So I’ve been thinking about this past year and asking myself: What did I really accomplish? What did I learn that I’ll take with me into 2015?
And it’s not what I thought at all.
I’ve discovered it’s not in the stuff I crossed off my neverending to-do list, or the lofty goals and cherished hopes and dreams I spilled onto the pages of my journal.
It’s the powerful, life-changing truth written on a little magnet I see on my fridge every day:
“When it comes to exercise, something is better than nothing, and more is better than less.”
Or as I’ve learned this year:
When it comes to MOST THINGS IN LIFE, something is better than nothing, and more is better than less.
Just because I can’t do it all or do it all perfectly doesn’t mean I can’t do something. And when I can do something, if I resolve to persevere and press on a little further, I often find I can do more.
I may not have the strength or the energy or the ability to tackle that project, but I can do this one. I may not be able to do all of those chores, but I can do these ones. I may not have the opportunity to give or serve or mentor or encourage or impact all those people. But I can make a difference in the life of this one. Today.
I’m finding that in the words of the old hymn, “little is much when God is in it.”
Or as J Hudson Taylor put it:
In years past, I think that what happened to me in 2014 would have sent me first into a desperately driven attempt to “not just survive but thrive” by becoming super-organized, super-disciplined, super-determined, super-strong and healthy (or at least as healthy as I can be) and …. in the process, create a long list of hugely unrealistic expectations.
Then when I failed – which I inevitably would – a few days or a few minutes after crafting my elaborate plans for taking charge of my life and triumphing over adversity, I’d dissolve in a puddle (or sometimes a tantrum) of tears. And retreat to my Netflix and chocolate for days or weeks at a time.
The latter state being far worse than the former.
But this year (though I won’t lie – I started to make grand plans a few times), by the grace of God, I managed mostly to take one day at a time. To focus on doing what I could do — not what I wanted to do or wished I could do. On at least doing something, rather than nothing.
Day after day after day.
That in itself is huge progress. It’s the prize I’m claiming for this year.
I didn’t give up or give in.
Not for more than a few hours anyway.
I kept on walking (metaphorically speaking). I kept going. And because I kept going, I actually accomplished some things. I made some real progress. In small steps. Slow and steady.
It’s such a cliché and yet it’s true.
I don’t have nearly as many regrets as I start the New Year, and I’ve got a really solid foundation I can build on.
It’s not what I asked for at the beginning of 2014, not what I hoped or planned or dreamed. But it’s a good gift.
I’ll gladly take it with me all the way through 2015.
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I’d love to hear what you learned this last year… what you’re bringing with you into 2015!
