Your New Life Resolution
Are you tired of New Year's resolutions? Maybe not. Maybe you're the type who celebrates achieving all of your goals, however lofty, every December. Or, maybe you cringe when the year's end comes and you realize how many of your resolutions have fallen by the wayside as life got in the way. I'd say I'm a little of both. As the end of the year nears, I find myself rushing to get at least a few of the must-do's off of my list. So, wherever you may fall, this one's for you. Actually, there are three. Call them three steps to beginning to live your new life resolution.

1. You Dig?
Why not take the time this January to dig a little deeper, to plan beyond the annual resolutions ritual and truly take stock of your life. What do you want to accomplish over the next five, ten, twenty years? What do you want for yourself, for your family? Is it a career that allows you more time with your loved ones? I have a friend who's an accomplished lawyer and is now preparing to go to graduate school to enter a field that will allow her more time with her children and husband. If you've been unemployed for a while, you may be thinking, "I just need a job, period!" But why limit yourself? As long as you're looking, you might as well strive for and expect the best. First and foremost, however, I want to stress that I'm not knocking New Year's resolutions in general. I actually think they can be helpful, as a start. I also think they can be a little too temporary and sometimes daunting. They usually involve things like weight loss, getting organized, conquering debt. And they're all areas in which most of us could probably use some improvement. Yet somehow they can be limiting. I'm giving myself the next 12 months to accomplish A, B and C... It's great to have a plan, but it's even better to have a life plan.

2. Beginning with the End
As an educator, I've learned to plan for a semester by sometimes thinking backwards. I ask myself, "What do I want my students to take away with them at the end of this class?" I have to sit down and review my objectives, and then work on how my lessons from week to week can get them there. Well, we can use the same approach with our lives. Ask yourself, "What do I want to have accomplished by the time I retire?" If you're close to or at retirement, take it farther: "What do I want to be proud of on the last day of my life?" And you can look at the question from various angles--where you'd like to find yourself physically (health, location, home status, etc.), spiritually, emotionally, financially and so on. If you're married, I highly recommend reviewing your plans as a couple. You can write them separately, of course, since you're two individuals with specific needs and desires, but then come together and see where your plans intersect. If they seem to move in different directions, look for opportunities to move them toward a common path. You may even find some insights into your life partner's thoughts and actually circumvent what could have been potential problems down the line. If he wants to retire in Florida and you'd rather travel the country as a nomad in an RV, maybe you can compromise by finding a home base in Florida for a few months out of the year. That's a stretch, but you get my point.

3. Aligning with Your Calling
I know I get really caught up in talking about following and knowing your purpose, your calling, in life. That's because I truly believe that it should be your driving force. It should ignite your passion and carry you through every stage, every plan. So it's key to align your calling with your life plan. I've been grappling with really pinning mine down over the years, and, as I've mentioned before, I believe I'm called to authorship (books, blogs, etc.), and I now realize that I'm also called to volunteerism. I've always been good at bringing people together, and I plan to use both of my callings to make a difference in the lives of others for the better.
Now I can break that down into specific goals for the short and long term. In the short term, for example, I have to do all I can to help the people of Haiti--through donating money, mobilizing with others to send supplies, and keeping the Haitian people in our thoughts. In the long term, it may be establishing a foundation or opening learning centers both at home and abroad. I need a plan for this new year, for the next five, and for life. And it may change; there's nothing wrong with tweaking those plans as my circumstances change. The most important thing is to have a plan and to answer the call.

Ever dreaming,
Regina