Happy New Year!

For as long as I can remember I've heard it being said that New York City is "thee" place to be for New Year's... Big, neon city lights, life-size billboards, fireworks, parades and masses of people "gettin their party on". The way I see it is that across the globe everyone has their own NYC in their very own country. All around the world people are in a frenzy when it comes to this time of the year. So many celebrations are held to gladly welcome the new year or say good riddance to the one just passing, to embrace the new opportunities that lie ahead or to bury failures in the past. Whatever the case may be, the New Year  commemorates a new start for all of us. Whether we actually make this new start is entirely up to us but it is granted to us nevertheless.

As I surfed the net I came across this quotation:

Many people look forward to the new year for a new start on old habits.  ~Author Unknown

I found this to be so true. As it is said; "old habits die hard." Year after year we make new year's resolutions and we make promises to change. Unfortunately, even within the first week of the new year we find ourselves back to our old habits. What a frustration! At least it would be to me. I've never made a new year's resolution in my life but that's only because I'm one of those "take-it-as-it-comes" kind of gals. However, I have found something that can, and actually does work for everyone if applied. In the Bible, the book of Romans 12:2 it says: 

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." What will lead us to be truly changed is for our minds to be changed, completely transformed by becoming brand new.  We've heard it being said that "you can take the girl out of the country but you can't take the country out of the girl." This idea shows us that although the girl has been removed from the countryside, because her mind is fashioned as a country girl she thinks that way, and until her mind is renewed she may live in the city but she'll always be a country girl. I've found that new year's resolutions that are made, whatever they may be, are all connected to becoming a better person. But, until our minds are "better people", we won't become better people. As a man thinks in his heart, so he is. And, just as we are what we eat; we are what we think. If you think about it, everything that's "out there" targets our minds: movies, music, drugs, etc. All these things cause us to think in certain ways and even follow certain lifestyles. It makes perfect sense then that in order to be better people we should be transformed by the renewing of our minds. It's not easy, but it can be done. That being said, although my 2011 is already off to a gloomy start, I'm looking forward to what it has in store; the good and the bad. My mom always said "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger." So bring it on! I'll leave you with some words of wisdom:

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.  ~Benjamin Franklin

And in the words of Oprah Winfrey "Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right."

Until next time... So let it be written...