How to prepare yourself for life in the new year.

How to prepare yourself for life in 2022.

You may have heard others talking about their new year's goals, vision boards, calendars, etc., but you're just blank. No goals, no vision boards, no plans whatsoever. I'm here to help you reduce some of your new year's blues. Here are a few things that you can do to prepare yourself for life in the new year.

I believe God has a path for me. He's always had a path for me, and I've always been in the right place at the right time - not because of my efforts, but because of my preparation and because of the guides that I have, the mentors that I have, the spiritual walkers that I've had all my life. Judith Jamison

1. Avoid feeling overwhelmed by other people's goals.

There are many podcasts and videos of others talking about their objectives for the new year. It would appear as if they have their new year's resolutions all figured out, and you're just lagging.

It will stress you out the more you think about it. There's no need to feel like a wimp if you haven't set out any solid plans. Don't try to measure up to others who have already compiled their bucket list several months ago. We're all at different stages of our lives.

You know what it took to get you where you're presently in your life, I don't. I didn't walk your journey for you. I didn't feel your pain. I don't know all the sacrifices that you've made. I haven't fought any of your battles. I don't know how hard it was for you to pull through last year.

Don't allow anyone to overwhelm you with their goals for the new year. You can't live twelve months at once. Do what you know you have the ability to do, not what others are demanding from you. It's okay to set mini-goals. You don't need to plan a whole calendar.

“Being overwhelmed means that your life or work is overpowering you. Regain control by clarifying your intentions, setting realistic expectations, and focusing on your next step.”
― Daphne Michaels

2. Expect the good, the bad, and the ugly.

You won't just glide through the year. Changes are most certain in the year ahead. You'll be able to handle some of them, but others may take you by surprise. Don't worry too much about the balls that are going to go out of your court. There isn't anything that you can do to stop them. You're going to have a few hiccups here and there. That's just life!

“The entire journey of life is lived with energy and we use energy in all that we do from dawn to dusk! When your energy goes down, something goes down. We can do anything with our energy but not all things deserve our true energy! We have, all of us, a choice to choose where our energy must go when day breaks. We can choose to allow anything at all to take our energy, but we must not forget that where our energy goes, from there comes something to us; something good or something bad, something mediocre or something noble, something that will disturb us or something that will enhance our joy, latently or visibly, now or tomorrow! We must always remember each day that the same energy that is exerted on wrong things to attract and produce wrong things can be exerted on good things to produce good and great things!”
― Ernest Agyemang Yeboah

3. Recharge and refocus.

It sure took a whole lot to live through the past year. Whatever your strategies were, don't expect to get the same results this year. It's time to recharge and refocus. The Bible states this perfectly. "No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins? If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved" (Matthew 9:16–17).

You can't expect extraordinary results this year if you're using ordinary strategies from last year. This new year will require a different state of mind.

“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language, and next year’s words await another voice, and to make an end is to make a beginning.”― T.S. Eliot

If you're going to make the most of this new year, you'll have to leave last year behind. The new year only has room for lessons. This is a new lease on life. It's time to look forward to new opportunities or create them for yourself.

You have no time to waste. Not on toxic people. Not in an underpaying job. Not in a relationship that isn't going anywhere. Not on people and things that are depleting your mental health.

It's time to get your game face on and run for your life. Run towards the things that will make the rest of your life, the best of your life. Time is off, if you aren't careful, the new year will just pass you by. It's time to buckle up! On your mark, get set, go!

“Dream Big. Expect Challenges To Pop Up Along the Way. Expect To Fall Many Times. Expect Your Mind To Doubt And Whisper, Give Up. In Those Moments, Recharge. Rethink. Replan The Best You Can. And Push Through Because Sometimes It's All You Can Do.”
― Wesam Fawzi