The R.O.C.K. Club Wants to Help You Reboot the Right Way
With every new year, the possibility of starting new shines again like the dawn of another day. The opportunities are endless; the new year is like a blank canvas. Your restart can be something as simple as getting organized to something much bigger, like a career change. But as the calendar turns from 2021 to 2022, the rest of your life stretches out to the horizon. Will you make the choice to change and reboot your life?Many people make New Year’s resolutions every Jan. 1. And a majority of those people break those same resolutions on Jan. 2. Well, maybe not that quickly. But according to a Jan 28, 2020, New York Post article, the average person breaks their resolution by Feb. 1. That’s just 32 days. However, the article reported that 68 percent of the polled people gave up even sooner than that.
Support on Starting New in 2022 with The R.O.C.K. Club
Here at the R.O.C.K. Club in Radford, VA, we want to help you restart the right way. We care about you and desire to see you succeed with starting new this year. This month, let’s discuss starting new, whether you just want to add one good habit or change your lifestyle. First, let’s explore why we give up on our new directions so quickly. Then, we will look at a few tips to help you on your way to starting new. We may be geared toward educating children in the New River Valley, but we want to see the entire family succeed.
Starting New: Why Do We Give Up So Quickly?
So, we have to ask the obvious, elusive question: Why do we give up so quickly on starting new? We decide to change something for the better, and, one month later, we are back in the same rut. What happened between January and February? The truth is there are a myriad of reasons why we fail. It’s different for every person. The wise choice, however, before you personally make a resolution is to do a little “soul-searching.” Take a truthful inventory of your personality, including your faults. Recognize any potential obstacles, and make a plan to overcome them. Don’t just jump into the new year with the unbothered declaration of “I’m doing this!” You will just find yourself in the same place on Jan. 1, 2023.
Old Habits Can Be Hard to Change When Starting New
As we already said, there are countless reasons why we fail with starting new in the new year. Even so, here are a few common issues that we may have to overcome:
We are entrenched in our old habits.
There is a reason we call them “habits.” These actions are settled tendencies in our lives, and we perform them without even thinking. From chewing pencils to smoking cigarettes, these habits have entrenched themselves in our lives and personalities. It is always much easier to fall back into our old ways than to try to cut a new path. It is presently more comfortable for us, even though those old ways may be very harmful over time.
We really don’t want to restart.
We can easily make bold proclamations. People do it every day, from your co-worker to politicians in Washington, D.C. As the old saying states, “Talk is cheap.” And another old saying declares that “actions speak louder than words.” Do you really want to restart? Or did you just make a “resolution” because that’s what you do when the new year comes? Before you ever change anything, you have to truly decide that you must change it.
We tend to procrastinate.
Unfortunately, it’s human nature. We put things off until “tomorrow,” “next Monday,” “next month,” or “next year.” A few of us may be go-getters. But, more often than not, most of us have some tendency toward procrastination. When we decide to change, or we stumble in that pursuit, we look toward the next day with good intentions. However, the next day then becomes the next day, and our reboot soon slips out of mind.
We aim too high.
Sure, we have big goals, but it is possible to aim too high. We set out to conquer Mount Everest on Jan. 1. When we haven’t yet climbed the foothills two weeks into the new year, we get discouraged. We let that discouragement and disappointment cause us to “postpone” or completely quit. Our restart then sputters to a standstill.
We lack support and accountability.
Everyone needs someone. We need the support and encouragement of our family and friends. But, many times, when it comes to resolutions or restarts, we travel the “lone wolf” route. This is especially true with men. We try to reboot our lives without a support system, when an accountability partner or encouragement would be beneficial.
Tips to Keep Moving Forward with Starting New
We have explored some reasons why our restarts can falter. Next, let’s look at some tips to keep moving forward with starting new. Remember, though, your situation is unique. It is beneficial for you to complete a truthful personal inventory and understand your strengths and shortcomings.
Build and rely on a tribe.
Reach out for help and support. Even with a “small” reboot, depend on the encouragement of others. Work together with somebody toward your goals. Find an accountability partner who can ask you the tough questions and expect truthful answers.
Make a plan.
Very few victories come without a plan. Decide what you want to do, and map your way to that goal. Simple decisions can be abstract; when the path to victory is concrete in writing, the unachievable becomes achievable.
Small steps
They say that Rome wasn’t built in a day. You won’t accomplish your reboot in a day, either. Whether you want to organize your life or lose some weight, take it one achievable step at a time. Set an obtainable goal for yourself, hit it like a boss, and set another.
Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
Stop procrastinating. You will never achieve what you want to do by waiting until next week. Schedule time into your day to work on your restart goals, and stick to that schedule.
Follow Jesus to the Restart of All Restarts
There is one sure way to bring about change in your life. In the Bible, 2 Corinthians 5:17 states, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” Jesus offers a restart to everyone. No matter who you are or what you have done, Jesus calls you to come to Him.
Why Do We Need Jesus?
Why do we need Jesus, though? Do you remember that personal inventory we talked about before? If you were honest with yourself, you saw a lot of shortcomings and wrongdoings. It is true for all of us. The Bible calls it “sin.” And while God loves us, He is holy, which means He has no sin. In fact, He can’t be in the presence of sin. Our sinful actions have pushed us away from God, the relationship for which we were created. Not only that, but we face punishment for our sins, like a criminal in court. That punishment is physical death and spiritual death, separation from God for eternity in a place called Hell. There is nothing we could do ourselves to make amends to God, because our sin taints everything that we do.
Find Eternal Life Through Jesus for Starting New
But God loves you so much that He made a way for you to justification and reconciliation. He gave His Son, Jesus, to take your place in punishment. Jesus shed His blood and died on a cross for your sins. He then resurrected from His grave three days later in victory over death. He paid your debt, and like in a court of law, there is no double jeopardy. There is no second punishment for the same crime. Jesus now offers eternal life and a new restart to you. All that you have to do is believe in Him and ask Him to save you. In the Bible, John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Starting New in 2022 with a New Relationship with God
You can have a relationship with God. It is possible through Jesus, and through Him alone. Pray and ask Jesus to forgive your sins and save you. It is not the exact words of the prayer that will save you; just mean it. Call out to Jesus. He waits and is listening. Do it now. Changing your life is not a decision left for “tomorrow,” “next Monday,” or “the new year.” You may have followed your own way for years. Start new this year by following Jesus.If you have decided to follow Jesus, contact us at The R.O.C.K. Club in Radford, VA. We want to help you in your new relationship with Jesus. For more information on The R.O.C.K. Club’s Christ-centered childcare and educational programs, call us now at (540) 267-3000. Let us help you understand how you can have a real relationship with God through Jesus. Meeting Jesus and deciding to follow Him is the best method of “starting new”!
