Despite the Mayan calendar hype, 2013 is here! (Did you fall for it???) I can already feel the changes this new year will bring. Old friends are reaching out more; new friends are settling in; ambitious goals are being set; and big plans are being made. But these aren’t my “new year’s resolutions”. I don’t like to call these changes RESOLUTIONS for a couple reasons.

1. RESOLUTION implies there was a PROBLEM. Of course there were ups and downs, but 2012 did not bring me problems.
2. All too often, RESOLUTIONS are things to NOT do (NOT eat so much junk; NOT drink so much alcohol; NOT spend so much money…). This context focuses too much on the negative and makes it harder to accomplish (honestly, I DID it for a reason, right?!)

Instead, I set a THEME for the year. 2011 was the Year of Me. I was fresh out of a long-term relationship and simply in need of some loving. Who better to love on me than ME?! 🙂 I gave myself the wants of my heart: concerts, shopping sprees, lazy days, and weekend getaways. 2012 was the Year of More. Since I spent a year impulsively indulging in my desires, I wanted to have that feeling become a constant in my life. So I made plans to save more money, have more happiness, and relax more.

2013 is going to be the Year of Do. In every situation I encounter this year, I want to DO something. Have a great idea? Execute it. Facing a problem/tough situation? Fix it. Don’t like my position? Change it. Bored? Try something new. Whatever it is, DO something about it. And when it feels like there is nothing to do, wait purposefully and spend some time with God. “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” Proverbs 19:21

As with every theme or resolution, the goal is to be a better person. My hope is that as I DO this year, I do well for myself and I do good for the world.

-AM

©2013 by Ayana Martin