How to Have a Happy New Year

Happy New Year!  We often greet others with this saying at this time of year.  But are you truly happy and excited?  Or are you anxious and fearful?

The start of a new year is a time of transition.  Whether we feel happy or anxious is often attached to what does our time look like for each day ahead.  Maybe you don’t have a clear future and your days are full of unknowns.  Just looking at your calendar brings a feeling of panic.  Or maybe you have a clear vision and each day is planned out to your purpose.  You feel excited.  But what happens to your excitement, when an unexpected obstacle comes into your calendar?

The key to a happy new year is to remain at peace no matter our circumstances.  Here is how to have a happy new year:

Be aware of what you are feeling.

Are you anxious, peaceful, happy, sad, frustrated, confident …?  Feelings are a door way to the heart.  They are a tell tale sign of what is more deeply going on inside of us.

Identify the situation.

Sometimes the feeling may be attached to a circumstance.  Did a schedule conflict just appear on your calendar and you feel frustrated?  Did an obstacle just happen with a project and you feel anxious?  Did someone just pay you a compliment and you feel happy?

What are you thinking?

Our thinking is paramount.  Our thinking can protect our heart or ravage it.  Our thinking can reflect truth or a lie.  When a problem occurs, do you automatically think you must solve it or you will be punished?  When someone compliments you, do you have thankful thoughts?  Our thoughts are important because they reveal what we believe.

You have a choice.

Do you have beliefs that are connected to a lie or a truth?  If you believe that all failures must be punished, your anxiety will build and you will frantically search for a solution.  When you find a solution, calm may return but stress is still taking its toll.  Or when a problem comes do you see it as an opportunity?  Do you have a belief that not everything must rely on you but that you can trust others?  Do you have a belief that someone knows a better way?

Today, I had a schedule conflict happen.  I jumped immediately to worry and frustration.  My anxiety surrounded me as I tried to think through a solution.  This all happened very quickly.  I was not being aware.  But, then, I stopped.  I became aware of what I was feeling and labeled it.  I defined the situation.  I realized that I was thinking I had to find the right solution to the schedule conflict to make everyone happy and to make the project move forward.  My belief was that I was sovereign.  I had to be in control so that I felt powerful and safe.  I was not listening to truth.  Instead my true belief is that I can trust God, His purposes and His ways.  I can trust my identity and my worth that is not based on circumstances.

My mind went then to a place of rest, deeper seeking and creativity.  What else is going on in this situation?  Is meeting right now not the right timing?  What other possibilities are there?

A happy new year is an adventure where each day is an opportunity to learn and find a better way and more potential than was there before.   Don’t look at your circumstances to determine your happiness or success, but look beyond and at a higher level.

How will you apply the steps above to your new year?