“Our goals can only be reached through the vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.”
–Pablo Picasso, Spanish artist

The other day, a friend admitted he didn’t make it to the fitness center that morning. “Really?” I said. He responded, “Yep . . . and that makes four hundred twenty-three days in a row!”

It’a a new year, and with it come newly-crafted resolutions. Maybe yours is to go to the gym, or get some other type of exercise regularly. That’s a popular one. Commercial fitness centers enjoy an upswing in enrollment every January–not visits, mind you; just memberships!

We’re almost one week into the new year, and many of us have probably already “dropped the ball” on our resolutions faster than it dropped in Times Square last week!

What is it about a turn of the calendar year that garners so much attention? Realistically, were we marooned on an island with no access to media or other sources of information, going from December 31 to January 1 would be no different than any other day–just another rotation of the Earth.

There’s something psychological about the new year. A turning of the page, so to speak. We all get a mulligan on things we meant to do last year. So, we try again, but we also make new plans, set new goals, and start new endeavors. Of course, there’s the old saying: “We make plans, and God laughs.”

For some of us, the new year holds the promise of fulfilling one of life’s stages: graduation, the beginning of a career, marriage, starting a family, retirement. Any of those landmark events would warrant bated-breath anticipation.

Or, maybe some of us are putting unpleasant events behind us: a disappointing friendship, health challenges, sorrow, a broken personal relationship, loss, financial hardship. The new year doesn’t change what’s happened previously, but it gives us hope for better circumstances in this new season of life.

We also need to remember the unmerited blessings we experienced in 2025 through God’s grace, and not let the memories of disappointments overshadow all the good that we enjoyed.

Probably all of us do have an idea of things we want to accomplish this year. Such things don’t have to be, and likely won’t be, grand. As Mother Teresa once said, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” That’s a notion worth remembering.

So, as we enter 2026, let’s set goals, be they large or small, and do our best to accomplish them. Perfectly? Probably not. And that’s okay. There’s an old admonition: “Don’t let the ‘perfect’ be the enemy of the ‘good.'” We’ll do our best, and count our blessings as we go. What more could we hope to look forward to?

Best wishes for a peaceful and healthy 2026!