Laura:
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3, 2, 1.
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Happy New Year Explorers.
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Welcome to a brand New Year of
Adventure here on Faithfully Explore!
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I'm your host, Laura.
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Before we jump in, let's
pause for just a second.
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Take a slow breath in and out.
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Every year gives us a
quiet moment like this.
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A chance to look back at what we learned
and imagine who we want to become next.
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Some people call these hopes resolutions,
others call them intentions, focus
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words, or promises to themselves.
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Today on Faithfully Explore, we're
unpacking all of them together.
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Faithfully Explore! Intro:
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Faithfully Explore!
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is the name.
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Learning together is our aim.
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Beliefs around the globe we'll track,
filling up our Belief Backpack.
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Laura: A New Year's resolution is
like a special promise you make to
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yourself at the start of the year.
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It's something you want to
do better or try harder at.
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Think of it as setting a goal for yourself
or making a plan to grow in the next year.
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We make resolutions because a new
year feels like a fresh start.
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Kind of like opening a brand
new book with blank pages.
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Just waiting for your
next story to be written.
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A resolution could be big or small from
learning to play a new instrument to
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simply being kinder to your siblings.
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It's your promise to yourself.
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Sometimes instead of a resolution,
people choose a focus word
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or intention for the year.
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This is like picking one
special word or phrase that
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you want to remember every day.
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For example, someone might choose
the word brave to remind themselves
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to try new things, or kind to
remind them to help others.
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Some folks even call it a one word
mantra or a power word for the year.
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Even famous people do this, a
well-known TV host, Oprah Winfrey said
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her word for 2026 is transformation,
which means big positive change.
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My word for 2026 is breathe
reminding myself to take a moment
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to take a breath and relax.
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Picking a focus word can be a
simple way to guide us, almost like
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a friendly compass pointing us in
a good direction all year long.
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Whether it's a resolution or a
one word intention, both are ways
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to start the year with purpose.
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Now, have you thought of any
resolutions or words for yourself yet?
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If you have, keep it in mind
and we'll use it a bit later.
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Did you know New Year's resolutions
have been around for thousands of years.
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That's right, this idea is older than
your great, great, great grandparents.
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Let's travel back in time in our
imagination to see where it all began.
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First stop, ancient Babylon.
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About 4,000 years ago, the Babylonians
lived where modern day Iraq is.
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They celebrated New Year's,
not in January, but in March
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when Spring brought new crops.
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During a 12 day festival called
Akitu they'd crown a new king
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or cheer for their current king.
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And here's the important part.
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They made promises to their gods.
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These promises were things like,
I will pay back all my debts, or I
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will return the shovel I borrowed.
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If they kept their resolutions,
they believed the gods would
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reward them with a good year.
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If not, uh oh, the gods might be unhappy.
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That sounds a bit like how we hope for
good things when we keep our promises.
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The ancient Babylonians may have made the
very first New Year's resolutions ever.
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Next.
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Let's fast forward to 46 BC in
ancient Rome and meet Julius Caesar,
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the Roman emperor, who decided the
calendar should start on January 1st.
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The month January is
actually named after Janus.
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A Roman God with two faces.
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One face looked back into the past, and
the other looked forward into the future.
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Janus was the God of beginnings.
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So Romans honored him at the new year.
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On New Year's Day, ancient
Romans would offer sacrifices to
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Janus and make promises of good
behavior for the year ahead.
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They might promise to be brave in
battle or to be kind to their neighbors.
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You can just imagine a Roman kid in a
toga saying, "I promise to keep my room,
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or rather my corner of the villa clean."
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Moving through time, many other people
kept the resolution habit alive.
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In the Middle Ages, for instance,
knights, yes, shining armor and
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all, had a tradition at years end.
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They would place their hands on a
peacock and take the "Peacock Vow".
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This vow was a resolution to
stay true to the chivalrous code.
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In other words, to remain
brave, courteous, and honest.
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Can you imagine Sir Lancelot
declaring "I vow to be a noble
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knight" with a big bird by his side?
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It might sound a bit funny
today, but that was their way of
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renewing their promises each year.
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New Year's isn't just
a thing in one country.
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Almost everyone everywhere.
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Marks the new year in some way.
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Though, not always on January 1st.
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We'll stick to January 1st traditions
for now and save Lunar New Years
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and others for another adventure.
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Right here in the United States,
making New Year's resolutions
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is a very common tradition.
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Lots of people sit down around
New Year's Eve or New Year's
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Day and write a list of goals.
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Some of the most popular resolutions
for Americans are things like
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eat healthier, exercise more,
save money, or learn a new skill.
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But keeping a resolution
all year long can be tricky.
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One survey found that one out of 10 people
actually achieved their New Year's goals.
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Not because people are lazy, but
because changing habits is hard.
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So if you make a resolution, don't feel
bad if you mess up sometimes the important
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thing is to keep trying little by little.
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Now, let's soar down to South America.
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Welcome to Brazil.
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In Brazil, many people spend
New Year's Eve at the beach.
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Lucky them, it's summer there in January.
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As the clock strikes midnight,
Brazilian tradition says to jump
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over seven ocean waves making a
wish or resolution with each jump.
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They often wear white clothing
while doing this as white
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represents purity and a fresh start.
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This seaside celebration
is also a tribute to
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the Afro-Brazilian Goddess of the Sea.
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People hope she'll bring them good
luck for keeping those promises.
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Can you imagine leaping over wave
after wave, shouting out wishes
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like, "I will make a new friend",
or "I will do well in school."
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It's so playful and full of hope.
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Ciao.
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That's Hello In Italian.
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In Italy new Year's resolutions
are called Know buoni propositi,
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which means good intentions.
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Italians make resolutions similar to
Americans, maybe quitting bad habits
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or starting good ones, but they also
have some fun New Year's traditions.
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One interesting custom is that
some Italians wear red underwear
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on New Year's Eve for good luck.
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They also eat certain foods for luck,
lentils because they look like coins
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or pork to fatten up your luck, and
sometimes black eyed peas for fortune.
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So in Italy they start the year with
full tummies and hopeful hearts.
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Let's head over to Columbia and South
America where they do a tradition
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that actually started in Spain.
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In Columbia, people don't
exactly say resolutions.
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Instead, they talk about their deseos,
meaning wishes for the new year.
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As midnight strikes, it's a
tradition to quickly eat 12 grapes.
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One with each clock bell
chime at 12 o'clock.
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With each grape you make
a wish for the new year.
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12 grapes.
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12 wishes.
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It could be wishes, like good health,
fun adventures, or grandma gets better.
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It's a funny sight everyone trying
to gobble grapes super fast,
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giggling while making wishes.
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In Columbia, some also write their
wishes or goals on a piece of paper and
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carry it all year and then burn it on
December 31st to send off those wishes
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and start a new list for the new year.
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If you ever visit Columbia on
New Year's, don't be surprised
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by a few other traditions.
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If someone wants more travel in
their life, they might carry an
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empty suitcase around the block at
midnight pretending they're on a trip.
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Or if they want prosperity, they'll
have their pockets stuffed with
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lentils as the new year begins.
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Every culture finds unique
ways to hope for a great year.
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Those are just a few stops on our
world tour of New Year's celebrations.
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There are many more.
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For example, people in Greece bake
a coin into a cake for luck, and
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in Japan, bells ring 108 times
at midnight for a fresh start.
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But we'll save those for another time.
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Isn't it amazing how different, and
yet how similar these traditions are?
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Everywhere people want to welcome the new
year with hope, joy, and good intentions.
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Now that we've learned what resolutions
are and how people around the world
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celebrate, let's think about you.
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A new year.
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Hello 2026!
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Is a perfect time to grow
our hearts and minds.
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Here are a few awesome ideas for
some resolutions you might make.
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Learn about other beliefs and cultures.
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For example, you could promise to explore
one new religion or culture each month.
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Read a kid's book about it, or visit
a cultural festival or a different
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place of worship with your family.
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This way, you become more understanding
and respectful of people who
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believe different things than you.
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Make a new friend, especially
someone different from you.
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Maybe there's a classmate or
a neighbor you don't know.
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You could decide I will try
to befriend someone new or
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include someone who's alone.
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New friends can open your eyes to
new ideas and make life more fun.
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Explore your own family's
traditions and faith.
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Learn more about your heritage
or spiritual practice.
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Maybe ask your grandparents to tell
stories about how they grew up or how
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they celebrated holidays or learn how to
cook a traditional food with your parents.
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Understanding your own family's faith
and culture can be an adventure too.
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You might discover something
beautiful you didn't know before.
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Do any of these ideas
make you feel excited?
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A great tip is to just pick one
resolution so you don't get overwhelmed.
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You can even write down your resolution
or even a focus word and decorate it,
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then stick it on your wall or fridge.
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Seeing it every day will
remind you of your promise.
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And remember, a resolution
isn't about being perfect.
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It's about trying your best.
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If you miss a day or forget, it's okay.
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You just start again the next day.
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Each day is a new day to learn
or do something good, right?
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Let's take one moment to
seal in our resolutions.
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I want you to close
your eyes for a second.
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Think about one intention or focus word
you really want to carry out this year.
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Picture yourself doing that
thing or living that word.
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Maybe you see yourself befriending that
new kid in class or practicing that piano,
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or helping to cook a family recipe, or
simply saying kind words more often.
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Imagine it as if it's already real.
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Yes, that's you making it happen.
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Feels good, doesn't it?
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Now, on the count of three,
we're all going to say our
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intention out loud together.
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A short promise, starting with I will.
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Ready?
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1, 2, 3.
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I will take time to breathe.
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Fantastic.
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Saying it out loud is
like making it official.
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You've made a promise to yourself
and I believe you can keep it.
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Remember, every day is a new
chance to do what you set out
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to do, and if you stumble, just
dust yourself off and keep going.
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Even grownups struggle with their
resolutions, and that's okay.
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What matters is that we keep
trying and keep growing.
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What's inside our belief
backpack this week?
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All right, explorers it's just about
time to zip up our Belief Backpacks.
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Today we're packing the idea that a
new year is a fresh start for everyone,
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and our promises to ourself can help
us become kinder, braver, and wiser.
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What a powerful idea to carry with us.
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Thank you for joining me on
this New Year's Adventure.
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I hope you can carry your focus
word or resolution in your heart.
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And I hope you remember that you
are capable of amazing things.
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One small promise, one
small step at a time.
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Until our next journey together,
keep being curious, keep being kind,
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and keep exploring the beautiful
world of beliefs around you.
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Happy New Year Explorers.
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Let's make 2026 the best year yet.
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Faithfully Explore! Outro:
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Faithfully Explore!
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is about you.
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Let's grow kinder together it's true!
