The hustle and bustle of the Christmas shopping and holiday partying is over and at last the New Year is upon us. With just a few days gone by do you find yourself poised on the edge of your bed, like the statue of the thinker, pondering this question, “what can I do differently to make this year better?”
Here is a suggestion, make your 2012 resolution into a five point game plan for success in the New Year.
Don’t Live Life on Overload
Think of your brain as a computer circuit board that keep tract of data. If too much activity or too much intensity of thought is races through it, burn out is likely to occur. That is overload, too much, too fast and too little time to process.
Lesson one is to take control of the flow of activities in your life. The general nature of any object or conveyance, once it has reached its capacity, is it will not function at its optimal performance.
To have success in the New Year it is vital to learn the difference between important activities and unimportant activities. We each formally or informally put together a ‘To Do’ list which often gets cluttered with projects. One basic element of leading a successful life is to establish a criteria for choosing a project to add to the to do list.
We should ask ourselves, will this project help us reach a future goal. If yes, then include it on your to do list with the provision that it can be accomplished. If no, then scratch it off and move on to other tasks that will help us be successful.
It’s your life and you have ultimate control over what comes in and what goes out.
Live in the Here and Now
Self-awareness is one key element to a positive existence. Although we are just a few days into this New Year we can plan our future course with past challenges in mind, but we have a choice not to live the bad choices over and over again.
Living in the here and now is a choice that the future holds promise that we can actively more toward. Right here and right now we choose to make the most of what life has to offer.
We can take the advice contained in a quote by Leonard Ravenhill that says, the opportunity of a lifetime must be seized in the lifetime of the opportunity. We cannot take advantage of the opportunity of a lifetime in 2012 thinking and rethinking about our failures and disappointments of last year or years before.
We can exercise control over our mind to focus on the here and now to broaden our self awareness. Try to realize the undiscovered country that lies before you by looking beyond what you see to what you can become in the future.
Get Rid of the Extra Weight in Your Life
If the truth were told most everyone is carrying old baggage that is weighting them down and they need to let go. In the year 2012, whether it’s your waistline or a crowded room of stuff in your home, consider getting rid of the weighty stuff to lighten your daily living.
Be committed to throwing out the unnecessary and unused items in your personal space. There is an old adage that says, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. If items in your personal space are no longer a treasure to you then make them available to someone who can use them. However, if they are trash then send them to the trash heap where no one will waste valuable personal space with useless things.
Next, learn to recognize that the things you have are tools to use to accomplish a goal. Do not let them be a collection of reminders that you either cannot complete a project or that you cannot complete what you start.
Remember, there’s a fine line between being a collector and a hoarder.
Allow Yourself to be Creative
Unlike the pants that you have grown too big for over time allow yourself a little latitude to grow, intellectually, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. If you have had a dream for years that returns from time to time, then give it a chance to make its way into your world.
One option, begin by trying an activity or by exercising a latent talent that you always dreamed of doing. It does not have to be on a grandiose scale but try it somewhere. If you have a talent or desire to sing (dance, draw, etc) find a venue where aspiring artists can show case their talent. The talent does not matter, it just matter that you leave the negative words of all the Nay Sayers behind and you try.
A second option, change your daily routine to have a sense of freshness around you. Utilize you innate gifts and talents to change your environment into the oasis that flood your soul with joy and happiness. If you are not one who want to share their talent on the world stage, then find a forum that suit your needs.
A biblical scripture designed for the person who does not know if they should share their innate talent with the world should keep in mind, “A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.”
In 2012 take a chance that what you have inside is worth sharing with others, but remember the lesson on keeping life off of overload.
Be a Special Blessing
Lastly, begin this year with a fresh attitude that include being a blessing to someone you do not know. So often we are engaged with activities and projects that cloud our mind and eyes to the point we cannot see that other people less fortunate than us are struggling.
If you can conceptualize that your gifts and talents have made room for you to live the life you have then use them to help others. If you do not feel very philanthropic to help the needy and poor because you have limited resources then here is a suggestion.
To the people you know, who are having a difficult time, send them a note of encouragement to say hang in there just a little longer. Think of the joy you feel when you receive a card in the mail on your birthday or an anniversary. Pay that feeling forward but add to it the inclusion of people you generally do not make contact with on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.
It might be all the encouragement they need to press on in a year that they do not think will be prosperous. The idea is to be a blessing to others which does not always have to involve money.
A blessing to someone else can simply mean be a friend in a time of need. And that’s a great New Year’s resolution to have, be a friend to someone, like never before.
Sources:
Holy Bible. Retrieved from BibleGateway.com, http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs%2018:16&version=KJV
Leonard Ravenhill Quotes. Retrieved from http://www.truthaccordingtoscripture.com/documents/sermons/leonard-ravenhill.php
Samuel Means - Samuel Means is pastor and counselor who works toward helping families find the resources they need to build strong positive ...
Join the Conversation