Today I wanted to talk about renewal, time and action. Renewal is a part of every new year.  For instance, I try and make goals and take a fresh new perspective on my work and daily life. I’m sure you all do too. However, as we all know, it can be so very difficult to keep up with those goals. But what priorities should we really be reaching for? What goals are most important? and where do we start with renewal of ourselves and others?

Renewal means to start fresh, to renew strength and energy for new actions. Where does renewal come from? It comes first and foremost from God who helps us continue on in strength each year and teaches us to trust Him. It also comes from viewing our personal lives with fresh perspective.

Seeing with new eyes that reveal bigger potential in ourselves than we have ever seen before. Renewal comes when we give to others, when we hold others above our own needs and give without selfish ambition, we are rewarded with a renewed sense of our purpose in life.

Action

I read some great advice that really helped me think differently and more positive about achieving goals this year. The advice said that we should realize that action is the most important part of success with a goal.

Even if that action is small or seems like you aren’t moving as fast. Each little step in the right direction will lead to bigger and better steps, more efficient steps and the sweet taste of success. Action can take the form of checking off a list, taking a step toward weight loss or learning a new hobby, but action is also taking time to reach out to others in love and helping to build them up.

Time

I am a person who loves to get things done in large chunks of time, but I notice that my large chunks of time often become smaller bites because I just don’t have the time to put into them. So this concept of smaller actions to reach a larger goal really got me thinking. I can utilize my time more efficiently with smaller bites and not feel the weight of the world on my shoulders if I don’t immediately reach my largest goal.

I encourage you to not be discouraged if time gets away from you and you see a goal not getting accomplished as fast as you wish it would. Daily I must remind myself to let go and relax if it all does not get done in one day. What matters most at the end of life will not be the tasks you accomplished each day, but the time you took to love and create hope for those around you.

Time is certainly precious to all of us, and I often find myself thinking about what is most important to do with my time. Of course, working even part time, takes a lot of time. Building a blog takes time. But I’m not talking about work here, I’m talking about spiritual time, family time, friend time, time towards a passion for creative living or whatever makes me or you tick. I’m talking about what matters most. Like kindness for other people.

Kindness

In recent years, I have come to realize how little it takes to spread kindness and love to other people. A smile, a letter, a card, a compliment, an action, so many things that you can do to spread the kindness bug. Yet society, and I will include myself here too at times, gets so wrapped up in themselves. We really need to change that.

Let this year be a year for kindness. You know those little bites of time I was talking about earlier? They can be bits and pieces of actionable kindness too. Sprinkle a bite or two throughout your days from now on.

If you consider at the end of your life what is going to matter most, you will begin to understand how superficial material things can be.

I heard a good quote on the radio, “a shroud has no pockets” (Rev. David Jeremiah). That is so true my friends! We can’t take anything with us when we leave this world. What will matter is those we loved, how we served others and what we did to spread the love of God.

Part of love is using the skills and creative ideas you were meant to produce. As you know, creating art is a wonderful form of expression and voice for action in life but it isn’t the only creative expression. Gardening, writing, making a great cup of coffee or delicious food, presenting a great business idea to your company, etc. All these are creative expressions that can be full of love that will touch other people around you.

Your creative spirit, whether that be a writer, a painter, a dancer, photographer, gardener, mother, business person, or cook your creative mind was built to be a voice of love and action.

I encourage you today to be that voice. Love with your work, show others that you care, make it meaningful and palpable. Make this year the year of a new thing, a renewal year where you see beauty in ashes, a year where you help to lift someone up. A year where your goals will have deeper meaning than how thin you are or how much money you can make or how much time you can make to get it all done. Enjoy the journey and take your time. Never take it for granted.