Enjoy Your Life More in 2025
This year, along with my New Year's Resolutions, I am going to look for ways to enjoy the different areas of my life more. I love setting goals and working toward positive changes for a new year. But what if, instead of focusing on what needs to be fixed, we look for ways to find more joy in each area of our lives?
So many people are going through transitions right now. Maybe we can have more fun, even in the hard things. Everyone's situation is different, and your hard thing right now might be raising young children, finding your career, parenting teenagers, discovering your new role with adult children, navigating life after divorce, starting a business, or caring for an aging parent. I wonder if looking for ways to find more enjoyment in these hard things can make life a little happier.
Let's explore how we can use the Wheel of Life not only as a tool for goal-setting but also as a guide to discovering more delight in our daily experiences.
The Wheel of Life: A Journey to Joy
There are many ways to divide up the Wheel of Life, and you can make yours very specific to you. Here are some common areas that people use a lot..
• Spiritual Growth
• Love Relationship
• Family
• Social Life
• Health and Fitness
• Career and Professional Growth
• Personal Development
• Money and Finance
While it is common practice to look at each area and see where we want to grow, maybe this year, we can look at each area and find ways to make them more enjoyable.
Discovering Delight in Each Area
Spiritual Growth
Set some time aside in the morning to read a devotional that speaks to your heart and pray. Join a small group with other people in your phase of life. Find a church service that you enjoy attending and commit to going each week.
Love Relationship
Look for three new things you really love about your partner. Do it every day for a month. Go on dates that require reservations or tickets. Do things with them that you really enjoy. Take turns picking what you do for your date.
Family
Find activities that you really enjoy and do them with your family. It’s so easy to get into the habit of eating where everyone else likes to eat or watching what everyone else likes to watch. Pick things YOU enjoy and ask your family if they want to do them with you. Then reciprocate by doing something that they enjoy.
Social Life
Have fun with your friends. Make plans to connect with the people who make you laugh and the people you can be yourself around. This may sound crazy, but maybe you can even stop saying no to every single invite you receive.
Health and Fitness
Focus on how good it feels to move your body, rather than seeing exercise as a chore. Try to find something that is so enjoyable, you forget that it's exercise. Find some new healthy recipes that nourish your body.
Career and Professional Growth
Increase your expertise by taking a course you have been interested in. Find three things every day that you love about your job. Focus on the perks that your job offers and why you were interested in it to begin with.
Personal Development
Read a book that expands your mind. Join a group of people who will help you grow. Spend time on a hobby that brings you joy.
Money and Finance
Look for all of the progress you have made in this area. Do you now have so many things that you always wanted? Be grateful for all your blessings and your ability to make, save, and give money.
Embracing a Joyful Perspective
As you navigate the coming year, here are some ways to cultivate more joy in your daily life:
1. Practice gratitude: Start each day by thanking God for three specific blessings.
2. Mindful moments: Pause throughout your day to fully experience the present moment, whether it's savoring your morning coffee or listening to your child’s laughter.
3. Celebrate small wins: Acknowledge and enjoy your daily accomplishments, no matter how small they may seem.
4. Find humor: Look for opportunities to laugh, especially during challenging times. A joyful heart is good medicine!
5. Connect with others: Share your joys with friends and family. Joy multiplies when it's shared.
6. Seek beauty: Take time to appreciate the beauty around you, from nature, to art, to acts of kindness.
Remember that joy is not dependent on perfect circumstances. It's a choice we can make each day, rooted in our faith and trust in God's love for us.
As you make your grand entrance into this new year, remember that you are deeply loved by a God who delights in you. As you navigate the different areas of your life - parenting, working, growing, and loving – look for the good things. The good is there, waiting to be noticed and celebrated.
May this be a year filled with unexpected joys, happy surprises, and a deepening awareness of God's presence in every area of your life. Here's to a joyful and blessed new year!