Blessings and peace upon you in 2025! As we step into a new year, there is an undeniable buzz in the air—the promise of fresh starts, renewed goals, and the excitement of becoming the “new you.” It seems that everywhere you look, there’s talk of resolutions and self-improvement which can create a pressure to immediately transform. We may receive these messages from friends and family, social media, or simply our own thoughts and expectations. But, today, let’s take a deep breath together and slow down. Growth, change, the formation of lasting habits and becoming who God is calling us to be doesn’t happen overnight.
For some of you, this excitement and buzz is motivating and empowering! Or maybe you are overwhelmed with thoughts like, “where do I start? What do I focus on? I need to do it all, right now!” No matter where you find yourself, remember this: lasting change; true flourishing and thriving come when we focus on intentional, steady progress with Christ along for every moment. You don’t need to be perfect or expect an immediate transformation.
So, what do we focus on? How do we figure out what we should focus on?
Here is what we recommend!
Increase Self-Awareness
Perhaps this is a bit odd? Yet, all that we do, every change that we make must begin with awareness. Where are we right now? How do we view our life, habits and desires today? Do we have an understanding of where we want to be and, more importantly, where the Lord wants us to be? What is really holding us back from making the leap to that life?
Once we take intentional time in reflection and prayer, to think about our tendencies, our wounds, our desires and our limitations, we can begin to see how deeply interconnected all areas of our life really are; how the Lord created us so beautifully and intricately.
This awareness is a jumping off point, a launchpad, for growth, change, healing, and flourishing! When we put in the work to identify our desires and shortcomings with the Lord, the clearer the picture becomes on what to focus on. Our confidence to actually take a step forward will also increase! To help you increase your self-awareness, check out this tool [link to PDF?] we use for our members in Wellness Coaching!
Get Curious
Curiosity is key to growing in self-awareness. On our journey toward flourishing and holiness we cannot bypass gathering information on what motivates our behaviors. This information will help us to know what we love/don’t love about our current life. With a posture of curiosity, we leave very little room for condemnation. When we condemn ourselves with the “shoulds” or limiting thoughts about why we do/don’t do things, we are less inclined to follow through with change and stifle our own flourishing.
So, give yourself permission to be curious! When you notice tendencies, patterns, responses, etc. start using the phrase, “oh, that’s interesting! Why am I responding that way?” Invite the Lord to show you what you need to learn or know about that particular area of your life.
Choose one, small thing
The more that we grow in self-awareness and get curious, we can begin to take a step. What feels the heaviest? In what area of your life do you feel the Lord is asking you to pay attention to? Start there.
“Each small task of everyday is part of the total harmony of the universe.”
(attributed to) St. Therese of Lisieux
Example: You desire to have a morning routine that you love and don’t feel rushed, including time for prayer, breakfast, etc. You’ve become aware of your current mornings, tendencies, patterns, etc and realize that you need more time in the morning, so perhaps the first step is to get up earlier? But, with even more curiosity, you realize that you hit the snooze button multiple times before getting out of bed. What if the first step to try is getting up right when the alarm goes off; do not hit snooze.
Commit for a week, reassess and get curious. Is it working? Do you still feel rushed? And make some adjustments from there: maybe it is getting up a few minutes earlier or reevaluating the things you desire to do as part of your routine. If it’s going well, keep going for another week.
It’s in these small steps and changes of routines, rituals and habits that will, overtime, help us on our journey of flourishing and ultimately to Heaven.
If you are looking for more support about the right next step for you, sign up for a FREE Wellness Coaching session.
If you desire a deeper relationship with Christ this year, consider signing up for a FREE Spiritual Direction session, as well.
For current CURO members, log into the portal here to schedule.
No matter where you find yourself at the beginning of this year, know that you are not alone. We are praying for you! You’ve got this!
Note: Some content in this article and our member tool was originally created for Little Way Living, with permission has been adapted for CMF CURO.
