HAPPY New Year

Today is January 1, 2025 and I want to wish you a HAPPY New Year! I bet you cannot count the number of times you will hear that today, and this month. We all say it, but what does it really mean? If you are struggling with ANYTHING right now, how can you have a HAPPY New Year? I am glad you asked, as I too am struggling with something right now. I am also glad you asked because I have an answer for you! I am going to tell you HOW you can have a HAPPY New Year.

HAPPY is spelled H-A-P-P-Y and I am going to break down this word so you can know what it means and how you can use it to truly have a HAPPY New Year.

“H” stands for Help! Help someone! It does not need to be a grand gesture. It can be quite simple. Help someone cross the street. Help someone reach something on a high shelf. Help a homeless person with a dollar, a snack, or a hot meal on a cold day, or a cool drink on a hot day. Help someone pronounce a word when they are struggling. (This happens a lot when reading the bible.) Help someone put o their shoes or get dressed. There are a LOT of ways to help someone in a senior community. Help a baby in need. You can hold them, feed them, dress them, bathe them, talk to them, help them walk, play with them, and change their diaper. Help someone feel comfort with a hug when you see them crying or upset. There are TOO many ways to help someone for me to tell them all. Whenever you can do MORE to help someone do it! If the opportunity presents itself, and you have the means to help, I want to encourage you to do it. For example, instead of giving someone in need a dollar or some spare change, give them TWO dollars or more, Don’t wait for someone to ask for help if you see them in need. Extend a helping hand when you SEE the need. On the flip side of this letter, ASK for help! We all need help sometimes, so ask for it when you need it. You can even ask for help when you don’t need it, but you see someone wanting to help. Allowing them to help you will be a way that you are helping them at the same time. Don’t be too afraid or prideful to ask for help. Remember, the H in HAPPY stands for Help.

“A” stands for Action. Take action to complete your goals and aspirations. Take action at work to climb the ladder of success. If you have a dream, take action to make your dream come true. If you want to be your own boss, take action to become an entrepreneur. If you are struggling in a skill, take action to improve your skills. If you are on a team and you need to complete a task together, take action for the team to be successful. I had an opportunity to do just that recently when I had to complete a class project with a team of four other people. I took the lead and mapped out a plan for the team to complete each step of the project on time and with excellence. I took action! You might say I only did that to get a good grade, but you would not be totally correct. You see, my grade was dependent on my own work, not what my teammates were doing. Leading them to success actually affected THEIR grades as much as mine. So, by taking action to make sure the word was done was a way to help them get a good grade. I was going to get my good grade regardless. That’s just how I roll! Taking action to push my teammates was a way for ALL of us to be successful. I am not bragging. I am just trying to help you see that taking action to help yourself can be a way to help someone else at the same time. Remember, the A in HAPPY stands for Action, and the H stands for Help.

The first “P” stands for Purpose. Do you know your purpose in life? Do you know your purpose at work? Do you know your purpose at school? Do you know your purpose in your daily activities? If you do not know your purpose already, then FIND your purpose. We were ALL created for a purpose. At work, we are hired for a purpose. At school we should have a purpose for being there. Every day activities should be completed with a purpose. When you know your purpose, you know WHY you exist. When you know your purpose, you know WHY you are in the place that you are in. When you know your purpose, you know WHY you are doing the things that you are doing. You should never go through life every day without knowing your purpose, without knowing your why. I can tell you why I am writing this message, and perhaps why you are reading it. I cam tell you why I am speaking this message and perhaps why you are listening to it. The Purpose for this message is to take Action to Help someone have a HAPPY New Year. Do you see what I did there? Remember that the first P stands for Purpose, then A stands for Action, and the H stands for Help.

The second “P” stands for Presence. Not presents as gifts, but Presence as in being there. This letter is also two-fold. First, your presence should be felt any time you are with someone. Whoever you are with should feel like you are present. They should feel that you are there with them mentally, not just physically. We may zone out sometimes, or in extreme cases, we may “check” out sometimes when we have too many things on our mind. That is not good when you are with someone, or when you are alone. When we have too much on our mind, we cannot find peace in the moment. Peace is a precious commodity that I strive to have every day. Not just any peace, but the peace that God gives me, and the world cannot take away. Not just any peace, but peace that passes all understanding. I’m talking about the kind of peace I felt after my sone passed away. People could not understand why I had stopped crying and was praising God. It was because of the peace that God gave me when I prayed and asked him for it. You cannot have that kind of peace when you are carrying a heavy load. God says cast your cares on Him, meaning you should not worry about so many things at once to the point where you cannot be present in the moment. Let go and let God! He can handle the worry so you can find peace. When you have peace, it is easy to be present. The second part of this P is letting your presence be known. Perhaps you prefer being in the back of a full room, or you don’t want to speak up in meetings. Perhaps you prefer to keep quite when others are sharing their opinions, even though you have an opinion of your own. Don’t be shy. Don’t let them take your voice away. Let them SEE you! Let them HEAR you! Let you Presence be known! You have value! Do not allow someone to make you feel less than who you are! You were created in the image of the true and living God. Now, this is not permission for you to be arrogant. Be humble, and seen at the same time. For example, if you are at school, raise your hand if you have the answer, instead of blurting it out and appearing as a know-it-all. Of course, if the teacher says blurt it out, then let your voice be heard! If you are in a brainstorming meeting at work, you can blurt it out then as well. If a meeting facilitator asks for feedback, and no one else is speaking, if you have something to say, then say it! Don’t keep quiet when you have something to say. Again, do not be arrogant and speak over other people. Be humble and heard at the same time. If someone asks for ideas and you have one, let your presence be known. Speak up! In that moment, you have a purpose to provide input, so take action and help the process. Look at that! I did it again! Remember that the second P stands for Presence, the first P stands for Purpose, the A stands for Action, and the H stands for Help.

Last, but certainly not least, we have Y, which stands for You. Do not forget about yourself. In case you have not heard this before, you cannot help others if you forget to help yourself. This message is given every time a plane is boarded with people. The flight attendant tells everyone traveling with a child, “In the event of an emergency, put on their air mask first, so they can properly help the child.” If your health is failing because you did not take care of yourself, how will you be able to help someone else? I had to learn this when I was always trying to help everyone I could, without taking time to care for myself. It is not selfish to pamper yourself sometimes. The key word here is “sometimes.” If you focus on yourself ALL the time, then that IS selfish. However, if you focus on being in service for others, and on occasion, you take some time for yourself, that is a way to ensure you can CONTINUE to be in service for others. I used to volunteer my help every time I was asked, and I would go, and go. and go until I was rundown and not able to continue. As a result, I was not able to help anyone, not even myself. You do not want to get to that point. You do not have to take on everything until you cannot function. On the one hand, that could lead to illness for yourself, and it could also take away opportunities for others to be in service and helpful. Allow others to do the work sometimes. You take away their blessings when you try to do it all yourself, and you take away your own blessings when you do too much. Remember that the Y in Happy stands for You, the second P stands for Presence, the first P stands for Purpose, the A stands for Action, and the H stands for Help.

That’s it! For you to have a HAPPY New Year, you need to Help someone, or ask for Help, take Action, find your purpose, be present in the moment and let your presence be known, and remember to take care of You so you can continue to take care of others.

HAPPY New Year!