How To Make Any Year Your Best Year

9.1.21

How To Make Any Year Your Best Year

Happy New Year, Sweethearts of my blogosphere! I know. . . I know I have been MIA on this space quite frequently but it’s really been so fascinating doing things differently. Guys, I have seen GROWTH. And you know how keen I am on growing, changing and all things related, right?

Refresh The New Year

This year is not just another “new year” but the first of the blank pages of a whole year waiting for what we will write into our lives, and what growth, changes and greatness we’ll pull from within.

In as much as we would like it to be so, no one can wake up one day a completely changed person. Any meaningful change to your life takes constant effort over a sustained period of time. While the idea of long term change can seem scary, it also means a little bit everyday can take you a long way in forging habits you’ve always wanted to.

Some changes happen because you intentionally worked them out, but some happen without you even knowing. I am yet to decide whether I am more content with the changes I discerned or the ones that forcefully pounce on me. Nevertheless, I have grown to embrace change both in the presence of fear and/or faith. Glory to God!

I love sharing my life with you guys, but sometimes it's hard to be vulnerable. Blessedly, my most vulnerable posts on this blog have been met with the warmest reception. Cheers to authenticity! These are my three goals for the new year:

1. Put The Phone Away

I'll be the first to admit I waste an insane amount of time playing on my phone. Instead of waking up every morning and checking three different social media apps for 45 minutes, I am going to spend time in prayer and meditation with Jesus. Starting my day by praying and faithfully reading my Bible is obviously way better for my heart.

Do you have a life outside your phone? Sadly, many do not.

I tried to minimize the time I spent on these social media apps last year and it was a fruitful adventure. I felt no guilt but peace and contentment. I thought I’d be missing out of the fun out there but guess what? The peace I had within was worth every minute I said NO to mindlessly scrolling on my phone. Let’s do it again this year!

Related Post: I Had a November To Remember In 2020

This year, there will be steps to celebrate and moments to remember — moments of fear, moments of birthing, moments of learning. But in each, I want to be present, I want to rise, soar, live. I want to allow myself to find expression, to reside in grace, and to be happy in where I am and who I am.

Besides, I have got quite a number of books to consume this year.

2. Leave The Group

From family banter to organising a hen, there’s a WhatsApp group for everything nowadays, and the notifications can be overwhelming. For professional or personal reasons, many of us can’t just simply opt out of using social media altogether. But for mental resilience, an easy way to cut down on our social media use, and our anxiety around it, is to remove ourselves from certain group chats, and limit, mute or block our interaction with particular people.

It may sound cruel but as you grow, you’d realize some people are not meant to stay in your life even a little longer. Not everyone should have access to you. While you should spend more time with positive people, people who help you grow and make you feel purposeful; you should get rid of toxic people who only drain your energy.

It is not pride to declutter your life. Oh, wow! I just realized that is exactly what it is for this year. D-E-C-L-U-T-T-E-R. Thank You Lord! This is why I love to write! It just flowed out!

Decluttering your life is essential to guarding your heart. Often times, our lives are too clutterd with all of the things that we need to do at home, work, school, church, community, with friends and family, with hobbies, and so on. Take a look at each area of your life and write down all of your commitments. Seeing it all written down can be quite an eye-opening experience as well as overwhelming. Then, look at each one and decide whether it really brings you joy and value, and if it is not worth the amount of time and energy that you invest in it, leave the group!

Finally,

3. Document The Journey

I can hardly emphasize this enough; keep a diary. Keep a diary. Yes, keep a diary. I believe that every creative should document his/her journey. Whether it is on a personal or a professional level, learn to create your own timelines and see how you evolve. You already know my blog is a diary, I love to see my GROWTH and bring you in on it. I am a great woman growing to shine and I don’t want people to see the top, where the awesomeness of it is showing, the lights and applauses and the successes without witnessing the process.

For you, documenting might not necessarily be restricted to writing, you can make videos, paint drawings, take photographs, etc. Just create something that tells your story as it unfolds. Thankfully, I found a platform to document my journey in marriage on YouTube. Please check it out, I trust you will love to be a part of that journey. (P.s When you can’t find me here on Heart Rays, be sure to find me there on PerfectMachForever TV).

Related Post: My Journey On Waiting On God All Year

There’s no doubt that we all went through a lot in 2020. A global crisis literally took over our lives at the beginning of 2020, confining us to our homes almost the entire year. This is something we couldn’t have imagined, even in our wildest dreams. In hindsight, it has also taught us a lot of important lessons — of being mindful, living in the moment, and shifting our focus to the things that really matter. Kachi and I shared some of our lessons in this video. Please watch below: