I suspect I’m not the only one who surveys a new year with both excitement and anxiety. While new beginnings can certainly motivate and inspire, more often than not – at least in my experience – the running start can be a bit frantic, and it quickly loses steam…
So this year I’ve decided, in lieu of overly ambitious projects or massive life goals, to set myself three small challenges: little, daily things that will help me to grow in mind, body, and soul. Let’s call them baby steps on the Benedictine way. And if you’re so inclined, I’d invite you to join me with your own versions of these mini challenges.
Challenge #1: Start carrying a (friendly, paperback) book around.
While I’m waiting for coffee or eating lunch, I can take a few minutes to read – maybe even set aside twenty minutes or half an hour for reading before bed. Rather than set a numerical goal, I’ll cultivate the habit of reading at least a little every day. The pressure doesn’t need to be great. I can fill the well a bit at a time, and as I do, I’ll send a quick glance upward, reminding myself that contemplation and the life of the mind can open up new conversations with Him.
Challenge #2: Stand up and stretch for 30 seconds every hour during the workday.
This may sound silly, but as someone who spends far too much time sitting at a desk, in a car, or on a couch, it’s a start. If you’re further along in cultivating your body – your temple of the Holy Spirit – you might spring for a daily walk or maybe an extra fruit or vegetable at lunch.
Challenge #3: Offer my day to God as I’m getting out of bed in the morning.
This may sound like the smallest thing of all, but if it helps to form a habit of turning my mind to God before doing anything else, it can actually change everything.
The monks of Belmont Abbey orient their days by rhythms of ora et labora, prayer and work. As someone outside of a monastery, it may not be possible to pray the Divine Office every few hours, but I can orient my day toward its source from the very beginning, remembering that the day itself – all I do, say, or make – and all I am in mind, body, and soul – can be a prayer.
As you embrace the new year and consider its many possibilities, remember to give yourself a little grace. It’s good to have goals, but you’re already loved more than you can fathom. Just respond to that love and continue to grow, each day, in your personal vocation.
