The Year Ahead: Change, Growth and New Beginnings
By Robert L. Thomas Jr.
We’ve made it through 2024, which was another busy and challenging year.
With the new year comes the time for change, growth and new beginnings. We all set goals in January for self-care and improvement, but if you ask a lot of people, those tend to fizzle out by March or April.
Some of us will be looking to grow our knowledge in our current profession or work out more. Maybe others will be looking to expand upon their spiritual sense and get closer with the Creator.
As a Christian, I’m not trying to impose any will upon others, but if you’re a believer, it’s my personal opinion that you can never go wrong with growing your knowledge of Scripture and spiritual understanding.
If you’re not a believer, I respect your choice and hope there’s spiritual growth for you; perhaps it’s in a different realm. As long as we’re still breathing, it’s never too late for a learning experience.
While writing, I couldn’t help but sit back and just think about all the transformation that’s happening and the new beginnings we’re
in store for.
It’s the start of 2025, and the country is preparing to certify the 47th president of the United States and other congressional representatives. The administration has changed, which means there will certainly be shifts in Washington, D.C.
Political and spiritual leader Mahatma Gandhi once said, “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him … We need not wait to see what others do.” This reminds me of Paralyzed Veterans of America’s (PVA) forefathers in 1946, who didn’t like how the veterans with spinal cord injuries and diseases were taken care of, so they worked to change that.
January 2025 begins PVA’s 79th year of hard work and vigilance. I’m proud to be working alongside our members and staff, and my hope is we continue to move forward throughout the year to push on expanding our programs and services so that we continue to help our members and the disabled community. PVA has come a long way, but there’s still so much for us to do. We must continue to be vigilant for our fellow brothers and sisters, to push for new beginnings.
Each and every one of us has been through growing pains and changes that have pushed us forward into new chapters of our lives. It’s how we dealt with it that made that experience positive or not.
Think about how you want 2025 to be, what you want to accomplish and strive to make it happen. Goals are meant to be accomplished. They have to be realistic, and you have to persevere to make them come to fruition.
Take 2025 and make it one to remember as a year of amazing growth and opportunity.
