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If you said “yes” to any of the above questions keep reading or listen to to the video version below…
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I once read something that really spoke to my heart, and though I can’t locate the exact wording or source I would like to share the message with you all. Each one of us has been given a unique life path. One in which we remain and always will be the only truly qualified person that can fulfill that mission. I personally believe the mission we each uniquely have comes from the wonderful hands of God himself. If we do not fulfill the mission he has for us in our life, then nobody else can and we leave the world behind in a sense short changed because we never harnessed the fullness of the gifts that were inside of us to ensure they were used for the complete betterment of the world.
I am sure I am not the only person that loves the start of a new calendar year. It is rich will anticipation for new goals and dreams. It is a spring board, for eternal hope that can reconnect us to the dreams we believed were once lost. So many people set out to do things they have vowed to do years on end such as: dieting, quitting a bad habit, starting a new hobby, exercising, etc. My hope is that I might share one resolution that you can grasp inside the depths of your heart this New Year and every year you are blessed with life. I believe there is no better New Year’s resolution. Before I get into what I believe is the single most powerful resolution we could ever choose, I wanted to talk about some practical applications about how to approach each year while developing resolutions that can really take shape in our life this year. I want to challenge and encourage you to develop resolutions if you haven’t already or to re-assess yours at a second glance to see if you want to make any adjustments. Resolutions are good to do at any time, not just to start a year!
3 Insights for Practical Development and Application of New Year’s Resolutions:
Though there are endless possibilities in how you can develop resolutions for your life or business, the following are a few ideas to encourage you in taking the first steps:
- Be SPECIFIC! – The challenge I believe for anyone to create impactful resolutions is to be SPECIFIC! Might sound trivial, but it is normally overlooked. Broad goals or resolutions are tough to ever state if you really accomplished them, and also many times mentally defeat the person seeking to attain them because of their vagueness. They kind of evaporate in thin air after a few days or weeks many times. For example if you say I want to “exercise more”. Well what is more and for how long is more? If you say you want to work out 3 days per week this year, you want to sign-up for 2 sports leagues this year, or go to a gym or yoga studio say 20 times this year, that is specific. You get the point. If you already set New Year’s resolutions then go back and analyze to honestly see if each of them is very specific. If not, try and re-adjust them.
- Try and Break Them Down By Area of Life – For me this is something that works well. I am not saying it will work for everyone or float your boat, but I’d like to share the concept. I recommend that you break down areas of your life that are most important to you to develop and focus on. Choose the things that dwell the most in your mind, heart and spirit if you are honest with yourself. From there you can enter one or more specific resolutions within each area that you specify. Some examples in my world are: dating/purity, spiritual growth, life balance/character improvement, health/well-being, learning, financial, travel/missions, community service, family/friends, and career. I believe this process can help you unlock new areas of personal life growth and allow you to more creativity look at the depth and breadth of possibility that lies within you.
- Challenge Yourself to do More than You Believe You Can – I believe this applies not only to resolutions or goal planning. I believe it applies to careers, academics, relationships and really all areas of life. To grow you need to push yourself out of your comfort zone. So I encourage you to have at least one resolution this year that challenges you to strive for something you feel as if you cannot attain. It gives you a healthy ability to stretch yourself. God many times does this through the beauty of his teaching in our lives as we experience trials, later to realize in life how that experience shaped us in a profoundly beautiful way despite the pain of the trial itself.
Now before I get back to the resolution that feel is the most powerful one you can ever choose, I wanted to talk about irony and symbolism while attempting to not come across as over-spiritualizing the thought. No matter what you face in life, I truly believe God is not only in control. He is actively at work in each of our lives regardless of our acknowledgement of that fact. Many people see certain events happening in their lives as ironic timing or serendipity. I believe that the timing of blessings and trials we faced and went through in the last year, or face within this year, are beautifully timed. I believe in God’s sovereign beauty that he closes doors at the perfect times in our life (despite our approval or acceptance of the fact). Furthermore, he so many times opens up a new door that is so perfectly positioned for us. It is almost as if we can see his finger prints still freshly placed on the handle of the door that was just opened. Many times we stand before this new door with mixed emotions as we determine if we want to walk through it or not. I have seen this so many times in my personal life that I can’t even count honestly. Each time it happens I find myself smiling or laughing out loud to God.
Now for that resolution that I believe is the most powerful one you can ever choose. Simply put, it is determining to live your life in tribute to honor God. To do this you seek to shower love to others in all you do. You seek to live out his purpose for your life, and seek him within the year to change your attitude in your mind and the desires in your heart. That is specific because you are seeking to find Him this year. Now how he delivers your unique gift is up to him. He is faithful and loves to do this for his children that have the courage and genuine desire to place this petition before their heavenly father. If you believe you have found and have known him personally for a long time, perhaps you can have a fresh new encounter with him this year that could change your mission in life. Like any earthly father with deep love, he loves when his children come to him with outstretched arms. It never grows old and brings tears and deep emotions to him. How much more capable is God of true, unconditional, agape love. His strong arms remain open all day, every day.
Will you challenge yourself to specifically seek to find him and have a fresh encounter with him this year so your outlook and purpose in life can be shifted for the betterment of the world? God was thinking of you long before you ever thought of Him. His purpose for your life predates your conception. He planned it before you existed, without your input! In closing, I’d like to leave you with a story I read recently. I once got lost in the mountains. When I stopped to ask for directions to the campsite, I was told, “You can’t get there from here”. You must start from the other side of the mountain!” In the same way, you cannot arrive at your life’s purpose by starting with a focus on yourself. You must begin with God, your Creator.
I help my coaching clients focus on matters like these so they can see their business become more efficient, profitable and scalable, if desired. I also help them achieve better balance professionally and personally so they can see their business truly work to support their life purpose and vision. If you want to find out more about how this could be leveraged in your world, or if you want to discuss a business problem you are facing, feel free to contact me or call me at 717-615-2274.You are also welcome to share this article or other resources found on my blog (www.livewithpurposecoaching.com). Feel free to contact me if you or an associate would like to join my blog or receive this article as a PDF.
God bless,
Joe
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