2020 and I were off to a great start together. Maybe you can relate. You began the year in a positive direction, with goals or resolutions and a #oneword in your pocket. This was the year of all years. 2020 was going to be awesome, right?! You just knew it.
Yep, me too. 2020 was the year I was going to live wide open (my word for 2020 – #open2020). My main focus was on my health. Not only did I desire to better my eating and physical activity, but I also desired to fit in my summer clothes that never saw the light of day last summer. So, I started in January, running/walking 75 miles in that month. (What?? Crazy, I know.) I continued on in February and worked out 25 out of the 28 days. I took part in the practice of intermittent fasting through Lent. (That was an experience!) Since I was on a roll, my March goal was to workout 27 out of the 31 days. My goals were becoming reality!
But, then mid-March arrived, and COVID-19 came upon the scene.
For days (okay, weeks) I didn’t know which end was up. Life felt like it was flipped upside-down and spinning out of control, all at the same time. My workouts continued, until the morning I woke up and just didn’t care anymore. I was tired, worn out, and felt beaten-up emotionally. Who cares about goals when you’re just trying to survive? When you’re just trying to avoid this virus? When you’re an extrovert and you’re holed-up at home. I suddenly didn’t care if I worked out or not. I didn’t care if I made my summer goal of fitting in those clothes or not. Quite honestly, I just wanted to crawl in a hole and stay there until all of this was over.
I know, however, we’re all wired differently. Maybe your experience has been similar or maybe not at all. Maybe you’ve kept on with your new year’s resolutions and goals. You’ve kept your focus and determination and willpower strong. I hope that’s the case. I pray you are seeing the fruit of your diligence. Way to go!
Or, on the other hand, maybe your experience has been a little like mine. Where you’ve gotten sidetracked, you’ve hit roadblocks, and your attention has been diverted. Distraction captured your focus, and here it is, weeks later. Maybe you’re tempted to think, what’s the use? What do my goals/dreams/resolutions matter anyway? I’ll just call this year a wash and begin again next January. Yep, I’ve had those thoughts, too. (Have you seen those 2020 memes depicting a 2020 goal in one photo frame and the very opposite in the other frame? We could make our own memes!)
The thing is, though, we are each walking through this season the best way we know how.
Let’s give ourselves some grace.
In doing so, maybe it’s time we begin again. Maybe it’s a good time for a fresh commitment.
Over the weekend I started over with my goals and my “be healthy” focus. I’m giving myself a “do-over,” of sorts. Actually, I made a fresh commitment again to myself on Sunday morning. I got up early, laced up my running shoes, and headed out for a run on our gravel road. The first time in quite awhile, and goodness, it felt good. To just run. I kinda felt like Forrest Gump. (Okay, maybe not.) But, it felt good to just take off and go.
A fresh commitment feels so very good.
Friend, if your focus was snatched by COVID-19, or if distractions took the place of your discipline, or if road blocks stopped up your path this spring, I invite you to take a step forward. I invite you to join me. No matter what your goals/dreams/resolutions were (and are). They may have nothing to do with health, and that’s okay. I invite you to make a fresh commitment to yourself today. To dust off your 2020 goal(s), and to pick up where you left off. Just because 2020 hasn’t gone the way we expected so far, doesn’t mean it can’t end amazingly.
A fresh commitment is one of the most positive gifts you can make for yourself.
Because making a commitment to yourself is like telling yourself you matter. Your goals and dreams matter. And just because you and I became distracted, it doesn’t mean we can’t pursue the goal that’s within us. That’s all the more reason to make it happen! It’s not too late, friend. You and I are here to make a difference. We have today to do that.
So be careful how you act; these are difficult days. Don’t be fools; be wise: make the most of every opportunity you have for doing good.
Ephesians 5:16 TLB
With seven months left of 2020, how about we give it all we’ve got? We may not be able to change what’s going on around us, but we can certainly change how we react to it. It’s amazing what we can do once we just commit to doing it.
Can we help each other and hold each other accountable in our commitments? Can we encourage one another? Share your fresh commitment with me and I’ll be cheering for you the loudest. I’ll be sharing as I go on Instagram, as well.
A fresh commitment. I’m ready. Are you?
Blessings!
Sitting and staring. Sitting and staring and thinking and worrying. That’s where I’ve found myself lately. Oh, I get a few things done but I could do so much more! So, I need to regroup and do something!