Tag: New Year Resolution

Categories
Encouragement motivation

Can anything good come of 2020?

Cartoon of a guy with a calendar. He says to a woman, "This year looked so promising, until I realized I was looking at last year's calendar."

No matter how you slice it, 2020 was a rough year. We had two promising months in the beginning before we realized we were facing a global crisis. Can anything good come of such a trying year? Yes, it can!

Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 43:19 (KJV)

This verse reminds me that all is not lost. When it seems there is nothing but wilderness and desert, we can know that things will get better. Good things are coming.

If you are reading this, congratulations! You made it through 2020! A new year means there is potential for a new beginning. It’s fun for me to look back through my posts talking about a new year. Each one sounded hopeful. And yes, we have reasons to be hopeful. We’ve learned some important lessons about perseverance, patience, and about pivoting during trying circumstances. These lessons can be very good for us in the future.

Like you, I am glad to see 2020 in the rearview mirror. But let’s also look forward. We will see a way in the wilderness. We will see rivers form in the desert. This year was not wasted. It can set up for success in 2021.

Cartoon of a guy with a calendar. He says to a woman, "This year looked so promising, until I realized I was looking at last year's calendar."
Categories
motivation

A New Year of Risk and Reward

Happy New Year! I am with the camp that says January 1, 2020, is the start of a new decade too. So there is even more reason to celebrate!

Have you made your new year resolutions? No? I’m not one to hype resolutions either. They can be too vague and there just isn’t enough planning involved. However, if you are prey, then I agree with the sheep in my cartoon. He really needs to put his resolution into action, and quickly!

Cartoon of a sheep and a wolf

Instead of making resolutions, I am going to spend the day working out my plan with my wife. We have never been more fired up than now. It is exciting to break out of a routine and dream of what is possible. Yes, we are willing to take risks by faith. After all, we are fooling ourselves if we think there is any risk-free life. I love this quote by General Douglas MacArthur.

There is no security in this life. There is only opportunity.

Douglas MacArthur in Instant Inspiration

Too many of us think we have security. We may not like the way things are, but they are secure. It’s been this way for a few decades, why rock the boat? Just hold on until retirement and endure the current situation. We may not realize that philosophy is just as risky as trying something different.

The reality is we don’t know what the next day will bring. I don’t know what is in store for me. So I might as well dream big, plan, and take some risks. Playing it safe assumes I know exactly what will happen in the future. I don’t. What I think is safe can crumble in an instant. This is coming from a guy who experienced two layoffs in his lifetime. My father took early retirement from a seemingly conservative, stable company rather than experience a layoff. A seemingly stable business can crumble overnight.

Yes, I don’t know what tomorrow may bring. So I might as well, dream, plan and take some risks for the new decade. The reward could be huge.

How about you?

Categories
growth

Resolving to Avoid?

Cartoon of a sheep and a wolf

Cartoon of a lamb and wolf. The sheep says, “€œThis year, I resolve to stay away from unnecessary risks.”

One thing I have discovered over the years is that if I make a resolution to avoid something, that temptation doesn’t necessarily go away. Resolutions just don’t work if I phrase them as a negative. I can give up soda pop as a resolution. But if I don’t replace it with something, such as water, I usually fail.

So instead of thinking about what you’re going to give up this year, think about what good habit you can replace it with.

This month, my goal is to write five hundred words a day. Hidden within that goal is to regulate how much time I spend online. If I’m going to write those words, something will have to give. So while I may not be surfing as much, this will give me a better opportunity to write my blog. I also plan to explore writing my next book.

So what is your resolution for the new year? Feel free to leave a comment and let us know.

 

Related articles
Enhanced by Zemanta