Yes, now I am ready. I have spent the month of January preparing for the New Year. I have my resolution in place and my plan to hopefully be successful. MY resolution for this year is summed in a word: worth. I’m a very orderly person, so much so, that I tend to overdo it. I like things tidy; everything should be organized and have a place. I have found, however that in my pursuit of order, the things that I actually want to spend my time on, I never get to.

To help me on my quest for an orderly balance to my life I am going to be cultivating (hopefully) three of the seven virtues. We are given virtues for our own personal well-being and the well-being of others. The first (and I think the most important one) is humility. Humility is an often-misunderstood virtue. To be humble does not mean that you are weak or submissive, it doesn’t mean that you let people walk over you. To have humility means that you acknowledge and are in awe of yourself worth and the worth of others. You acknowledge that humans are granted this worth, not through any accomplishments of their own, but rather by merely being. We were created to be marvelous creatures, all of us. Of course, this worth comes with responsibility and part of being humble is to acknowledge that as well. Once you realize this you are ready to work on the other virtues.

The second virtue I will be working on this year is diligence. Diligence is the opposite of sloth (laziness). This is not about being busy. This is not about always doing chores. Anyone can be busy and accomplish very little, or very little that is actually productive. Diligence involves using your talents to serve the greater good. It’s about putting forth effort and being steadfast in the pursuit of worthy goals. Diligence is staying true to yourself, your beliefs no matter the circumstances or problems. It’s about staying the course.

And the third virtue will be patience. Patience counteracts wrath (anger). I always considered myself a patient person. I have come to realize that patience isn’t about putting up with things or reprioritizing things or letting other people have their way while bearing up. Patience involves facing challenges, hard ships, suffering and waiting on answers to prayers, with calm endurance. All the while doing so without anger or resentment. It is a way to see the positive, the hopefulness and the beauty in people and events that may otherwise break you. It is a way to love those that are difficult to love while maintaining your dignity and self-worth.

This year I choose worth, my worth and the worth of others. The worth of beauty and art and nature. The worth of this world no matter how crazy or flawed it is.

Let me know what you are choosing to do with this New Year.