Well it’s that time of year again. The time when we decide to join a gym, stop smoking, change our diet, or simply start fresh with a new outlook. The new year brings new hope and a chance to start over again. I believe we were created with the desire to grow and become better, but no matter how strong that desire is, we can be quickly reminded of how hard it can be. Why is it so difficult to change a habit or start a new one? Why does it seem like everything in the world is pitted against me improving myself? If you have ever had these thoughts you are not alone. If you read what was shared in the last Newsletter you’ll remember that your heart is under attack. So how do we fight for ourselves and not give up hope?

First of all, I believe any goal we set for ourselves has to be rooted deep down inside of our soul. There is a simple but very difficult exercise you can do with any goal you want to set to help you discover your “Why?” Simply write your goal down on a sheet of paper and then ask yourself “Why”, then write the answer. Once you have the answer ask yourself Why again and so on for a total of five times. You may be surprised to find out that your motivation is completely different than what you have been focusing on all along. For example, if I want to loose weight to keep my spouse happy and make people jealous on Instagram my “Why” might not be strong enough to force real change. On the other hand, if my “Why” was to be healthy for myself so that I can experience the life that I desire in order to be an example for my children and generations to come, then maybe I wouldn’t have a problem following through. If your “Why” is so strong that it oozes from your innermost being, your questions will change from why am I doing this? to why wouldn’t I do this? to nothing will stop me from making this happen.

In addition to having a powerful “Why”, I’ve learned that it’s essential to cultivate positive Relationships. We are not created to do life alone and so often when I have failed it’s because I didn’t involve others particularly the ones I love the most. It’s so vital that we involve someone that we trust into our goals and our dreams for accountability, support, encouragement, and just plain friendship. When I think of every big win or proud moment in my life, what made it special was the people that I experienced it with. If you don’t have that person, make your goal in 2022 to find and nurture life giving relationships. With the right people and the right motivations anything can become possible. You can prove to yourself that you can grow, change, and become the person that you so deeply desire to be.