Around this time, we make a sport of sizing up our years.

Whether it was a good one.

A bad one.

What milestones did we accomplish?

Which ones did we survive?

Did any of those resolutions stick after all?

So we say we had a good year.

Or a not so good one.

But a section of our lives is rarely so neatly summarized.

The magic of a new year

People get excited this time of year.

It’s the signal of a new season.  A fresh start.

The winter solstice, around the 21^st of December, signals the longest night of the year and the slow, incremental return of long summer days.

And New Year’s day stands like a crease,

a fold,

a neat partition.

A blank page that you can write whatever you like on.

We’re in love with this notion of possibilities.  Of promise.

Of new beginnings.

Three tips for getting a good start

So how do we make the most of this enticing, blank page?

Here are three tips to help you have a good start to 2014.

1.)  The “I did” list.

It’s much harder to establish a new habit than it is to sustain an old one.

A good year starts with sustaining good habits and practices that you’ve already begun.

So begin the year by looking backwards.

Consider what you did well.  What you were pleased with.  It’s like doing an “I did” list for your whole year.

Do this to give yourself some credit.  And use it as a guidepost for how to navigate the year ahead of you.

You don’t always have to change to do some good.  Sometimes it’s just a matter of keeping your course.

2.)  Focus on principles rather than goals.

Goal-setting is a valuable practice.  But many resolutions in the new year are abandoned because they are maybe too focused on outcomes.

A good year is measured by more than what you did.  It has to do with your values, your principles, and if you lived well by those.

So focus on principles.  On values.  Make decisions based on your priorities as choices emerge—a moment, a day at a time.

3.)  Embrace imperfection and ambiguity.

Life is messy and imperfect and beautiful.

Your year hasn’t been good or bad.  It’s been a patchwork.  Challenges.  Victories.  Losses.  Epiphanies.

A sloppy, imperfect mix.

Try to love it.  And try to be kind to yourself as you find your way through the next chapter.

Thank you

As the year draws to a close, a few words of thanks.

Thank you.  Thank you.

Thank you for joining me on the journey.

For reading.

For emailing me when a post struck a chord in your heart.

For your referrals.

For your questions.

For your words of encouragement.

I look forward to sharing the journey into 2014 with you.

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Last year:  Practicing What I Preach

Two years ago:  The Three Little Pigs of the New Year