By Emilie Haney, @emhaneyauthor
This time of year always makes me introspective. Whether it’s the cool weather drawing me inside with a blanket and a cup of something hot, or just the start of a new year right around the corner, I like to take advantage of this time by digging in deep and preparing for January 1st.
I know nothing magical happens when the calendar switches dates, but I feel something. A renewal and a renewed promise for things to come.
To take advantage of that, these are five things I do in order to prepare for a new year:
- Recount
I start off by doing a lot of journaling as the year comes to a close. I recount all of the great things that happened that year, the things that were more difficult, and the things I wished could have happened.
- Reflect
Taking those recountings, I reflect back on them. I like to ask these questions but feel free to come up with your own:
- Overall, how did the year go?
- Did you accomplish what you wanted to?
- What did you wish you could have gotten to but didn’t?
- How did you feel while you were doing everything?
- Do you have any regrets?
- What were some wins you experienced? Losses?
- Did you have time to rest?
- What are you sure you want to do again in the coming year?
- Remember
During this process (and with the help of these questions) I try to honestly remember what it felt like during the year. Time is a blessing and a curse in that it can make memories fuzzy and things that, at the time, might have been very stressful, don’t seem so on the other side. Instead of letting those memories soften reality, I try to honestly remember what I felt. I let those feelings guide decisions I’ll make for the new year so that I won’t find myself in unnecessarily stressful situations again, if I can help it.
- Re-Purpose
I’m not using this term to mean we’re “reusing” something, but to mean we’re “recommitting” to our purpose (yes…I wanted the R’s to match). What is my purpose over all? (Yes, for us as Christians it is to glorify God, and that is part of it, but I’m talking just below that). Why do I do what I do?
For me, my writing is a calling and, even when I don’t feel like doing it, I know it’s what I’m meant to do. I rely on that to drive me. To me, my “re-purposing” is to bring myself back to the initial “why” of my writing and work and then use this to….
- Recommit
I take all that I’ve done here and recommit to myself and to the Lord for the new year. This is a personal thing. I do this so that *I* know what my focus is and what my purpose for the new year will be. I also do this so that I have a fresh memory on what my goals and purpose for the new year are. I reflect back on this when agreeing to new opportunities so that I will not haphazardly say yes or no to something, but truly consider how it affects the “charter” of my writing career.
The writing journey isn’t always easy. There are so many things to consider and, often times, we have to agree to contracts or projects due to financial or other reasons, but it is possible to make each year better than the last.
The key here? Making sure you don’t let the year slip past without reflecting back over it and, through prayerful consideration, deciding how this coming new year will be different, and hopefully better, for you.
Happy New Year!
Emilie
Vonnie Bradley is back in Winter, Montana to step in for local veterinarian, Doc Sandborn, while he undergoes cancer treatments. Still recovering from a bad breakup, Vonnie knows being home for Christmas and her brother’s wedding seems like the perfect balm for a broken heart.
Simeon Parker knows it’s his last Christmas in Winter. He’s avoided responsibility by escaping to the picturesque town in Montana to serve on the crew of Firetruck 17, but he know it can’t last. Daily emails from his adoptive parents are piling up, but before he can face his fate in Texas, he’s got one last job to do.
Paired together to host a fundraiser for Doc, Simeon wonders if this Christmas might not be so bad after all, while Vonnie does her best to keep her distance. Facing her unfulfilling role as a vet in a multi-doctor practice back on Boise, Vonnie fears failure is right around the corner. Will she admit defeat and quit her job, or is opportunity about to knock?
Their attraction is evident, but Vonnie throws up roadblocks at every turn and Simeon wonders if what he wants could become a reality. Will they go their separate ways, or could this be the first in a long line of Christmases together?
Welcome back to one last Christmas in Winter, Montana where sparks fly and kisses are shared during holidays together.
Emilie Haney (also writing under the pen name Bell Renshaw) grew up in the Pacific Northwest and has a love for the outdoors that matches her love for the written word. In addition to writing, she is a graphic designer who creates promotional graphics for writers, designs book covers, and has built a thriving community around her Instagram platform and brand CreateExploreRead. Emilie writes YA science fiction and fantasy as well as adult contemporary fiction with strong themes of romance and suspense and believes that–no matter what–love fights for what’s right. Connect with her: www.eahcreative.com, Instagram, Etsy