New years are wonderful. They hand you a reset button so you can reengineer your life.
I’ve lived through beautiful years, mediocre years, hellish years, and years that are beyond
mention and worthy to be repressed. Granted, much of what happens to us is beyond our control. But we are in control of our reaction to what happens.
A few years ago, I discovered a certain recipe for posturing myself for having a great year.
In this UNFILTERED update, I want to share with you 3 ingredients in that recipe. This isn’t an exhaustive list, of course.
But these 3 ingredients can help you position yourself for having an awesome 2016.
1) Select a "word for the year" to focus on and build your year around it.
Sounds simple, but I’ve been doing this for several years. My word for 2015 was Simplify. I wrote it on my white board in a hard-to-miss spot in my study. So for all of 2015, I’ve been giving my
attention to simplifying my life, my work, and my ministry.
Just a few examples: I ended my podcast, reduced the number of speaking invitations I accept, and dialed back my blogging on Beyond Evangelical to once a month. I then focused my attention on those projects that are making the most impact.
My word for the year ("simplify") gave me tremendous clarity and
focus throughout 2015.
Choosing your own word for 2016 can do the same for you.
How do you select a word for the year? Ask the Lord to give you a theme for 2016.
Over
the next few weeks, be conscious of any ideas that come to mind.
Usually for me, within a few weeks, a word emerges that resonates with
my
heart.
Once
it does, it’s important to write it down in a visible place you won't
miss. You'll want to see it regularly. Then begin engineering your life
for 2016 based on that word.
2) Stretch yourself to invest in something new that will grow you mentally and spiritually.
The
key word there is
"new." It’s common for people to invest time and money in gym
memberships to enhance their bodies. No problem with that. Who doesn't
enjoy getting "buff" (until March rolls around and the gym crowds
dwindle). Yet few Christians today will invest their time and money in
opportunities that will produce long-lasting spiritual and mental
growth.
For me, the best way to do this is to invest in courses and seminars. These have been so
life-changing for me that I began creating my own a few years ago.
As
an author, I’ve come to believe that having someone read a book of mine
is like serving them an appetizer. But a course or master class is like
serving them a full buffet. It’s a high-octane, full-immersion,
deep-dive into the content. And the transformational impact is far
greater.
Years
ago, my default
reaction to anything that cost money was “I can’t afford it.” Later I
discovered that many of the most valuable things in life come with a
price tag. And after looking at what I was spending my money on, I
changed my priorities. I virtually always could afford it ... if it was
important enough to me. The same with my time.
So consider investing in something new that will stretch and challenge you spiritually and mentally in 2016. This
step alone can be a game-changer for you.
3) Design your dream year.
This is a simple but powerful exercise. It’s not exactly goal-setting (which I plan to cover in my PROLIFIC Audio Seminar next year), but it’s the precursor to
it.
Here's how it works. Pick a day this month where you can carve out an hour or two for this exercise.
Grab a notepad and pen. Or a blank word-processor screen, if you prefer to type.
And then dream. Dream of what a perfect 2016 looks like. Include your personal life, your job, your career, your ministry,
your family, your friends, your health, your finances, your education, etc.
"Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4
Make a list of things you desire to see happen in 2016 in all those areas.
So dream. And then
write.
Be
specific. Don’t be afraid of thinking big. Dreams help identify what’s
most important to us. Writing them down allows us to excavate our
hearts, revealing "on paper" what our highest priorities are, for better
or for worse. It also clarifies and highlights what we want God to do
in our lives.
As the days pass, go back over it, edit, and add any new dreams that come
to mind.
Your "dream year" will be wet cement for your goals and prayers.
"Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established." Proverbs 16:3
There's much more to say, but I’ll leave it there since this update is already getting too long.
A New Way to Share These Updates PLUS Something Else You Should Know
I've
found myself on the horns of a dilemma. On the one hand, I've wanted to
make these updates completely exclusive to you subscribers. However,
many of you said you want to share the updates with your friends. So
here's what we've decided to do.
Every
update is now being posted on the back-end of my landing page (not my
blog). And each update has social share buttons below it. So you can use
the Share buttons to share them with your friends.
Please don't copy and paste the updates on your blog or FB page, but
instead, share them using the Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn buttons at
the bottom of each article.
FINALLY, registration to
The Deeper Christian Life Mentoring/Connecting Network opens three times a year. And it will open again early next year. Check it out here and join the Wait List if it strikes a chord.
Okay, here are the UNFILTERED Updates to share with your
friends
Your brother in the costly but glorious quest,
fv
Psalm 115:1
P.S. My next blog post - which I'll publish in two weeks - is about ISIS. Subscribe to the blog if haven't
already.
Gainesville Florida 32614
USA
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