Renewing The Promises – 5 Strategies for a Better Life in the New Year

A New Year Means New Beginnings

Well, 2016, this is it!  A few more hours, and we’re done.  I’m leaving you for a New Year, and I can’t say I’m going to regret it.

2016 was a hard year for a lot of us.  I’m not sure if it was something in the air, or maybe something in the water?  Who knows.  I do know that I’m excited for tomorrow and a fresh year.  There’s something amazing about a new beginning, even if it’s just a new day, but a whole new year…Now that’s something to look forward to!

Renewing the Promises

With each New Year, I find myself reflecting on the old and looking forward to something new.  Each year I make myself promises, and sometimes I even keep them!  At the beginning of 2016, I was at a low emotionally and physically, and I promised myself that I would do better.  I would be more intentional, I would be stronger, I would love more, laugh more, do more.

In many ways, I kept these promises.  I made a lot of changes in how I did things and I worked hard to keep track of my life better and be more intentional about what I did and said.  Unfortunately, circumstances seemed to work against me and the year really blurred by!  If I hadn’t worked to take lots of notes in my Bullet Journal, I’m not sure I’d have any idea right now of what really happened this past year!

So here I am at the beginning of another year, ready to renew those promises I made to myself.  This is going to be a year of big change for us, and I know that without a plan I will sink back into emotional despair and let frustration and hurt wash over me.  I will lose sight of what’s important and become swamped with fear.

I don’t want that to happen, so I’m making a plan and I’m going to stick with it! It won’t be a perfect journey because I know I’m not a perfect person.  However, I do know that with the tools I’ve put into place I will be much more likely to stay afloat (most days, anyway!).

5 Strategies for a Better Life in the New Year

Do you want to become a better person in the new year?  Are you looking for ways to find a better life? Here are five strategies I’m using to make my life better this year, and I hope you find these strategies and tools help you make 2017 your best year yet.

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1. Keep a record.  This is a big one for me!  I definitely don’t have a photographic memory, and some days I can’t even remember what happened earlier in the day.  If I don’t write down the things I want to be able to look back and think about, I will not remember them.  I won’t be able to see what I need to change and make a plan to implement change.  I keep my records in my Bullet Journal.  For more info on what a Bullet Journal is, check out this post!
2. Make a plan.  I don’t want to just write down what happened, but write out what I want to happen!  If I have a road map to follow, it’s so much easier to glance at my list of goals and see where I need to put in time each day and each week to grow into a better life.  I also use my Bullet Journal to keep track of my goals and plans.  It’s so powerful to have everything in one place.
3. Set Goals.  Goals are a little different than plans.  A goal is an end game – something measurable you want to accomplish, a place you want to be, an amount of money you want in your bank account.  Your plans are how you get there.  Check out the book Getting Things Done, by David Allen for some great ways to set goals, then break them down into actionable plans.
4. Find Accountability.  You need people around you who will keep you accountable to your goals!  There are lots of ways to accomplish this.  For me, my first accountability partner is always my husband.  If he doesn’t know what I’m working toward, he can’t support me – and he can’t kick my butt when I’m not doing what I need to.  I also have a couple of amazing friends who I talk to often about what’s going on in my life and the goals I’m working on.  Another place I find accountability is in Facebook Groups and pages.  I’m a part of groups that encourage healthy eating and exercise, and groups that encourage bloggers.  Wherever you find them, make sure you have people around you who know what you’re working towards, and who can and will hold you accountable to your goals!
5. Have Faith.  Last, but not least, a relationship with God is so important.  I can’t emphasize enough how strongly I believe that faith is one of the biggest keys to a healthy, happy life.  Through prayer, we learn to release our fears and seek God’s wisdom.  We learn to trust in a Higher Power that has our best interests in mind.  Some of the best seasons of my life were the times when I prayed and read the Bible every single day.

Do you need some extra help and accountability in the New Year?  Sign up of for the Reflecting Beautiful Newsletter below for weekly encouragement this coming year, or follow me on Facebook and Instagram!