The biggest New Year’s Mistake
I can only speak for myself when I say this, but my life as an educator trained me to operate under a "school year calendar" both in and out of my job. Because of this, New Year's falls almost smack in the middle of my year. It feels very counterintuitive to reset and re-look at goals in January when I still have "half a year" to go in school years.
When it comes to New Year's goals and resolutions, one of the worst things you can do as an educator is to set lofty goals that are outside the realm of your reality.
The reality is, you're in the middle of a year with testing season looming. The reality is, the end of the year is like a marathon sprint with a water stop only offered at mile 13. The reality is, you're more than just a teacher and you have a life outside of school. The reality is - school cannot be your god.
Take a step back for a minute. Look at your goals from 2 perspectives. Your teacher life (Aug thru July), and the actual calendar (Jan thru Dec). Do your goals make realistic sense according to your teacher calendar? Or are they more practically suited to the actual calendar?
Too often, educators make big goals and resolutions without operating inside the natural rhythm of their calendars, and they wind up defeated and trapped in unhealthy cycles.
Here are a few tips to help you safeguard your 2024:
Give Grace. Ex. You want to read the whole Bible this year. Great. But be prepared to give yourself some grace during those busier times of your school year (testing, end of year, August).
Be Realistic. Ex. You want to get back in shape. Great. But start by setting small, mini goals that coincide with your school calendar. Ex. I will get in 30 min of physical activity 3 times a week until my first 3 day weekend, then increase that until Spring Break. Then I'll reassess and set another mini goal. My bigger goal is to be working out consistently 6 days a week by Thanksgiving.
Prioritize. Ex You want to read X amount of books per month. Great. During testing season you may need to adjust that or set it aside for a time. Be smart about what you give your time to. Reading is great, but it's not more important than family time. Prioritize the things that truly matter.
Keep It Simple. If you're a planner, you'll really have to work at this. Sometimes we can plan so much that we end up over-complicating our lives. Don't let that happen. You already have enough on your plate, so simplify your days. If your goals are making your life hectic and harder on you and your family, you probably need to reassess.
And the most important tip I can give you is this:
Don't Make Your Goals or Your Job Your God.
Goals are just goals. Your job is just a job. They're not God. Don't devote more time to achieving goals and working at your job than you do chasing after Jesus and in service to Him.
Every day - every single day, the most important thing you can do is seek His face. If you fall off the train and fail at every single one of your resolutions, but you've grown in Biblical literacy and in dependence on God - you've won. It's the best resolution you could possibly have.
So here's to the year ahead - the entire year - all 11.5 months of it. Enjoy it. Savor it. Keep your eyes open for all God has in store for you because it's more than you could ever dream up.
