As a new year approaches and we say goodbye to the old, there is so much talk of resolutions and new beginnings. I applaud all of you who have the will power to set a resolution and stick with it through the year, and even if you make it to February, you are already doing better than my norm.
While the idea of self-improvement is appealing to me, I am very much against the idea of it only happening in January. Now before you call me the humbug of the celebration of the new year, I am making a conscious effort to recognize the passing of the year in some way. For me, that means sitting down to reflect on the year and writing down my hopes for the new year. After doing that, I gathered up five quotes that promote my hopes. In an even more practical way, all five of these focus on my own attitudes and thoughts rather than things I can’t control (otherwise, making everyone’s dollar stretch further would be No. 1).
1. 'Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.' —George Bernard Shaw
My hope for this year is to stay strong in my foundation but be open to new ideas and experiences. It’s tempting to fall into a strict routine (especially when raising a toddler), but the achiever in me knows I should branch out and break that routine more often in the next year.
2. 'Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.' —Lao Tzu
This one fosters my desire to be a stronger leader in my community – marrying the boldness of confidence and leadership with the humility and self-awareness of my own weaknesses to become a leader that can be relied on.
3. 'You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.' —C.S. Lewis
So much of the time, we get caught in our own heads and limit our dreams based on our experience, but each day begins a new chance to start fresh and begin the things we have always wanted to.
4. 'There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure.' —Colin Powell
Rather than chasing the secret, forming the mindset to be successful and working hard at it is the more important step for every goal set for the new year.
5. 'The man who is intent on making the most of his opportunities is too busy to bother about luck.' —B.C. Forbes
Who has more eggs? The farmer that spends his day counting his chickens that should lay an egg or the farmer that works to pick them up as soon as they are laid?
My hope is that one or more of these quotes struck a chord with you or that I inspired you to take some time and write down your hopes for the year. As always, I’d love to hear what your hopes or resolutions are for the new year, and from all of us here at Progressive Forage, happy New Year.
