We all have those new year resolutions; for some it is to eat clean – maybe lean chicken and broccoli; for some, it is to watch their spending – save more, live a prudent life. For others it may be to stop consuming a gazillion of cocktails… be sober for a day! For some it is to pursue a career goal, maybe enroll in a master’s program, an MBA will be good. For others it might be to start a new venture, work on their novel, join an art class, join a dating app. For some is to live a calm and peaceful life. Whatever it is we are thinking of doing, shows that our hearts are still beating, yearning, and willing to put in the work to bring about a better version of ourselves. We are aspirational, we are looking forward and not backwards. We refuse for the past to eat us up. Yes, we are so ready to move past mistakes, errors, stumbles! We say to ourselves, we are moving forward; and maybe, just maybe, we can make it work.

Won’t that be great if this year 2025 is the year we position ourselves for success and make it work. We make our relationships more meaningfully, we invest more, laugh more, touch base with our inner selves more, are truthful more, pray more, live more… the list goes not.

I feel the reason why many of us forget our new year resolutions by the fifth day of the year is because we plan on huge lofty steps. We plan on goals that are difficult to achieve bearing in mind our current state. We get caught up in the euphoria of going into a new year, a new me; we believe we have a “super” power and so we can do EVERYTHING we failed at last year. And because of this, we fail to incorporate baby steps into how we accomplish our resolutions. Another reason for us giving up on our resolutions is that we find it difficult to say no to our friends. We continue to surround ourselves with people who refuse to promise the same lofty ideals to themselves. They refuse to do the heavy lifting. They refuse to lift a finger. To be successful, I must be willing to take small and steady steps and be prepared to make a mistake(s). The second is to divest in people who will not make similar promises to themselves. I am not saying I should unfollow them on Instagram or stop being friends with them, I may just need to put up some boundaries. I can’t continue to spend as much time with them: instead of hours on end, maybe it is 30 minutes. And why should this be the case? I feel I must protect this infancy of change that I am embarking on. My venture is young, new, and challenging. I am not so seasoned and going to the bar with a friend may just derail my hopes of giving up drinking. I am in a fetal position, still hooked to the umbilical cord of the past and I need to be careful who I catch a meal and a drink with, otherwise I may start spending beyond my means again. I promised that I do not want to gossip, and here I am sitting with a prolific gossiper. I promised I will be upbeat, and here I am spending time with the most negative person on the block. I really need to protect my little progress. I must be intentional about the baby steps I take so I do not sabotage myself.

Today is another day. I am taking another baby step; it is called, crawling before walking, running, or flying.

I hope you are intentional about whatever baby steps you are taking, focused and resolute about where those steps are taking you, and determined not to trade them for a seeming relief. I am rooting for you!

God bless!

Linda Faith
Linda is a prolific writer. Her body of work includes inspiring poems, fictional books, and Christian living empowering books. You can find her work such as Sweet Holy Spirit, Ravens Must Feed, A Fruitful life, etc. on www.amazon.com. Read more about Linda at www.lindafaith.org.