New Year’s Resolutions

“New Year’s Resolutions”, “New Year, New Me”, “This year is the year everything changes!”. On the first day of each year, we hear a lot of these phrases and more from different people and they swear with all they have that they are going to change their lives.

When we then look at them at the later part of the year,  we find out that they haven’t even done anything on their “resolution” list and the cycle repeats year after year.

Why does this happen? and what can we do to make sure our goals / resolutions are done. I’m going to put down a list of things which can help us achieve the goals we set for the new year.

• Set SMART goals: I know that a lot of us have heard that to achieve our goals, we need to make them SMART. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound. I’ll use an example that’s very familiar with everyone. For example, if my resolution is to lose weight, this is a way that we can make it SMART. Rather than being vague in sayin I’ll lose weight, you can say I’ll should lose 15kg by the end of the year.

• There is no right moment, start NOW: A lot of times, we keep waiting for that right time to start, when the weather is perfect, when you have everything etc. Still using the losing weight example, sometimes we are waiting till we have the nice gym outfits, or till Monday (I’ve done that a lot). What we need is to start with a step.

If you don’t have a “nice” gym outfit, you can wear any tshirt and leggings / shorts. You can also just start walking around or taking the stairs more. Making progress is in taking the little steps. The bible says in Eccl 11:4 “He who watches the wind [waiting for all conditions to be perfect] will not sow [seed], and he who looks at the clouds will not reap [a harvest].(AMP)”.

• Have an accountability partner: If you want to achieve your goals, it’s good you have an accountability partner that acts as a check and reminder for you.

• Commit everything to God’s hands: The bible says in Prov. 16:3 ” Commit your works to the Lord [submit and trust them to Him], And your plans will succeed [if you respond to His will and guidance].(AMP)“. The reality is that as Christians, whatever plans we have, we are to submit them to God. God wants to be involved in every area of your life and including Him in your plans is a way to show that you trust Him. When we align our plans with God’s will, He gives us the strength and enablement to follow through. So today, speak to the Lord about your plans and ask Him for strength to carry them out.

It is our prayer and hope that at the end of the year, we will see that the plans we’ve made will be established as we receive direction from the Lord in Jesus Name. Amen.

Do you have any other way you think we can achieve our New Year’s resolutions? Write them in the comment section.