New Years, Letting Go of the Past so you can Embrace the Future

Do you have a favorite New Years tradition?  I was asked by my parents if we wanted them to take the kids overnight for New Years.  I really think that New Years is a time to be together and declined the invitation.  I love talking about our favorite things from the past year that we might want to continue or do again in the year to come and sharing plans of things we want to learn or experience.

Reflect On The Past

It's a wonderful thing to pause and reflect on the passing of time and we don't do it often enough. Even my daughter, who is only 9, said to me, that this year went by so fast.  Maybe it goes by fast when we are really busy doing things that we love.  And, as we get older, time seems to go faster and faster.  I am constantly surprised by my Time Hop App that shows pictures of the family only a few years ago and how much has changed in that short amount of time.  Pictures of my daughter from just two years ago with no front teeth. We might pause to reflect with birthdays, but that is usually more individualized planning and not plans for the whole family or even creating hopes for each other.  It is important to have both planning for what you are creating as individuals and what you are creating as a family.

Sharing

Sharing our hopes and writing them into our calendar (i.e. travel goals: Alaska) so that we can actually accomplish them is really important.  It shows your family that you support their dreams and plans.  Without sharing them, we might not even know what their hopes or dreams were or how to support them.  I did an exercise with my family this year on Christmas and it was great to hear that my dad liked most about 2016 was that he was happy to be alive (since he had a heart attack the year before).  And, even better to know that my step mom in 2017 is focused on what her next life step is: retirement, and what that will bring.  It gives everyone a voice in the direction life is going.  The process gives us a chance to be organized about reaching our goals.  If there are multiple phases in the process of reaching a goal, (and it's not just about making the time) you can work the plan backwards and see what steps need to take place first before the ultimate goal is achieved.

Get Organized

Most importantly, you are creating a time frame for the the goals to be accomplished in; which gives you more likelihood of achievement.  There are many other factors that come into play, like your organization, or other things that come up you are not prepared for that divert your time and attention.  If you fail to achieve your goals, they get carried forward or you learn that they aren't something you want to pursue any longer.  All good things to be reminded of as adult and to model as a parent of how to let things go and really important for kids to learn.  My daughter wants to learn how to surf this year.  My son is looking forward to family Nerf gun fights.  All good things to know in how you decide to spend your time with your kids and we will probably learn something from their experiences as well as celebrate them.

How is this goal planning different from New Years Resolutions?  Maybe they're not.  I think of New Years Resolutions most as when people give up a bad habit: sugar or smoking.  The approach is stopping the bad activity as opposed to propelling yourself towards the new activities you need to take to reach those goals.

Letting Go

2016 has marked many events for people around me that have been hard for them, such as unexpected deaths of friends and loved ones.  Sometimes we put so much energy in resisting what is happening to us or what has happened that we feel powerless to create things that will continue to help us feel alive and most importantly enjoy life.  I enjoy the mark of the New Year to be viewed as a possibility where they can move on from those events and be positive about the change that surrounds us constantly.

If you follow me on Pinterest (which is an absolute obsession of mine) you will see that in addition to being inspired by quotes that I love making gifts for people in my life and the craftiness that shows you spent time on something that you think they identify with. One of the gifts I make more frequently than others are signs (as you have seen in my previous posts) which combines my passion for creating something for people as well as something that can describe them or inspire them.  I saw a sign recently that was a little more religious than I am, so I modified it to fit my way of thinking a bit, and I want to leave it with you in closing. I hope it inspires you.  Happy New Year!