Making a Bold Statement for 2021

Around every New Year, it has been a tradition in the Ramsden family for each member to put some thought about what he or she wants to accomplish in the next year. Most people call that a “New Year’s Resolution,” but it’s a little simpler than that. … sort of.

We Ramsdens do it a little differently. We have our “Bold Statements.” It’s a phrase or quip that defines our goals for the next year. From the outside, it’s a simple marketing message or slogan. It’s usually cheesy or cliché. But there is personal meaning behind it for each family member, which makes it unique for him or her.

As many of us can attest, 2020 was not the best of years. We don’t need to dive deep into why. All I can say is that I have had many personal struggles that has made me rethink some aspects of my life. But it’s time to move on and make 2021 the year of the comeback.

In order to do that, I will need to do three things:

“Reflect. Reset. Renew.”

Behold — my “Bold Statement” for 2021.

These three steps are actions I need to take to improve myself, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. I know I have a long way to go. However, I think just writing this post is a good start.

Reflect

I could take the easy way out and blame my problems on 2020. But that really isn’t true.

I know I could have done a lot of things better. I could have learned to balance my work/home life better. I could have consistently exercised more. I could have forged better relationships personally and professionally. As a result, I became a little angrier, depressed, and complaisant.

To become stronger, I need to take on adversity headfirst. I need to pick myself up and move forward. It’s going to be difficult. However, I do think it’s like a pushing a bolder. The hardest part is to get it moving. Once it’s rolling, life becomes a little easier. However, I still will need to keep pushing or it will stop.

It’s important to not just learn from mistakes, but admit they were made in the first place. Once that’s determined, it will be time to Reset.

Reset

This is my opportunity to change my mindset. It’s the step of setting the goals and forgiving myself. I’m naturally hard on myself, and that can pull me down. It’s time to put the past behind me, and move forward.

In 2021, I am going to find happiness in little things and set reachable goals that ultimately will get me to a better place. I don’t know what that will look like until I get there. All I do know is it’s going to take time, and I should try to have fun while on the journey. In addition, I need to reset my priorities. I need to rediscover the things I love personally and professionally.

Renew

Once I truly define those goals, it will be time to renew my life.

Professionally, I thrive when I’m creative, designing, and finding solutions to problems. I also want to learn and grow as a professional and develop new skills and traits that will help me in my career. At the end of the year, I hope I can deliver innovative and successful results while working in a positive, nurturing culture that values teamwork and collaboration.

Personally, I want to improve my relationships with my family and friends. I need to let them know I love them though my actions. I want to be a better husband, father, son, brother, and friend. It’s important to become empathic and listen more. I need to let them know how much I appreciate the joy they bring to my life. Perhaps I didn’t do that as much in the past.

I also need to find new outlets. I already have started to find new hobbies that bridge my personal and professional life. If I can find new passions, open myself to new ideas, and follow through on these goals, I truly believe it will fall into place. It won’t be perfect, and I can guarantee that there will be struggles along the way, but I hope to keep pushing that bolder though the next 12 months.

I should probably revisit this post monthly to see if I’m making any progress. This could be my most challenging year of my life. I am going to veer off this current path and use “Reflect, Reset, Renew” as fuel to venture on a new course.

Oliver Wendell Holmes said, "The great thing in the world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving."

Let’s get started!