Nearly every headline I see this time of year makes a statement about new beginnings: “It’s a New Year––A New Beginning,” “New Beginnings––Jumpstart Your New Year” and on and on. I hear these words each year. Am I really starting over or just rewinding for a rerun of last year?

The opinions about fresh starts and new beginnings are as varied as the persons voicing them. Several years ago a wise suggestion came my way with a new perspective on this “new beginning” concept. Instead of focusing on a redundant resolution routine, how about taking inventory on what I’ve attempted, accomplished, achieved the previous year and then becoming intentional about improving in the new year?

Now that’s something I could grab and actually follow through all year long. My inventory items include:

      How many books did I read?

      How many new people did I meet?

      What events, experiences did I celebrate?

      What obstacles did I overcome?

      What new thing did I learn?

      What unfinished projects will I complete THIS year?

      Was I an influencer or an agent of change? How? For whom?

Each person’s inventory list will be as unique as his personality and creativeness allow. This approach to a new year energizes me more than staring at a list of resolutions that lose their luster by springtime.

By kicking off a new year with this method, I’m not excluding the past year, but instead building on it. My past is part of the foundation on which I will begin building this new year. As a writer, I’m always writing new chapters. Isn’t that what 2017 will become? Another chapter in my life’s story? How will it read by December 31st?

I do appreciate the opportunity to start fresh in January. It gives me the chance to ask “what if” as I peer into the months ahead. What if I stretched myself to try something new (rock climbing comes to mind for me this year)? What if I stopped talking about the next book I want to write and actually begin the outline and then sign up for a class on How to Write a Book in 30-Days?

The holiday hassles are past. Now is the time to change our tune from Deck the Halls to The Beat Goes On and get into the rhythm of the New Year and create New Beginnings.

What’s your “what if?”

“There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind.”

~ C.S. Lewis

 By Connie Pshigoda

Connie is a natural health consultant with over 40-years experience, guiding her clients into healthy lifestyles and new beginnings using simple, real food seasonal recipes. Her award winning Wise Woman’s Almanac: A Seasonal Guide with Recipes for New Beginnings that Never Go Out of Season may be purchased on Amazon. Visit her at http://wellnessforallseasons.com