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A New Year is a Fresh Start But Not a Clean Break
This morning, in the eastern sky, the sun emerged brilliant and glorious over the horizon. Meanwhile, in the western sky, a reluctant three-quarter moon still hung around, not satisfied to give up on its nighttime rule. This time of year, the sky is weird like that, in my part of the world, at least. The sun and moon occupy the same sky, one slowly receding with yesterday, the other bursting with the energy of a new day.
With the new year still new and, hopefully, untarnished, the January Texas sky illustrates a truth about the old year and the new, and here it is: the old year is not entirely gone just because a new year is upon us. Whenever we have a rough year, as many in the claims industry did due to the scarcity of significant storms and the absence of a hurricane, we say “good riddance” to the old year and welcome the new with renewed hope.
The old year is not entirely gone just because a new year is upon us.
This is how time works. As much as it is a thief, always fleeing with our youth, and a troublemaker, steadily pushing us to old age and, ultimately, the grave, it is also a blessing. Marking time means we get fresh starts on the regular. Every 24 hours, we get a brand new, unsullied day to make better decisions and do bigger things. Every thirty days, or thereabouts, we get a new month—and another new beginning. Every 365 days, just one week after Christmas day, we get to unwrap one last present—the new year!
Let’s hear it for fresh starts!
Be aware, however, that last year may yet linger with its blessings or bruises, its joys or sorrows, its benefits or consequences.
William Faulkner captured the essence of the truth I am trying to share:
“The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” —William Faulkner from Requiem for a Nun
While we welcome fresh starts, we never fully escape our past. We cannot live in the past, but we must learn from its lessons, draw from its strengths, and reconcile its troubles. Every new year, or day, or month, has the residue of the previous.
While we welcome fresh starts, we never fully escape our past.
—The JourneyMan
So, how do I make the most of this annual opportunity for a new beginning?
I have a few ideas.
Reconcile the books of the previous year.
If you owe someone an apology, make it—sincerely and without resentment.
If someone wronged you, forgive them, whether they want it or like it or not. Bitterness is a cancer that will eat at you and steal the joy of a new beginning.
Open the book on a new year.
Make a quantifiable plan for your resolution and stick tenaciously to it. Use benchmarks to chart your progress. “I want to be a better person” is not specific enough. “I want to save more money” is not going to work. Be specific. Set attainable stretch goals and go for it.
Give yourself grace but not excuses. You will fail. You will stumble. You will fall. Not every plan will work out. Not every hope will be realized. Be honest with yourself but not excessively hard on yourself. Allow for circumstances but do not be satisfied with living “under the circumstances.”
Learn more about the things you know. As a boy, I heard a few preachers brag that they “hadn’t changed in x years.” Even then I thought that was a shame. Don’t be satisfied with seeing continuing education as a brutal necessity to keep a license. Every conversation, every class, every encounter, everything is a learning opportunity for the real student. As president of a learning institution— Adjust U —I can tell you, I would rather have a lifetime learner teaching our classes than an “expert.” Know-it-alls don’t know it all. There is always more to learn. Attend a conference, like this one. Sit in on a lecture. Have coffee with someone smarter, better equipped, or more informed than you.
Learn something new every day. Keep your mind nimble and sharp. Learn a new word or fact. Read a book or article on a subject you know little about. Don’t let all of the knowledge rest with Google or ChatGPT.
Choose your connections wisely, but don’t fall into the trap of only considering what they can do for you. What can you pour into them? How can you enrich their lives? In the end, the impact we have on people is the sum total of our legacy. Nice things are nice, but things are just things. When you focus on people, you will never know the extent of your influence, but it will be greater than you think.
These are some of my ideas and ones I plan to implement and adhere to in 2026.
How about you? What would you add to these? Be part of the conversation in the comment section. Drop some wisdom on us. And thank you!
