One week in….. 2023 has begun!
Now that the rush of the holidays is behind us, it’s time to get going in the new year! I usually start a new year with a brief look back, which is helpful to assess where I am now. If your 2022 had plenty of difficulties and a frequent sense of being put into neutral (how I often felt in 2022), you may be tempted to look toward the new year with a little trepidation.
But, I’ve been reminded lately, that perspective is a deciding factor in what we see when looking ahead. In spite of unforeseen problems, I can look back and see how God has been in it, too, and has brought about good out of bad. So, I am choosing a mindset that 2023 is opening before me with exciting opportunities!
As artists (no matter what our medium), we have the honor and the call to bring good and beautiful expressions into being; things that arise uniquely from our hearts and to which only we can give substance. Isn’t it amazing that you are the only one who can release the good of your creative heart into this world! What an honor that is!
Rather than vaguely hoping for that to happen, let’s make a plan for it! I know, for myself, I have to be intentional and set out goals. And I also know that goals can feel very overwhelming, and overwhelm can be paralyzing. But by setting attainable goals and breaking them down into smaller steps, and then into smaller actions, solid progress toward reaching them happens. For me, I need a day by day “to-do” list. But, I’ve also learned I can’t over pack my to-do lists ~ I always seem to think I can do more than I actually can! And in my world, something always seems to arise that I hadn’t foreseen.
So, let’s plan and make goals, but do so with flexibility and grace! It seems good advice, which I recently heard, to make plans and be aware that you could be directed with a little diversion you didn’t anticipate. That diversion could turn out to be a new and valuable opportunity! And even so, with a plan, we are headed in an intentional direction!
One more thing: I get overwhelmed when asked to plan too far out. (And I mentioned what happens when I’m overwhelmed!) so I plan for 90 days at a time. Enough time to make good progress toward goals, but not so much that they become vague. I mentioned it last time, but I have made a worksheet for 90 day planning that’s been a help to me. It’s free! Get it here, if you’d like to use it! And, I’ll also send you additional encouragement right to your inbox.
©2023 Helen Read
Photo Credit: Naassom Azevedo |
Good luck!