If you like to make New Year’s resolutions – you are in the minority. Studies show anywhere from 25% to 45% of people make resolutions, and less than 10% keep them. In short, don’t bother making any resolutions for the new year. Do something better – reset your life and leadership.
Life can feel like a treadmill. You run from one activity to the next and then wake up one day and realize it is the end of the year. If you find time is going by quickly and you don’t know what happened to the past year, you need to take the direction of Ephesians 5:16 – redeem your time. God calls us to make the most of the time we have rather than letting time control us.
The days between Christmas and New Year’s are some of the most important days in your year. The busyness of Christmas dinners is over, and you are not quite at the start of a new year. The few days between these two holidays are a natural opportunity to reflect and reset your life and leadership as you move into the new year. Pull out a notepad or journal along with your calendar and spend some time thinking through eight key questions.
Reflect on the Past
- What has God taught you over the past year?
- What are your top three memories with your family in the last year?
- What are your top three accomplishments from the past year?
- What losses have you felt in the past year?
- What is one thing you wish was different from the past year?
Reset for the Coming Year
When will you rest in the coming year?
Most men I know are exhausted, and when you are tired, you will not always make the best decisions. The biblical story is that God designed us to work out of our rest – not work so we can rest. Plan your vacation time now. Put important dates in your calendar, so nothing else competes with them.
How are your rhythms of connecting with God?
Did the past year interrupt your times of prayer, reading the Bible, or worship? You can do nothing apart from Christ, so make sure abiding in Christ is the essential part of your daily existence. Make a daily appointment with God and put it in your calendar. Ask God to help you be aware of his presence in your life every moment of every day.
How can you be more productive in the coming year?
In his book What’s Best Next, Matt Perman describes productivity as “not first about getting more things done faster. It’s about getting the right things done.” More specifically, he says, “to be productive is to get done what God wants done.” Think about what you need to delete from your life to be more productive with what God wants you to do in your life. This question forces you to become more aware of your limitations so you can be more effective in your strengths.
What do the people you are leading need from you?
If you are like most leaders, this question will draw out a felt pressure to do more. But that is not the purpose. This question is all about finding out what they need from you – not your self-imposed pressure to do everything. Write down a list of all the people God has called you to lead. What can they only get from you and not from other people? This clear need is where you should invest your energy in the new year.
The most important part of this journey of resetting your life and leadership is to bring all of your answers before God. Ask him to help you discern which of your responses come from your selfish perspective and which are coming from his heart. Jesus promises to give rest for your soul and yet also wants your life to bear much fruit. Rest and results are both possible in the Christian life.
Your life matters. Every person God has brought into your sphere of influence is not an accident. He has brought you into their life for the extraordinary impact you can have. Take some time and reset your life to make the coming year a fruitful one.
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