Go Another Route
For many people the holidays are a reset. We once again find hope in the world, renewed faith, incredible joy, and pervasive peace. We experience love in community with family and friends. We are high on light and life. All the decorations and the celebrations, not to mention the delicious food, but then… then… then the trees begin to be put away, the lights disappear, and the ornaments are packed up.
Families travel home and there is a push to go back to the way everything was before Christmas and Hanukkah. Go back to work in the same old way with the same old attitude. We return to our regular routines and our regular life without much thought.
Yet, does it have to be this way? I think not. We have the opportunity each new year to change, to do things differently, and go another route in life.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it means to embody hope in work and in the world, and I think much of this has to do with being intentional about choosing a different way. We can stay stuck or we can choose another path.
Maybe you do something small like wake up 30 minutes earlier to journal or exercise so you're more physically or spiritually ready for your day. Maybe you start writing notes of encouragement to new employees every Monday, thanking them for what they do for the organization?
It does not have to be big or grand, but we each have the opportunity in 2023 to carry the joy and hope of the holidays with us, to make tomorrow better than today.
“Find a discipline that will help you continue to choose hope and joy in the new year. ”
