How was 2022 for you? Can you believe this year is already ending? This year, I’ve
accomplished some of my goals and learned and grown in some ways. I can’t believe it’s
gone by so fast! 2023 will be a new year, and I want to keep learning and growing. How about
you?
Here are some questions to help you reflect:
● What did you do well in 2022?
● What do you want to do better?
● Who or what were you grateful for in this last year?
● What do you want to accomplish in your lifetime?
● What do you want to accomplish in the next 3 years?
● What do you want to accomplish in the next year?
● What do you want to accomplish in the next 3 months?
One way to plan for the new year is to make resolutions or goals you want to fulfill
in 2023. Maybe you want to continue good habits or start new habits for your health, education,
finances, relationships, career, or hobbies.
Let’s look at a few guidelines to help us make good New Year’s resolutions.
1. Be Specific
One of the things I want to do is read more books. This is a good goal, but we need to
be more specific. How many books?
2. Be Realistic
I know people who read 50 or 100 books a year. I like those numbers but are they
realistic for me? There are 12 months in a year. Some months, I could read an entire book, but I know life
is busy and unexpected things can happen.
I think reading 10 books is a realistic resolution for me.
3. Make a Plan
This sounds good, but when will I read the books? I know that if I don’t have a clear plan
for when and how I will do things, I often don’t end up doing them. For example, I can tell
my friends, “It’s been so long! I want to see you and catch up”, but it doesn’t mean
anything until I choose a day and time and invite them to hang out with me. Similarly, I need to think about the real, specific details of my goals and decide how I will
make them a reality.
I have an hour to read in the mornings before I start work on Tuesdays and Thursdays
and a couple of hours on Sunday afternoons. If I read at these times on these days
every week, I can read at least one book a month and reach my goal of 10 books.
Finally, I should choose which books I will read! I won’t bore you with my whole list, but
the first book I want to read is “Reading While Black” by Dr. Esau McCaulley.
Here’s my challenge for you: today, think of 3 specific and realistic New Year’s
resolutions for yourself in 2023 and make a plan for each one. You can do it!