How to Make 2020 Your Best Year Yet

Happy New Year!

Definition of resolution:

1. a firm decision to do or not to do something.

Have you ever made a New Years resolution? Or perhaps a list of resolutions? Then as soon as you make them the New Year arrives before you know it, and then none of your goals get accomplished!? Well, this is what happens to most people that dream of making those resolutions. Dreaming cannot suffice. We must turn those dreams into reality by believing it can be done. You see, the problem with New Years Resolutions is we only make them one time a year! Why have we made resolutions the thing to do only once a year? Resolutions can be made every day of your life. You do not need to hear "Happy New Year!" to make a difference in your life. Yes it's a new year, but it's the same you. A change in a year does not define you or where you are in life. You are the only one that can make a difference in your life with the goals you set and the will to accomplish them. Don't wait for the next year to make your dreams happen. Don't wait for the New Year for an excuse to make a resolution. Make it now. I believe that if you set your mind to what you wish to accomplish, if you truly believe that it will happen, and if you do not give up or let anything stop you, then I know that you can make 2020 your best year yet.

We all wish to be better and do better. We all desire a fulfilled life of accomplishment and success. Our internet and social-status obsessed culture has seemed to define ourselves and our youth. Scrolling through social media it would be impossible to say that none of us compare our lives to another. Our culture lives by the idea of comparison. We see others posts and we are blinded by people's masks. Social media only shares the "good" or "happy" parts of lives. The insane, depressed, tragic, and sick parts are completely hidden. As a culture we essentially "fake it to make it". If only we could understand that comparison leads to jealousy and bitterness. We resent people deep down because we wish we could own that new car that they got, or we were jealous of that beautiful vacation they went on. We see how great their life must be when amidst their social profile they could be struggling deep down and we'd never know it. As someone who loves Instagram, comparison is something I personally try my best to stay away from. Comparison is the thief of joy. It will rob you of truly enjoying the life God had already blessed you with. If you are searching for a better life by comparing it to others then you are missing out on so much. In 2020, it is time to end the comparison game and it is time to make something out of your own blessed life. Make the best out of your situation and work hard to turn your dreams into a reality.

Another great thing to remind yourself of is the difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is defined by circumstance and joy is what comes from within. We can be happy because of a job promotion, a gift, and loved one, a vacation, or anything built by circumstance. But, that doesn't mean we can obtain pure joy from those things. Joy is a feeling of great pleasure and happiness. It is a feeling that is content through any situation of life in every season. It is what is felt from the inside. Joy is peace within yourself. This year, let's stop waiting for a circumstance to make us happy. Let's find ways to be content in this season of life. Time to take care of yourself, time to be generous, time to appreciate the little things, and it's time to stop taking life so seriously. If you are reading this message right now and you are breathing with your a heart still beating... then, you have a purpose! Y