The Hope for Something New
By Steve Gahagen
Every year, the Christmas Season speeds by and, before you know it, all the Advent candles have been lit, Christmas is behind us, and a new year is before us. Store aisles shift from the excess of Christmas to weight-loss products and storage bins. Such is the cycle of life in a consumer culture.
Our celebration of a new year is intriguing. We see widespread optimism and celebration across the globe. The party-like atmosphere in New York’s Times Square on New Year’s Eve is repeated in cities and towns worldwide. People dance, sing, and enjoy parades in the streets.
Why are we wildly optimistic at the beginning of a new year? Why do people celebrate when calamity could find us as easily as blessing?
Deep within we long for new beginnings, new possibilities, and new stories. We hope for something more and something better.
Leveraging our strengths provides us the internal wealth to bring hope to life by attempting new things, writing new stories, building new relationships, and strengthening our teams or families in new ways. When we focus on what we’ve been given instead of what we lack, gratitude and hope flourish.
QUESTIONS TO DISCUSS:
What are three of your greatest successes in 2022?
What new goals would you like to accomplish and how could you leverage your strengths to meet them?
What would make 2023 amazing?