Makeover. Transform. Renew you! These are the days for renewed interest in personal goals that have the potential of making you new! I love the motivating statement, "Live today in such a way that yesterday becomes jealous." This means making improvements and achieving goals each day!
Every year everyone has the same opportunity to begin again. Companies use this time of year to start new initiatives. Organizations like churches and other not-for-profit groups are excused to bring a renewed call for change. A new year means that you can take a brief break to review your profit-loss statements, making resolutions that bring improvements.
We make resolutions when we choose to reform ourselves through simple decisions to act anew. A resolution is a firm (not wishy-washy) decision.
Let me offer a few suggestions on making resolutions!
1. Keep it simple.
When setting goals it is essential to keep your resolution (s) simple enough to act upon. It is in the little steps that most is accomplished. Too often we want to set big goals and they can be too unmanageable and unattainable.
By naming your objective in simple terms you can reward your success. This in-turn allows you to reward your success in meaningful ways. In fact, set not only goals but also the rewards for getting there. Attainable goals encourage you to take the next step. If you create complexities in reaching your goals you may bring discouragement upon yourself. Step-by-step, day-by-day, moment-by-moment you will accomplish your goals and achieve more than you thought you could.
2. Keep smiling.
When I was in high school weights class I made every effort to impress our friends. I was really good at lifting so adding more weights did not have a negative effect on my legs-strengthening routine. I worked my routine with short term power lifting because I was always building up my strength conditioning. Having a bike delivery paper route was my conditioning. I didn’t have much upper-body strength but focusing on my area of strength helped me achieve more.
The same is also true in setting new goals. If we focus on our area of strength we are more likely to achieve better. In doing this we are able to smile more at our successes because it is less painful than focusing on our failures and weaknesses. By focusing on existing strengths you are able to do more and quickly.
Achieving goals send a smile to your face! It feels good to reach your objectives. The journey isn’t all that bad either because you set simple objectives, easy to remember and fun to accomplish.
3. Keep value-centered objectives.
As you set goals and resolutions you should start with your heart first. So often we said arbitrary goals like weight loss or educational goals without considering what we truly value in life. What is it that you like or areas that bring you joy? Start there and you will enjoy your efforts.
If you start with your values you will find enjoyment in your activity to achieve. For example, if you love family you’ll set goals consistent with building up your family or if education is a value you can make your goal to read just one more book (or whatever it is) to your meet your annual goal.
As you renew yourself in-keeping with your values, as you lead your company with new objectives, or as you consider your organizational mission and goals, don’t be afraid of shaking up the very core of why you exist. In fact, as you ask why you exist, act on your passion and strengths.
In 2019, press on to reach your full potential.
Philippians 3:12 -- (Pressing toward the Goal) I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.
Don’t be afraid to make resolutions. Everyone should press into their potential by renewing yourself. God has created you with incredible potential. He has gifted you. He has provided you with the ability of creativity. We can never exhaust our ultimate potential in Christ. If we don’t set goals we may plateau and underachieve, settling for average not excellence.
Keeping your resolutions simple enough to remember and focusing on your strengths as well as keeping them value-centered can help you stay motivated when the going gets rough. Keep it simple, keep smiling, and keep your goals value-centered will combine to increase your success in keeping your resolutions in 2019.
