Happy New Year!  If you are anything like me, you probably spent a good deal of time over the holidays reflecting on 2023.  You may have even created a photo montage on Instagram or another social media platform.  I know I typically spend New Year’s Day reading through my Gratitude Journal entries from the previous year to answer the questions: What am I most grateful for? What challenges did I overcome? What did I accomplish? What did I learn? Where do I want to go from here?

One of the many wonderful New Year’s traditions that I have learned is to select a “Star Word” for the year. Use this word to drive your goals and intentions for the year. Place the "Star Word" where you can see it regularly so it can inspire and motivate you. My word for 2024 is Wonder. What a great word, for it can mean curiosity or delight.  What might your word be for the year?

So, how do we guide our teens to create New Year’s Resolutions that will last more than a few weeks?  You might want to encourage them to think about Mind, Body, and Spirit.  What changes would they like to make in these 3 areas of their lives? Here are a few ideas:

Mind- Create an academic goal (I would like to maintain a B average in all of my classes). I would like to read at least one book a quarter for pleasure. I would like to learn a new hobby or skill.

Body- I would like to start a skin care routine at night.  I would like to exercise 30 minutes a day. I would like to eat a serving of vegetables or fruit at every meal. I would like to start playing a sport.

Spirit- I would like to reduce my screen time before bed.   I would like to break one crummy habit (biting my nails). I would like to eat at least 3 meals a week as a family. I would like to do one intentional act of kindness a week.

Whatever your teen decides, make sure that you create a SMART Goal for that resolution to ensure that you have measurable steps and a time frame that you can use to gauge your success.  (See Monthly Teen Tool)

Still feeling a little stuck?  Why not consider creating a Vision Board for the year.  In fact sign up for my Vision Board Workshop later this month. (See Upcoming Events for more details.)  If your are looking for more support creating goals and action steps for 2024, please reach out to me ginnymoylan@findingyourfirelf.com

Mother/Daughter

Vision Board Workshop

Sunday, January 21st, 2024

2:30-5:00pm

First Congregational Church of Woodstock

A Vision Board is a collage of images and words that represent a person's wishes or goals. January is a great time to set goals and create a vision for the new year. It is also a great time of year to hang out with your teen for the afternoon. Join me as we explore your interests, values, goals, and dreams. All materials and refreshments will be provided.

Note- 25% of the proceeds from this workshop will be directed towards the First Congregational Church Woodstock's new Ministry to address the epidemic of loneliness in our community.

Empowerment Group 2023-2024 Series

Strong Like a Girl Teen Empowerment Group. This year is all about building self confidence by stepping up and out through community involvement. We are looking for girls in grades 7-9. We will be meeting two Fridays a month from 3:30-5:00pm. Quarterly topics will include:

• Community Empowerment

• Social Empowerment

• Economic Empowerment

For session registration and more information visit www.NOWinMotion.org and click on the events tab.