My friend Emily sent a text announcing that her 2025 will officially begin on February 1st. (I received this message on January 21st.)

I replied, “We all have to start somewhere.”

If your 2025 has started a little rocky, you are not alone.

Since January 1st, we’ve lost four buildings, a couple thousand turkeys, and some cattle on our farm to Mother Nature and her nasty ice and snow fits.

The building Hubby and our crew retrofitted after one of the turkey barns collapsed completely froze up and enough portable heaters had to be procured to warm the poor, traumatized birds inside. It’s not easy to find heaters in the middle of an Arctic depression.

My family planned to celebrate my grandmother’s 97th birthday this past weekend at her nursing home. A COVID outbreak occurred 48 hours before the party and the celebration had to be canceled. (Please pray for the nursing home staff and residents.)

My daughter’s cell phone was lost in the one fun thing she did last week (sledding) before Snowmagedon, and we have not relocated it.

AND I’ve been suffering from a nasty cold that has my brain, ears, and nose all clogged up. (Yuck!)

Do-overs aren’t really an option. We can’t turn back time, but we can create a reset for ourselves. Here are three things I’ve decided to focus on in an attempt to celebrate our newly established New Year:

#1. It’s important to acknowledge we are not alone.
#2. Sometimes we have to take the trash out before we can see the clean start before us.
#3. We all have to start somewhere.

Here’s the good news. The first three weeks are behind us and there are 49 glorious 7-day series ahead ready for us to find success. Finding the right place to start is imperative because we all have to start somewhere.

How do we decide what trash to take out? How do we reclaim that fresh start?

Emily found her reset by talking about her frustrations and giving herself the grace to get the ball rolling in a few days.

My cleanout started by getting my sagging butt to the gym. Surrounding myself with people who are positive and dedicated to self-care was a productive, butt-kicking way to brush some dust off.

I also gave my house a once over. Because it’s so stinking cold outside, we’ve all been hunkering down at night and my house is showing the residue of its residents.

I did a deep sweep and mop of the hardwood floors and vacuumed all of the carpets, while the bed linens were washing on Sunday (since I couldn’t go to my Grandma’s birthday party 🙄). It felt really good to sit down and see my temporarily shiny floors and climb into the crisp, cozy linens at bedtime. Today, I plan to clean out and organize the cabinet where our measuring cups and random kitchen dishes are stored. (It’s going to be epic!)

To remove the emotional garbage, I’ve found solace in sending stupid memes to my friends and doing frequent check-ins with my family. Putting the depressed attitude in the dumpster has been so much healthier than stewing in sadness. I encourage you to sweep aside the stupid stuff that has tainted your new year with a good laugh or a hearty conversation with someone you love. (#1. It’s important to acknowledge we are not alone.)

To eliminate the depressing debris of negative thoughts, be like Elsa and LET IT GO. Don’t waste your time worrying about things you can’t change. Recycle your energy and put it to work manufacturing new purpose and a fresh start. (#2. Sometimes we have to take the trash out before we can see the clean start before us.)

Pick up your passion by creating a checklist and position yourself for a strong start. If you aren’t sure where to begin, list the issues plaguing you the most, and pick one to eliminate from your environment. Nothing says “Let’s clean house” like deciding on the first obstacle to obliterate. (#3. We all have to start somewhere.)

If you are wishing for a NEW New Year, I encourage you to put Intentergy into teaming up with some buddies. Clear out some negative, good-for-nothing predicaments and generate positive energy to find your fresh start. We all have to start somewhere and I’d like to kick things off by wishing you a Happy New New Year!

By: Melanie A. Peters

P.S. Send your funny memes. We all deserve a good laugh.