Opinion/Resources/Teen Perspective
By Teen Opinion Contributor Maggie Verdught
Photo: Deposit
Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe that we are already halfway through January, and 2026 is upon us all. Most people are now settling into post-holiday routines, continuing with their lives as the year begins.
The start of a new year doesn’t necessarily mean anything on its own – after all, you could tell yourself that a “new year” begins in July! Yet the mindset of knowing that something new is beginning often creates a sense of change, and sentimentality.
This invites each of us to reflect on the old year that has passed; reflecting on the past is the best way in which we can improve our future! What mistakes did we make? What did we learn? What were we most proud of? What were we most thankful for? All these questions bring us to a time of reflection, and afterwards, we move on to celebrate and embrace the brightness of all new opportunities that come with a new year. In this post, I’d like to share some of my responses to those reflection questions, hoping to inspire you as we move forward in 2026!
Reflecting
Last year, I participated in many activities and events that grew me more as a person. One must recognize, at some point, that the learning process is much more valuable than any of one’s accomplishments. It is one thing to achieve your goals, but if you are intentional and aware of how you did that, you may then apply those same principles and processes to other areas of your life. That is the great value in participating in many different activities – I have learned many different things that I can apply to my future. With that, I’d like to share some of my more notable accomplishments this year, and what I learned from them!
In February, I won my district-level piano competition, which was very exciting for me. This competition takes months of preparation and hard work (I am now in the last month of preparation for this year’s competition). Each participant memorizes three songs to play for the judge. It is also required to play three scales, chords, and arpeggios before your music is played, and take a music theory test. No, it’s not a cake-walk, and it takes a lot of time. However, this is definitely worthwhile to me. I have truly learned the value of hard work, consistent effort, and discipline through these competitions. And it is not about winning. But it feels good to be rewarded and recognized after such hard work, and I was very glad to win my competition in 2025. My commitment paid off, and that is an important lesson to learn.
Last year, also in February, I participated in Speech for the first time! It was a really cool experience, and it was doubly interesting for me, as I chose to try the spontaneous category. That was definitely a learning curve for me, as I would describe myself as more of a writer than a speaker. I love to talk, but writing comes more naturally for me; when I am writing, I can get rid of anything that I change my mind about! I did very well in my district competition for Speech, and I could have gone to the State competition. Unfortunately, a family funeral kept me from attending that event. Speech has taught me that going outside of your comfort zone can be a really good thing. It highlights your strengths and weaknesses (once you are outside of that comfort zone), and dares you to go beyond what you think you can do.
In the spring, I participated in my third year of track and field. Last year’s season was interesting because our varsity group has expanded, meaning that there were less meets where junior varsity had a chance to compete. Honestly, I felt that I wasn’t making much progress with my times in the races I did have a chance to run in, and I wasn’t very proud of myself. I compared myself to my smaller self, my faster self, and I didn’t like what I saw. This mentality kept me from truly enjoying the season and reaching my full potential. After the season ended, I decided that I didn’t want to stick with that version of myself. I wanted to be more joyful, less selfish, and more focused on what truly matters. Each of us can have goals, but if the root desire of that goal is sinful and polluted, we need to rethink our priorities! Our ultimate goal is to glorify God in all that we do. I realized that I was not thinking about these things with a healthy mindset, and so this summer, I set out to fix what was broken. God is the center of my life, not what I do.
I was consistent with my training, I didn’t obsess over anything too much, and when cross country season came around, I was ready. My mindset was cautious but excited. Was I nervous to fail? Of course. But did that stop me from giving everything I had to try? No. Not anymore. The fruit of that dedication and hard work was evident in my race times; my best time was 10 seconds off of my all-time personal record! Last year’s cross-country season taught me that gratitude brings us to a correct understanding of ourselves. When I slow down and look around at what God has done and is doing in my life, I don’t need to fear failure. Romans 12:2 sums this all up very well: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (ESV).
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Last, but definitely not least, I completed my 2025 New Year’s Resolution: Practice 30 minutes of Spanish daily, which I did consistently! I’m very passionate about language learning (in fact, I wrote an article about it during the time in which I was beginning my New Year’s Resolution). Even apart from my actual Spanish class at school, I diligently incorporate Spanish into my daily life. I am so proud and grateful for that; I love Latin American culture, and I’m so happy that I can fluently communicate with native speakers! It brings me so much joy. God has given me a talent for language learning, and I love using it to bring Him glory.
Rising to the start of a new year
Now, at the start of a new year, I want to be intentional and realistic with my goals and dreams, so that I may make strong choices that align with my desires. Some of my goals for 2026 are to strengthen my relationship with God by reading His Word more often and to continue with my Spanish journey. I invite you to reflect, rejoice, and take risks now, too– What is a goal you have for yourself, and how may that bring God glory? However insignificant you think this may be, I can assure you that God does great things when we put our trust in Him and take a little leap of faith.
Thanks for reading and reflecting with me! As 2026 begins, I pray that we may seek God’s will for everything in our lives. May we rise to the start of this new year with gratitude and joy!
On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.
Psalm 62:7-8 (ESV)
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Maggie VerDught is a high school student who enjoys learning about culture, news, and politics.
She is passionate about sharing the truth, especially with her generation. Maggie loves to run, read, and write poetry in her spare time.
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