"Hope smiles on the threshold of the year to come, Whispering 'it will be happier' ..."
- Alfred Lord Tennyson
Do you do New Year Resolutions? I find that resolutions generally die after a few weeks unless genuine reflection occurs on the year before. With that said, I am writing about what didn’t work in 2018, what did work, and a few plans for next year. Feel free to reflect on your own life as you read through this!
What Did Not Work in 2018
1. Mindless scrolling.
2. Negativity (Worst-case-scenario-ing).
3. Comparing. (Just don't!)
4. Writing in the middle of the night.
5. Reading in the middle of the night.
6. Letting things bother me when the thing was actually pretty stupid.
7. Abandoning academic books! Why? Apparently, I still want to learn more about teaching.
8. Kickboxing? Love it and hate it! I hurt my foot and couldn’t exercise for quite a while.
9. Saying yes when I knew I should have said no.
10. Saying no when I should have said yes.
(How many of these do you relate to?)
So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12
What Did Work in 2018
1. Writing and teaching are about sharing what I think works.
2. Making gratitude lists each and every day (mentally or hand-written) is good for my mind. Negativity is not.
3. Reading and writing in the late morning or afternoon is the best time.
4. I need to set intentions for everything. When something is bothering me, it only gets X amount of time and then I move on.
5. I’m very interested in learning, teaching, and writing. Academic books can be stimulating when it’s a topic I love. Learning and growing is one of my keys to happiness.
6. Yoga/pilates is a great combination for me. Kickboxing is not. It’s just too hard on my knees.
7. I need to be clear about what gets a yes and what gets a no. People around me may not like it, but it needs to be done.
8. Reading picture books really is a good idea at any age.
9. Reading and re-reading are fuel for my life. I revisited a small number of books this year as well as read some new ones.
10. The other fuels for life include Bible reading, reflection, and prayer.
What have you learned in 2018?
Things I will continue to do in 2019
1. Dream, plan, and write for this blog space everyday and publish at least once a week. (My heart is all over this space!)
2. Teach English to students every week day and continue to blog at least once a month on how to connect Christ to the language classroom (not about preaching).
3. Take time out of the week to play games and read books with the boys.
4. Exercise regularly. (Have I mentioned I lost over 10 kg this year? That over 20 pounds if you think the other way)
5. Read the Bible along with other books about the Bible.
6. Pray for family and friends.
7. Teach Sunday School.
8. Enjoy what God has given me. There are so many great gifts in addition to that rather ginormous gift of salvation.
9. Work on improvements to this blog site. Thanks to Hope Writers for all their great suggestions. Yes, I will continue to work on building an email list. (Working on the lead magnet!)
10. Think about HIM. What a glorious God we have!
I encourage you to reflect on what worked and did not work in 2018 and to make changes that you think are necessary for 2019. Have you done this already? Let me know...
Blessings on your new year!
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