A New Year To Do Awesome Stuff
It’s the beginning of a new year…you know what that means?
New goals, new dreams, new ambitions!
How many years have you started strong then March roles around and you lose your fire and release the new dreams, going back to the same old, same old and by December you feel frustrated and defeated because you didn’t accomplish what you wanted to accomplish that year.
What if this year was different? I naturally motivate people, if you tell me a dream or goal you have you better believe I will appear like a motivational jack in the box throughout the year to check in on you. I love watching people win and go after their dreams. There are a couple things I have noticed just from my own personal experience and by watching others, that will derail a person from being successful.
Lack of preparation. Good intentions won’t get you to the finish line, you need a plan.
If you want to lose weight create a menu for an entire month. Pinterest is the best place I have found that will provide a plethora of meal options so you don’t get bored.
If you want to get into shape you need to find a workout plan, gym or some form of accountability to keep you going in the right direction.
Have you wanted to write a book? find programs you can use to make writing easier. Find what method will work for you and just start.
****Do not let the preparing phase keep you from starting. Sometimes we can use “preparing” as an excuse not to begin.
2. Lack of accountability. You can become your biggest enemy when you do it alone. Find other people who have the same goal and become buddies. Join a Facebook group, a Pinterest board, a running group, a writing group. Find your people and allow yourself to be vulnerable when you are feeling defeated or when you think you have hit a wall.
3. Quitting when it gets hard. Anything worth accomplishing is going to be hard at times. I ran a half marathon and you better believe when I had to run 7 miles in my training program when it was 40 degrees outside I wanted to quit. But the thought of not being able to run the half because I didn’t train and decided to be lazy actually drove me to keep going. Sometimes it gets monotonous, sometimes it hurts, sometimes it gets frustrating but that’s just life so the sooner you make peace with that, the easier it will be to decide to keep going.
4. Having goals set in an unrealistic timeline. How do you eat an Elephant? One bite at a time. I am all for having ambitious goals but losing 80 pounds in 30 days is not realistic nor would that be healthy. This goes back to the preparation step. Map out goal phases. Maybe in one month you make a goal of losing 5 pounds, then month two it’s another 5 pounds. Or maybe month one you set the goal to write one chapter of your book. You set one large goal, then break that down into bite size pieces and maybe it will take all 12 months to accomplish it but that’s ok!
5. Setting goals to impress other people. If we are striving for the approval of people and doing things for anyone other then Jesus or ourselves we will get to the end and feel like we didn’t really accomplish anything. If the goal is for you, you will care WAY less about what other people think or have to say but if you are doing it for the recognition of others they will dictate how you feel, they will have the power to derail you by a less than supportive comment. When you are setting your goals ask yourself: who am I doing this for and why am I doing this?
So, what is it that YOU want to do this year?
What plans have you made to accomplish it?
What accountability do you have?
What have you put in place to keep you from quitting?
Here is just one piece of advice I have learned the hard way. Everything has its season. Sometimes a dream in our heart or a goal we have isn’t a “right now” or “this year” goal or dream to accomplish. Could you make it happen because you are talented and gifted? Yes. However, if God hasn’t breathed on it you will be left striving to maintain what you have accomplished within your own power and believe me…this is exhausting. There are things I think you don’t need God’s “blessing” to do for example: being healthy, He wants you to live all of the days He has ordained for you so being healthy (maybe eating better or exercising) is a part of that.
The goals and dreams that may put you in a spotlight or on a platform, those are the ones you WANT God’s blessing in. Those are definitely the goals you want to prayerfully consider “why is this a dream or goal?” and “who is this dream or goal for?” If it’s to be applauded, recognized, to be adored by people…this would be a huge red flag and an indicator this is fueled by selfish motivation. I am guilty of doing this very thing out of season and with the wrong motives and it was exhausting, frustrating and gave me anxiety.
Be ok with asking those hard questions and be ok with the answer you get. If you get the green light, get after it and crush 2019!
