Photo captured of a tomato growing in Biola University's organic garden in the summer of 2015 on a rainy day.
It's 21 days into the new year.
If you made any New Year's Resolutions, how are they going?
According to an article from Ohio State University, "Researchers suggest that only 9% of Americans that make resolutions complete them. In fact, research goes on to show that 23% of people quit their resolution by the end of the first week, and 43% quit by the end of January" (Osu.edu, 2024).
If you already feel like you've failed or hit a roadblock in your New Year's resolution(s), I don't quote these statistics to discourage or shame you, but rather, to suggest reframing your goals to be more manageable. Life is busy and it can be a beautiful thing to desire growth, for our own well-being, the good of others, and the glory of God. However, sometimes life doesn't allow us the time we yearn for, to grow in all the ways we dream we should.
But that doesn't mean we should stop striving for growth. Instead of giving up, we can ask God for the wisdom to know how best to grow in light of our physical, emotional, and mental capacities, as well as how much time we have in our schedules. One of my New Year's resolutions this year is to write and post on this blog. My original goal was to write a post every single day. I succeeded for the first 15 days of January, and initially, I was feeling quite energized. But I noticed after just two weeks of nonstop writing, I was becoming tired and losing inspiration. Coming up with something meaningful to write about every single day isn't easy, and finding the time to pen those ideas into a well-formed message is even harder.
I'm so thankful for the wisdom of my mother, who inspired me to rethink my daily writing goal following a phone conversation I had with her early last week. My mom has always encouraged me to rest, and I love that about her. I tend to push myself a little too hard sometimes, and she has consistently reminded me throughout my life to make space to slow down, relax, and enjoy. Last week, in her wisdom, she suggested I consider not writing every single day because... it's a lot. She put words to how I was beginning to feel, and I could see she was absolutely right.
In the midst of trying to balance working 8 am to 5 pm, attending to my physical and spiritual health, caring for my dog, spending time with my husband after work as we make, eat, and clean up dinner, it is quite challenging to find time every single day for writing a blog post. So, after my mom imparted her wisdom to me, I decided to readjust my goal from writing a post every day to once a week.
In writing less, I hope to have time for more thoughtful reflection on my weekly musings and a wider canvas to discern whatever God leads my to paint through my writing each week.
P.S. If you want a book recommendation related to personal growth, Atomic Habits by James Clear is an excellent book that focuses on making small, consistent changes in your life to foster the development of long-lasting habits.
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