Here's Why You Should Hit the Reset Button This New Year

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It's almost 2024 already?! The year has flown by!

The world is crazy, and getting crazier.

But, hopefully, God blessed you in many ways!

In fact, I know He has, but if you’re anything like me, you might be a little slow to see it...

Maybe you’ve been asked to endure a long and tough year. Maybe you've been blessed with abundance.

Either way, this is our chance to start new and continue our efforts to follow the path God has given us. 

Recent events have made me realize that sometimes having a clean break can make a huge difference. If you’re struggling with the past year, or maybe multiple years, this might just be your big opportunity!

A New Start Can Break the Cycle.

Recently I had the unexpected blessing to make a new start.

I had been living in an unhealthy environment, mentally and physically. I knew it was bad, but it was so much worse than I thought!

I ended up being forced to make a move, and in as little as three weeks, everyone I knew was making comments about how much happier and joyful I seemed! The things I was dealing with had really dampened my spirits and led to depression.

When I found out I was moving, I used it as a chance to cast off a lot of problems I had been hanging on to. This included literal extra clutter, unhealthy cycles of thought, or dwelling on stuff I couldn’t change. I have a long way to go, but it has already been so helpful!

Your “break” certainly doesn’t have to be as drastic as mine was, but sometimes we need to shake things up.

Try going to a new parish. Pick up a new hobby. Start your own side business. Pick a virtue or skill to conquer. Maybe it’s as simple as just rearranging or redecorating a room! Anything that might help you overcome unhealthy patterns will give you new energy and motivation.

New Year's Resolutions: Cliche, but worth it!

Some of us are probably pretty tired of being told to make and hold onto those New Year resolutions, but there’s a reason for this tradition.

Again, it’s our chance to put away the old habits, the pain, the stress, or whatever challenges we might have faced and focus on bettering ourselves along our path to Heaven.

For me, one of my weaknesses has always been Mountain Dew. Pretty silly and harmless sounding, right? I doubt Mountain Dew is evil in itself, but it’s not healthy, and I definitely lack the self-control to say no to it.

Maybe for you, it’s coffee, or ice cream, or pizza.

Maybe it’s something a little more serious.

Whatever it is, working on getting it under control will make you a healthier, stronger, and more virtuous individual for your future spouse!

God never promised us happiness, but He did ask us to be joyful...

Something I think is often mixed up is that God didn’t say we’d be happy in this life.

Instead, He talks about the persecutions, physical and spiritual, that we will suffer during our lives. He warns us often that our time here will be short, and it may be painful.

He did, however, ask that we be joyous in our lives through the good and the bad. Joyfulness can really be a game-changer.

I’m definitely more of a realist, and I often border on pessimism. So it can be a real challenge sometimes to find the joy and gratitude that I should have for everything God has given me.

One of the biggest influences in today's world is the news. The world is burning around us, evil flourishes, and the headlines let you know it! While it is often necessary to pay attention and understand at least on a basic level what is going on so we can act, fear is a tool used by the devil to distract us.

God made us stewards over the whole earth, and taking part in our political and judicial process is good and necessary, but it shouldn’t destroy us. You don’t need X/Twitter, a website, or a Radio show to bombard you with bad news and opinions. I have found a few places where I can easily and quickly get some factual news without an agenda behind it. This has helped bring my stress level and pessimism down several notches just by that simple change! I highly recommend it!

Once you start the process of thinking differently, joyfulness will come more easily, and that is the first step to growing in virtue.

But, how will this help me find a spouse?

I think people, especially those of us who are getting older, tend to start carrying emotional baggage, pick up stubborn habits, or become cynical.

This can be a hindrance to finding a future spouse because virtue, joy, and gratitude are incredibly important features to show a potential partner.

If we are working on ourselves, however imperfect we might be, and if we can find that spark of joy in our current vocation in life as a single member of the Church, this will not be lost on those around you. You may find more people gravitate towards you and that you enjoy your experiences more. Additionally, virtue is always an attractive feature and something that everyone ought to look for in a future spouse.

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