EvenMORE For You

New Tokens of Appreciation Program Arrives

Rewards are Now Automatic

Beginning with the new year and retroactive to January 1, Crossroads has a new Tokens of Appreciation program in place. The evolution and improvement of the program gives Crossroads team members the opportunity to more easily earn Tokens of Appreciation based on personal productivity.

Rather than logging into a portal with a username and password and then choosing gifts, with the new program Rewards will be automatically emailed to you. What you will receive is a $100 digital Visa gift card for every 40 Tokens of Appreciation you earn. The Visa gift cards can be managed in your preferred digital wallet or printed.

Existing Tokens are being migrated to the new Rewards platform now. All Tokens earned through December 31, 2024 will be transferred and converted into $100 digital Visa gift cards and sent to you every 30 days until your full Rewards amount is paid.

New metrics for Tokens of Appreciation are being nailed down now and will be introduced very soon. Stay tuned for an update in a future edition of EvenMORE for You.

Achieve Your Dreams in 2025

By Emily Hammer
Goal setting, planning, forecasting, by whatever name you call it, it’s about setting up a system to achieve those dreams that are important to you. Having the dream is easy. Executing on it to achieve it requires hard work. Many of us may have a vague dream in our head but no real plan to achieve it. Those dreams typically don’t come to fruition.

We are only as good as the systems we have in place. Check out the easy-to-follow steps that could lead you to manifesting that dream. These directions are so simple you may wonder why I had to write them down. They are simple, but they are not easy. Try them for 30 days and see what happens.

1. Determine the goal. This step forces you to clarify what you want and drill down on what you want to accomplish.
2. Write them down. Be brave and be specific. Research says that those with written goals are 50% more likely to achieve success than those who don’t.  
3. Find the formula. Someone else has probably already done what you’re trying to do. Copy them! We’re all unique individuals; you’ll put your own spin on whatever you do.
4. Do the reps. Do the boring stuff, and show up even when you don’t want to. Writing out an implementation intention can help. For example, my goal is to write a book. My plan is that I will write for 30 minutes Monday – Friday at 9:00 A.M. in my office.
5. Arm yourself with visual reminders. Think about how this could be easier and more fun. Set an alarm, join an online community, take a class, or choose an accountability partner.
6. And perhaps the most important step: don’t quit! Many times, we get frustrated and quit because we don’t see progress and think that our efforts aren’t paying off. Don’t quit before the miracle happens…it could be right around the corner. 

Think about your dreams for 2025 and the steps you will take to achieve those dreams. We’d love to hear what exciting plans you have for this new year. You never know who you might help by sharing your goals. 

New Years’ Resolutions Pass the Test of Time

Saving more money (21%,) eating healthier (19%) and exercising more (17%) are the top three American New Years’ Resolutions for 2025, according to Statista, a global data and business intelligence platform, in its recent Consumer Insights Survey.

Do these typical resolutions sound familiar? Thanks to the personality trait known as self-efficacy, us humans can imagine a future that’s different than the present and then work towards making a vision a reality.

And while the concept of new years’ resolutions feels self-focused and modern, it’s actually quite ancient, with the earliest records dating back 4,000 years to 2000 BC in ancient Babylonia, now southern Iraq. Back then the new year was marked with the 12-day Akitu Festival triggered by the spring equinox and preparation for the approaching planting season.  

During the celebration, Babylonians would make resolutions to their gods, usually pledging loyalty to the king and promising to pay debts and return borrowed items. If they kept their resolutions, the gods would treat them well that year. On the other hand, if they broke their resolutions, they would get on the bad side of the gods.

Julius Caesar Declares January 1 New Years Day

Fast forward to 46 BC. That’s when Roman Emperor Julius Caesar declared January 1st the new first day of the year in honor of the Roman God Janus. Janus, whose spirit inhabits doorways and arches, has two faces, one looking forward to the future and the other looking backward reflecting on the past. In January Romans would proclaim resolutions for good behavior in the coming year.

In Middle Ages Europe, there was the annual “Peacock Vow,” when knights would resolve to maintain the values of knighthood by putting their hands on a live or roasted peacock.

Then in 1740 the English founder of Methodism John Wesley created the Covenant Renewal Service. Held on New Years Eve or New Years Day, through prayer and reflection thinking about one’s past mistakes and resolving to do better in the new year is an annual Protestant tradition that continues today. 

It was less than 100 years ago in the 1940s and 1950s that resolutions became less religious and spiritual and more aspirational and focused on tangible self-improvement. Still less than half of Americans even make new years’ resolutions. But those who do are following an ancient calling for a fresh start by setting new year’s resolutions.

Tips for Making New Years’ Resolutions

Many resolutions are about not doing something but it’s best to avoid negative wording like quitting or stopping a behavior in your resolution. Instead, frame all your goals in a positive light. 
Here are some new years’ resolution-making tips:

• Keep resolutions simple. 
• Pick resolutions that will make you feel good. 
• Define resolutions that are specific, measurable, time-bound and realistic.
• When you think about what you resolve to achieve consider the obstacles and how to remove them.