It’s that time of year again, the time when we all reflect on the year past and set a new direction for the year to come.
The week after Christmas is always an eye-opening experience for me. It’s a time where I sit back, relax, recharge and enjoy time with my family. It’s also a time for me to look back at the last year and scrutinize the events that have transpired over the past 12 months and set a new course for the next 12.
Now, before we go to far into this conversation, let me start by saying that I DO NOT make New Year’s Resolutions!
The tradition of making resolutions has morphed into years of piled up broken promises.
The word resolution means, “firm determination,” but due to tradition it now means, “make a list of things that you think would be nice to do.”
Instead I choose to set a course for the year to come.
As I look back, I reflect on my life in four specific areas. These areas make up the enigma that is me.
1. My Spiritual Life – Am I who I need to be spiritually? Have I grown spiritually? What am I lacking spiritually to make me who I need to be in my spiritual walk?
2. My Family Life – Am I being the husband and the father that my family deserves? Am I doing everything in my power to make my wife love me more today then she did yesterday?
3. My Personal Life – Am I being the best me I can be? Am I doing all that I can to honor God and live as light in a dark world?
4. My Work Life – Is what I’m doing work-wise making a difference? Am I putting enough of the correct effort into my work to have the biggest impact possible?
As I reflect on these four areas of my life, I look at them in that order.
I know that if I am the man spiritually that I am supposed to be then it will make it much easier to have the family relationships I want.
If my family life is where it needs to be then it will make it easier to look at me personally and see what I need to change to become the man I need to be.
If I have myself in order and am being the man I need to be then work becomes simple.
So as we transfer into the New Year, take some time today to reflect over the last 12 months, get a measure of where you are in those four areas, list your goals for growth in 2013 and set the course that heads toward the new you.
Once the course is set, put all of your effort, your energy, your passion, your desire and your strength into becoming the person you want to be.
Stop making resolutions you hope to happen and start being the person you’re meant to be.
Have a happy, safe and wonderful New Year and LIVE LIFE!