Ending 2022 well depends on your attitude toward the future.
Merry Christmas and Happy 2023. Every year, I get to December 26 and lament the ending of Christmas again. Perhaps I lament because I worked too hard and didn’t fit all the fun things I wanted to do during the holidays. My heart still cries Christmastime – especially because we won’t celebrate as a family until this coming weekend. That happens when you have children who don’t live nearby. But the world moves on – I think much too quickly. Did Christmas end simply because the calendar shows it in the past?
Consider that first Christmas. A newborn (although I acknowledge it didn’t truly happen on December 25) arrived. For Mary and Joseph, the birth of Jesus marked a beginning. Far from over, they embraced the tasks of new parents, learning, fearing, losing sleep. The birth didn’t mark the ending. It brought on vast beginnings for the young family. Yet we race past the day and return to work as if nothing happened. Some people sigh and proclaim, “I’m glad it’s over.” What a sad sentiment.
Endings Mean Fresh Beginnings
Mary and Joseph experienced an end to her pregnancy and a beginning of parenthood. Throughout life, in the same way, we experience ending one thing and beginning another. As writers, I suspect that rings truer than with many. We write the ending to a book, article, blog, etc. and immediately begin the next project. Like babies, the birth of a book brings a sense of ending, yet we enter the phase of marketing that book baby. Wisdom says we market before the birth, much like expectant parents wash newborn clothes, assemble cribs and other equipment, baby-proof the home, etc. The ending only announces a new beginning.
Ending 2022 Well
Ending 2022 doesn’t necessarily mean I just finished another book or any writing project. Although the year ends and 2023 commences, am I facing a new beginning? In a way, yes. If we end this year well, perhaps we should take a few moments this week to purposely end 2022 well. That means, take a look at what I accomplished. What did I do well in my writing world? What would help me do better in 2023? Finally, what do I want to accomplish with writing next year?
I don’t have to spend days, weeks, months coming up with a plan – although maybe I should. Maybe like the expectant parents, I should have already done work on this thing of looking forward. If you didn’t, you still have time. Think about these things and work toward ending well this year and transitioning to an even better new year.
No matter where you achieved success or failed in 2022, next week you can look back at the year, but you can’t change anything about it. Dwell on the successes and how to improve. Then next year, maybe your will have a stronger ending to 2023.
Happy New Year, everyone. God bless your writing in 2023.
For information on 2023 events and groups, visit our events calendar.