Making the Best You

New Year’s resolutions are sometimes misdirected and doomed to fail because we arrive at them by comparing ourselves to others. Making the best you might mean rediscovering who that you is what are your unique gifts, talents and strengths, and what energizes you, or brings you joy.

If your resolutions are focused on things that bring you joy as well as contribute to your overall wellness, then you will be much more motivated to succeed with them. If you have fallen in love with the feeling of breaking through the clouds on the peak of a snowy mountaintop, then you may make it a goal to summit one mountain each season. Invite a few friends and create a fitness training program for your treks it might be much more motivational than tedious hours on a treadmill.

You may simply desire to get outside more this year. If you have discovered the wonder of birding and realize the world of activity that is occurring right outside your window, you have been captivated by something in nature that can motivate you to get outdoors, and can also be shared by others with a similar passion.

If you want to spend more time with your kids, find something that can bring you joy together. That might be a family bike ride or even just reading by the fire together.

We are all created with desires in our hearts, but we will never be satisfied if we just chase after what other people have or seem to be or what we think we should be. Even good health and strong physical fitness can be temporary. Making the best you should not be a narcissistic, self-serving endeavor. It may actually involve accepting, rediscovering and rejoicing in who and what you were already created to be, and do.

Joy Hopkins, Activities Coordinator