At the start of a new year, it’s not uncommon to come up with a list of things you intend to change or do differently. When you’re given a clean slate, it triggers a reflective pause: What do I want my life to look like at the end of this year? What do I need to keep doing? What do I need to stop doing?
For most of us, this annual exercise gives us a chance to figure out what stays and what goes, what’s working for us and what’s not. But not every resolution has a happy ending. Within a few weeks — sometimes a few days — our energy and excitement wane, and we’re confronted with an unpleasant truth: It’s a lot easier to write down a goal than it is to make it happen.
Maybe you’ve already experienced this and pushed through it — you found the strength to carry on. If so, keep going! Or, perhaps this describes you: Your New Year’s resolutions have seen better days, and you’re settling back into some of the same old habits you wanted desperately to break. If so, welcome to the club.
Resolutions are a mixed bag. You win some, and you lose some. But building habits and systems that make the resolutions more likely to happen is always a worthwhile endeavor. Change comes incrementally, and there really are no shortcuts. You’ve got to show up and put in the work. And that’s easier said than done.
I’m learning this lesson every day at Neighborhood House.
Reaching our goals requires patience. And let’s face it: Waiting can be difficult. But in terms of what it teaches us, the process is invaluable. The reality is, most “overnight success” stories took years, sometimes decades, to write. Someone had to show up and put in the work.
Last year, when it became clear that we would need more financial resources to prevent homelessness, we asked you to give. Very quickly, those gifts became a lifeline to those in need, sustaining our homelessness prevention efforts in Wilmington and Middletown.
We established the Homelessness Prevention Fund to fuel interventions that mitigate housing instability, leaving families less vulnerable to eviction. And while we’re still raising $50,000 to fund this important work, I do have some good news to share: $5,869 has already come in!
We can’t offer a full continuum of care that wraps around children and families without a community of friends and partners who stand with us. So when I see a number like $5,869, I am filled with gratitude, because I know that behind every dollar given is a person or organization who believes in what we do.
Do you know what makes goals more achievable? Having someone come alongside us in the achievement of those goals. Success hinges on partnership.
So, as 2023 unfolds, let’s rally around each other — lift each other up — never forgetting that we are so much stronger together.
- Alison