4 Ways to Unleash Your Best Self in 2024!

For the New Year, be More!

4 ways to unleash your best self in 2024!

It’s still January, and although it may seem that the New Year’s celebrations are in the rearview mirror, we continue to have the opportunity to think about new beginnings for ourselves and each other. In late December we may have contemplated some resolutions we were determined to stick to this year! However, by now the gyms are already becoming a little emptier and the savings account may not have grown as much as we had hoped! But there are some areas where we can improve all year long. Let’s reflect on some of the personal things we can do that, although they may seem small, can offer us big rewards in our hearts and souls.

We can always be more! You may ask, “in what ways can we be more?”

Be more…

Grateful

Generous 

Charitable

Creative

You don’t have to join the gym, ask for a raise, or swear off that glass of wine you like to have at the end of the day to be more! Let’s take a look at some of the ways we can be more.

More Grateful! If you ask the average person to name five things they are worried about they rattle off the list in seconds! We are so task oriented and so worried and anxious about our problems that we often fail to see the blessings and little miracles that surround us each day. The beauty of the sunlight streaming through our window. The flower that seems to bloom against all odds. The kind word said to us we hardly paid any attention to. Our health. Another day of life. A call from a loved one or friend we weren’t expecting. It’s really a question of focus. Do I focus on my problems (sometimes I have to), or do I focus on the goodness that surrounds me? It’s a choice to focus on the blessings instead of only the problems. Some people now write a gratitude journal in which they record three to five things each day, at the end of the day, for which they are thankful. Others offer a gratitude prayer just before bed. Nearly everyone who does this consistently reports feeling closer to God, being in a better mood, and reduced anxiety. So, this year, right now, be more grateful!

More generous or charitable. Most of us can’t set the world record for philanthropy, but we can certainly learn to be more generous on a personal basis. Generosity is sometimes about money, but often it’s about our time or a personal talent we can share. Maybe I can add another $5 dollars a week in the collection, or I can give the $5 to the local food pantry… you name it. More than that, I can give an hour on a Saturday morning to help with the local food pantry, or to watch the children during the next mass or service. Maybe I have a halfway decent voice. Can I sing in the choir? Does my elderly neighbor need a ride to the store? It cost me nothing because I was going to the store anyway! There are so many ways to grow in charity and generosity. Yes, I can be more giving, not just with money, but with my heart!

Be more creative? That sounds like toughie! Some people seem naturally creative, like with sewing or flower arranging – things of that nature. But being more creative isn’t just about being artistic or good with crafts. Creativity is about the heart and soul. Each of us has some sort of talent where we may not be perfect, but we are pretty good! Are you good with numbers? Can you help your Finance Council? Are you good at coaching sports? Can you help the youth? Are you a good storyteller or reader? Can you offer some time to read to the preschoolers, or the senior citizens at the nursing home? Bet you haven’t thought about creativity in these ways, but they are ways of creative with what you’ve got naturally! What does it require of you? A little time and a willingness to be more…creative!

Whether you start in January, February, March or June, you can always be more! So, don’t worry about the gym or diet as much as about your heart and soul. You can become a great soul simply by being more!