Taking Stock...

It's the day after that day of the year...  New Year's Eve is a day filled with reflection of the past year and plans for the next.  People are vowing that this is the year they will conquer whatever has been on their list for an endless number of years.  People are ready for the fresh start that today provides.

Then they wake up...

It is so much easier to make a plan to overhaul your life when the start date is in the future.  It often a different story when you wake up in the morning and it is actually time to start.  I wonder how many people woke up this morning and today looked very much like most days of the past year.

I've spent this past week hiding from the cold and taking stock of the past year.  My journey has had some highs and some definite successes.  My journey has also been filled with obstacles and struggles, many of my own making.  When I set out on the journey called 2017, I had a picture of where I would be today.  I am definitely not where I thought I'd be.  The mental game this past year has proven to be tougher than I had anticipated.  The beauty in this is that I am still here.  I have not quit.

I've also reflected on how the calendar year and the year we use for the IHC program provide a different way of looking at growth.  Many are just starting on their new journey.  The year end for the goals that I set is actually not now, but 6+ weeks away.  The focus at this point is still on finishing what I started, not on beginnings. 

Yesterday while doing some of my reading, this verse jumped out at me.  It was a reminder to keep my eyes on finishing well.  Beginnings are exciting but how many people begin only to quit a short time later.  The beauty in the journey is pushing through, sticking with it and finishing what you start.  In many cases, I will not be finishing what I set out to do.  Lucky for me, I figured that out in November and made a game plan to continue on with those parts of my journey into the Year of the Dog.  With encouragement and a good push, I will continue on with a real plan instead of a dream goal.  I will continue to focus on this year's journey as I step towards that continuation.  Many of my goals are not going to see the ending I had hoped for but I will continue to push forward on what I started.  

In a time of fresh starts and beginnings, let us keep our eyes of sticking to what we have started and finishing well.