Grit for the New Year!

The Christmas holiday is easily my favorite, maybe because of the cheer and love that goes around, good food, presents, the classic movies, carols, the miracles it exudes, beautiful weather, getting a pause to breathe, and looking up the sky to admire the beauty of the skies. I never want it to end, but we have to focus on the Why - the reason we celebrate, because if the celebration of Christ's birth won’t finish, we can't get to the reason for His birth; His death = Our Salvation.

I think the joys from Christmas give a burst of energy and grit to welcome a new year. The holiday is somewhat over, but it ushers in lots of work - personally and professionally. To be ready for this and kick off the year, some people have traditions.

1. Rest: ?this is important for mental and physical well-being. Even though I take holidays during the year, I try to save some PTO for later. The year-end always seems like a great time to be off work, take a road trip, or fly out, rest, and recharge. I believe this helps with creativity in the new year.
2. Prayers, Fasting, and Meditation: there are a lot of expectations from us, whether at work, home or from friends and family, so as we take care of our physical and mental selves, I find it most crucial to dedicate time for spiritual growth. Decisions can be easier to make during the year because they have been and are continuously committed to God.
3. Reading: we dust the novels and books or buy new ones to start a reading plan in the new year. It is a great tradition because it helps with brain development and is worth taking the eyes off emails now and then. According to Ness labs on The science-based benefits of reading, Researchers found a reduction in stress of up to 68% in people when silently reading a literary work for only six minutes. Reading can slow the progress of Alzheimer's disease and dementia by keeping your brain active and engaged, especially when reading out loud.
4. Career and job transitions: people are getting bolder and more confident about their careers. I grew up to see my parents (who are baby boomers) do one kind of job. It provided food and shelter, and we were happy. The government would schedule training and symposiums to update them on developments in their field of expertise while they continued to improve. The advent of technology gave us more opportunities, so our parents watched us emerge into a different kind of greatness. They were worried about job security for our generation but also marveled at our speed and confidence to learn, relearn, and unlearn. It has allowed people to frequently seek new job opportunities or become entrepreneurs to complement a new level of experience or academic attainment.
5. Personal development: I refer to this as the New Year resolutions that we make. It helps us balance work life and keeps us grounded on our beliefs and our capabilities about ourselves. Whether it is to write and/or launch a book, design a product, exercise more often, create recipes and meal plans, DIY projects at home, volunteer to care for those in need, dedicate time for your brand, enroll in courses, intentional checks on parents or loved ones, all of these and much more take courage, and I hope that you open your heart to it in the year 2024. See the below excerpt from Forbes HEALTH ,

But the beauty of goal setting is you don’t need a ball drop or cannons of confetti to signal a fresh start—you can recommit to your resolutions at any time. In fact, June 1 is unofficially known by many as “New Year’s Resolution Recommitment Day,” giving you the perfect opportunity to take stock of where you are with your resolutions and hit reset if necessary.

Happy New Year!

This is a greeting that is going to linger for the next couple of days. While some people are already over it or still in the euphoria, others develop anxiety as they get into the new year. Here is a reminder that you can draw inspiration from the new year and celebrate your achievements as the year unfolds.

Register for my first #IAmRemarkable workshop in 2024 to discover why you should start now to celebrate your achievements, and understand that it is not bragging if it's based on facts.