Timing in The New Year

 I don’t make new year’s resolutions and I pay little attention to the calendar cycle. In fact, I started following John Lennon’s advice and stopped counting my life by years so long ago that whenever I’m asked my age I have to calculate it. For those of you unfamiliar with the quote, John said, “Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears.” I measure my life by the quality of the friends I have and not the quantity.

We put so much emphasis on taking stock of our lives at the end of a calendar year, but I’ve learned that the seasons of life rarely follow this schedule. The Bible tells us that there is a time for every season under heaven. However, our individual seasons don’t always follow nature’s patterns and cycles.

I make new resolutions when I need them. Timing is everything, so don’t wait for the calendar to tell you when to make a change. Make it when the time is right.

Here are the two rules I follow when it comes to making resolutions:

1. The time to make a change is when you realize that you need it.
2. The time to move forward is always.

Secondly, it’s always an appropriate time to surround yourself with the right people. These are the ones that aren’t usually born into your family but that you’re lucky enough to find. The ones who inspire you and help you to become the best version of you possible. If there was a new year’s resolution worth making, it would be to spend more time with these people and develop those relationships in the coming year. Two of my favorite quotes explain why:

“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”
    ― Marcel Proust

“A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.”
    ― John Lennon

Happy New Year. May you develop the most positive relationships, and may you work together with those you love to make your dreams reality.