Anyone who’s ever tried to make a New Year’s resolution knows they are fairly impossible to keep. Sure, you start strong, but by day four (if you make it that long) it can feel like a terrible burden.

We don’t advocate resolutions, but the advent of a New Year is a great time to reflect and consider how you are doing with your goals.

Now before adding anything new (run a marathon, less screen time) let’s consider how you are doing on something that you might not often consider: do you walk your talk?

Each of us has a strong idea of who we want to be as a person and how we want to function in the world. We coach and counsel others with those filters in place, so it’s wise to periodically check on them. If you want to be seen as competent, do you hone and update your skills regularly? If you want to be seen as kind, do you put aside your own pride and put others’ needs first?

As we move into the new year, consider what values you hold most dear. What behaviors do you practically exhibit that walk those out? Are there any areas where you believe you have a tightly held value, but others would never know based on what you do?

Today is the perfect day to do something about those things. Take some time and consider how you want others to see you and how those will be made manifest.

D.L. Moody once said, “Character is who you are in the dark.”

As we move into the new year, ask yourself… Is who you are in the dark, someone you want people to see in the light?