With the turning of the New Year, it’s a great time of year to reflect on where you are and where you want to be in your life.
Some people may set a New Year’s Resolution to eat less sugar so they lose weight. Other people know they want to spend more time with their family, so they decide not to work on weekends.
When we set our sights on the future, whether we call it a goal or a resolution, we are looking towards a larger picture that can guide the smaller choices we make in our lives.
Maybe you want to become a better basketball player than you were last year. The answers to your small questions, your daily routine, then become obvious. You shoot free throws in the driveway. You get to practice early for an extra workout. You watch, read, learn and practice because you said you are going to be a better basketball player. And that’s what makes you better.
Let’s say you want to become a better person by accepting others right where they are. Then you can start immediately doing that the next time you meet someone by not placing judgement on where you think they should be, but by meeting them for who and where they are.
You can do the same thing every time you interact with someone: family members, friends, colleagues, everyone. There are all kinds of opportunities to practice that every single day.
And then, after time, that bigger picture becomes a reality because it changes who we are and it becomes natural in what we do every day.