to do two things instead that I think will lead me in the right direction for 2020 and not leave me feeling like I let myself down by not reaching a too lofty goal that I might have set. 

First, I intend to take one good habit that I started in 2019 and continue to work to improve it.  This past year, I started journaling one page every morning.  In 2020, my goal will be to continue this habit but increase my writing to two pages a day.  For me, this is a small but important step on my writing journey.  It is also achievable and worthwhile which will give me much greater odds for success.

Second, I have chosen a guiding word for 2020.  A single word that I can use as a simple reminder of what I intend for this year.  Some good guiding words would be Shine, Abundance, Confidence, Freedom, or Gratitude.

If you like the idea of a guiding word, I suggest that you find some time to sit down and reflect on 2019.  Find a place where you will be undisturbed and have time to think.  Then, ask yourself some questions such as, what challenged you the most last year?  What was neglected in 2019?  What was wonderful?  What were your top achievements?  In what areas do you need closure?  What habits are not serving you?

Once you have considered some of these questions, see if there is a common theme.  Is there one area that stands out to you that you would like to improve or leave behind?  Is there one word that sums up what you hope for in 2020?  Once you pick a word, spend some time deciding how you will incorporate that word into your life.  Create a vision around it.

My word this year is shine.  Some definitions for shine are “quality of brightness, especially from reflected light”; “to give out a bright light”; “to be talented or perform very well”.   I particularly love the idea of reflecting light into the world.  2020 is going to be a great year so keep excelling, keep pushing and shine on!