New Year’s Resolutions

Setting goals at the start of a new year is a time-honored tradition that millions of people participate in. Whether the resolve is to lose weight, achieve better money habits or prioritize self-care, people from all around the world make New Year’s resolutions with the hopes of improving their lives.  

At times I have had mixed feelings about New Year’s resolutions and I’ve often said that I don’t believe in them.  While I can agree that it’s important to take stock of one’s life and identify self-improvement opportunities, I’m ambivalent toward goal setting due to fear of failure.  

At the beginning of 2019, I abandoned the tradition all together and decided not to make any resolutions. I told myself that the year would unfold however it was supposed to and that I should not set myself up for failure by making goals that I probably wouldn’t stick to in the long run.  This was my formula for success in 2019.

On New Year’s Eve, I sat with myself and reflected upon the past 12 months. In that moment, I realized that I did not accomplish anything in 2019.  I failed to complete any of my personal projects and I didn’t produce any fruit for the kingdom of God. I spent most of the year directionless, unfocused and unproductive.

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” -Prov 29:18

Lack of vision, planning and goal directed behavior leads to stagnation and regression.  I was afraid of not accomplishing my goals so I didn’t set any; but in doing so, I created an environment conducive for apathy, inactivity and failure.

We have to be intentional in life if we’re going to grow, achieve success and fulfill our God-given destiny.  Thus, it’s wise to take stock of our lives and assess what’s working and what needs to be changed.

The New Years holiday is a great universal reminder to be reflective and reevaluate our life choices.  It’s an opportunity to chart a course in the direction of our aspirations, desires and purpose. 

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want 2020 to look anything like 2019.  I want to produce fruit for the kingdom of God, I want to complete my personal projects and I want to use my God-given gifts to be a blessing to others.  If you, like me, want to achieve more in 2020 than you did in 2019, here are some simple guidelines to follow:

• Visualize where you want to be this time next year and set goals with practical steps that you engage in daily.  
• Analyze why you failed to accomplish what you set out to do last year and then craft a different approach for the year ahead.
• Be consistent; if you fall, get back up and don’t quit on your goals.

If you’re unsure about what goals to set, start with the basics.  Minimally, we should all have at least three goals: a personal goal that involves self-improvement, a physical goal that improves our overall health and a spiritual goal that ties to our divine purpose. 

All you need to do to get to where you want to be is start working now. Start small, but start now.

A lot can happen in a year; small steps taken daily lead to major progress over time.

Where will you be this time next year?