Happy New Year!
The start of the new year is a time to reflect on the previous year’s accomplishments and challenges and get inspired for the months ahead. And, of course, it’s a time to make those dreaded “resolutions” that sound great in January but may have fallen to the wayside by the time March roars in.
I like to make goals each new year, but I’ve learned over time that I have to make them specific and attainable in order to actually follow through with them. For example, a vague “go to the gym more” goal is less likely to stick than “work out for 30 minutes at least three times a week.”
Experts agree. MetroHealth’s Dr. Sarah Benuska told Ideastream Public Media’s Stephanie Czekalinski that we’re more likely to succeed by making small incremental, sustainable changes.
“There is that challenge of like, I'm going to make this big change and it's going to be so great and so awesome," Benuska said. "But then it's really hard to stick with and then you just end up feeling bad about not being able to stick with it.”
Last year, I slacked off when it came to my goals to have a better sleep routine and to walk at least three times a day. However, I’m extra proud of one goal I did achieve: writing one poem per month.
As a child, I spent countless hours writing poems and short stories and dreaming up novels. As I’ve gotten older and now write news stories for a living, I’ve fallen out of creative writing, even though it’s still one of my greatest passions.
To try to work my creative muscle, I decided to write at least one poem per month in 2023. Some of my poems were short — like my February poem, which was simply about not knowing what to write about — while others were several pages long and helped me deal with whatever was clouding my mind. This goal ended up being wonderful for my mental health, in addition to sharpening my vocabulary and writing skills.
I was further reminded of the power of words while listening to a "Today from the Ohio Newsroom" segment earlier this week. Kendall Crawford interviewed Ohio’s poet laureate, Kari Gunter Seymour, about the benefits of reading and how to read more this year. Seymour recommended subscribing to poetry newsletters to read a poem per day.
“In fact, that's my new resolution: I'm going to keep doing that every morning. I'm going to read one or two poems so that they can be with me all day long and I can think about them and kind of help them guide my day,” Seymour said.
I’d like to keep my poetry writing goal this year, and now I’m inspired to read more, too. "The Sound of Ideas" has a show full of recommendations that I’ll be sure to check out.
Still not convinced? Let me use my burgeoning poetry skills to try to inspire you:
If you’ve never made a reading or writing goal before
Why not give it a try in 2024?
Read one novel each month, or a poem each day
It can open your mind and help your stress go away!
If that sounds like too much, try a word puzzle or two
The New York Times app has quite a few.
Just one poem a day; it’s not hard to do
Pick a sonnet, a limerick or even a haiku.
Words can inspire you and help heal your soul
If you’ve made it to the end of this - congrats, you’ve met today’s goal!
I hope your goals and dreams for this New Year come true
But above all that, I hope it’s a happy and healthy year for you.
