Thankfulness in a Jar

It is hard to believe that not that long ago we were ringing in a New Year and having to hit backspace as we mistakenly typed out 2022 instead of 2023.

By now we are settled into 2023, few New Year's resolutions still stand and we have most likely settled back into the routines that seem to take over our lives.??

I have never been one for resolutions, but a few years ago I started to instead focus on a word for the year. My choice of words in years past includes understanding. For me, it was trying to understand things rather than make snap judgments, which I can be prone to do. The word for 2022 was curious. I wanted this word to be with me as an encouragement to keep on exploring and learning.

This year my word is wisdom (more on that in another newsletter). I am still not one for resolutions, however, Susanne mentioned something to me at the beginning of this year that adopted and while we are only in our third month of the year, we are doing pretty well at sticking to it.

She had read something online that said this - "This January, start the year with an empty jar.?Each week add a note with a good thing that happened.?On New Year’s Eve, empty the jar and read about the amazing year you had."???

We have been filling our jar with every good thing we can think of, big and small. It is our way of showing gratitude, for being thankful for all of the goodness we have in our lives. It is a practical reminder that we are blessed far beyond what we deserve and that this small act continues to shape the outlook we have on our lives and those things that do not go our way. We are learning that even in times of struggle, we have the choice to find something good.

If your New Year's resolution has gone by the wayside, I would like to encourage you to start a new one today by recording all of the good that is in your life. Find time each day to write at least one thing good, big or small, that has happened to you and then take notice of the impact it makes on your mindset.

On the journey with you,

Carlos