The turning of the annual page always makes me thoughtful, dreamful, nostalgic…hopeful. I think it stems back to my elementary school days when I would go with my mom to the office supply store to get green ledger books and mechanical pencils. I would wander around in awe of the selection of pens, colors of markers, gear and equipment perfectly suited to organization and order. It awoke a nerdy beast within me that loves, and I mean LOVES new pens and fresh notebooks. Cracking the spine on a new journal was a momentous occasion, only suitable for New Year’s Day, January 1st. The blank page, clean slate…endless opportunities. I would start every year with a determination to journal the year’s events daily. Most of my journals lasted as long as mid-January. By then, I was too busy living life to document it. Apparently I don’t track my life in days – they are too short sighted. I am a long range, strategy type person.
Making New Year’s resolutions is so common…work out, get in shape, spend more time with my family & friends, diet, drink less, etc. Then we hear that so many people lose sight of these new aspirations within the first few months. This time of the year challenges me to rethink my life (insert Yoda voice here). I like to take the time to revisit my life’s personal mission statement and check on what course corrections are needed. It allows me to take inventory of my life, what is working, what is not, what else I want to accomplish. I love the term “course correct” — everyone veers off course from time to time, but you won’t know how off-course you are if you never plotted the course to begin with; that is drifting aimlessly. This is something I just can’t do. Perhaps that is also why I still love maps. There is so much perspective to be gained when you can analyze the lay of the land and get a visual of how near and far things are from one another.
I wonder how many people have a personal mission statement. Am I in the minority? I feel energized, proud and motivated when I sit down to take inventory. I count my lucky stars and send gratitude into the world for all my blessings. If you do not have a personal mission statement, write one down; your core values, goals, contributions, what you want to accomplish. So, go get yourself a new pen, a crisp, clean journal and chart your course, define your legacy and live with intention. It’s a great way to start a new year. Let us know what you come up with.
