Ringing In The New Year

For many, this last week of December is busy, chaotic, and maybe even a little bit disorienting as we struggle to get back to some semblance of normalcy. For some of us, getting back to a routine proves difficult despite how much we are craving it. The kids haven’t returned to school yet, our homes still bear the evidence of holiday entertaining and everyone seems to be coming down with something! 

During this last week of the month, I find myself craving my normal life more than ever. My excitement for the holidays has dwindled, I am easily overwhelmed by clutter and chaos at home and my body is feeling the effects of overindulgence and not enough physical activity. I am ready for a fresh start and better habits. But it is especially challenging to get there this week, as the rest of the world seems to be perfectly content to remain in a comatose state until the new year.

Whether you are like me, and are ready to dive in to welcoming the new year a bit early, or you are waiting until January 1st to start, here are some ways you can ring in the new year and a new beginning with purpose. 

Take Time To Reflect

Before actually welcoming the new year, take time to reflect on all that this year has brought. What have been the biggest challenges? The triumphs? What do you want to experience more of in the new year? Less of? How do you want others to see you moving forward? What were the biggest lessons you learned this past year?

For me, it has proved incredibly therapeutic and cathartic to journal responses to all of these questions. It has been so beneficial to show myself physical proof of all that I have endured this past year. I feel more accomplished and more proud of myself after doing this. But more importantly, I now give myself a lot more grace going into the new year. Remind yourself that you are a beautiful work in progress and that you are trying your best. We all are.

Get Clear On Your Vision

Have you ever daydreamed about your version of the perfect life? It is an incredibly fun mental exercise and leads to an almost instant dopamine boost. Allow yourself to dream a little and start visualizing your ideal year. What do you want to experience? Which hobbies do you want to take up? What car do you want to drive? What do you want to be healed from? Where do you want to travel? Who do you want to become? Who do you want to help?

Dreaming costs nothing. It is absolutely free. The benefits of having bold dreams and prayers are infinite however, so the return on investment there is significant. I encourage almost everyone I know to log on to Pinterest and create their vision board for the new year. Get clear on the life you want to have moving forward and pray fervently throughout the year. In the words of Mark Batterson, God honors bold prayers and bold prayers honor God! Start visualizing what those bold dreams are for you and have visual representation of those dreams that you can refer back to whenever you need it. It makes a world of difference!

Take Care Of Yourself

This one proves difficult for moms in particular. There is always so much responsibility on our shoulders to care for our loved ones. And the thing is, we are so good at it! So good in fact, that we sometimes forget to add ourselves to that list.

Make yourself and your personal care a priority this year. Put systems in place early in the year to ensure that it happens, too! It’s not enough to want it, you have to actually put in the work. Schedule your self care activities on your calendar as you would anything else that is important to your family. We make soccer games, ballet recitals and birthday parties a priority on our calendars. Why not schedule our self care time, which is just as important?

Self care can be such a wide array of things and it really does depend on the person. For me, self care looks like regular hair appointments, daily workouts, uninterrupted time with God in the mornings, dentist appointments, the occasional yoga class or massage. The list goes on and my needs change with the demands of our lives but one thing is for certain: I am done neglecting myself like I did for so many years while our children were little. I promised myself I would never neglect myself like that again, and that is one promise I intend to keep.

Reinvent Yourself

Who wants to be the same person throughout their whole lives? Sure, we want our morals and core values to remain the same. But beyond that, everything about you should reflect growth and self discovery. In the words of poet, William Cowper, “Variety is the very spice of life that gives it all its flavor.” There you have it. Try a new hairstyle or hair color. Transform your wardrobe to reflect who you want to become. Change up your signature fragrance. Discover a new shade of lipstick. Learn a new language or adopt an accent! Read a new genre or start listening to a completely new genre of music. The whole world is at your fingertips and the only way to fail is to never try anything new at all.

I love the idea of reinventing myself and each new year, I get bitten by this bug all over again. I love the hope and optimism that comes with the notion of creating a whole new you! Again, I recommend Pinterest for this. Create a board (and make it secret so it’s for your eyes only!) with all the people who already possess the characteristics or energy or style that you wish to possess yourself. Even the greatest artists in the world have muses!

One of the easiest ways to reinvent yourself is by learning a new skill or adopting a new hobby. This upcoming year, I want to become a tennis player. I have already started researching lessons near me and my Pinterest board consists of inspirational tennis aesthetic pictures with cute outfits and country club vibes. Perhaps you want to take up gardening? Or learn a new language? There are no wrong answers, only possibilities!

Clean & Declutter

You knew this one was going to be on the list! It’s hard to imagine welcoming in the new year without considering a deep clean and declutter of our entire homes. One of the easiest ways to feel like you’re starting anew is by cleaning your surroundings. There is something so satisfying about living in a clean home. It facilitates a clean mind, in my opinion!

Deep cleaning your house to welcome in the new year is always a good idea. You can put away any leftover holiday decor, clear out any dust or stray branches left behind by your Christmas tree (not to mention the leftover glitter so many of those ornaments and decorative items leave behind!) and move any furniture back to where it should be. This may be the last deep clean you get to before spring cleaning comes around.

Once everything is clean, the decluttering can begin. I love to start with our closets because I find those get disorganized the quickest in my home. Start by donating any clothes you no longer wear before you buy any new storage bins or go crazy with the label maker. I have a whole blog post on organizing your home, you can read it here.

Home Projects List

This last one may not be for everyone, but if you know me, you know I am constantly dreaming up ways to make our house even more our own. Each new year, I make a list of which home projects we are going to be focusing on. This allows for easier budgeting, but also gives me plenty to look forward to during the year.

While many of the projects on my wish list require more of an expense and professional installation (like our pantry makeover which I have been wanting now for years!) others are easier to DIY (like repainting the master bedroom). Making a list of these to-dos at the beginning of the year allows me to look at my calendar and schedule the easier DIY projects in advance. This way, I set the time aside for them and ensure they get done.

As always, I hope this list of suggestions was helpful or inspirational to you in some way. There is so much more I can elaborate on for so many of these that I feel it is only fitting to record a podcast episode on the topic, so look out for that next!

I am praying you have a happy and healthy new year and a wonderful time celebrating this upcoming week as we prepare for all that is in store. Happy New Year!