On this 1st day of 2023 as you walk in this New Year do so with prayer, courage, goals and with great expectation of new beginnings, new opportunities, blessings, favor, renewal, and victory. Know that God is going to do great things through you. May God grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans that line up with His will for you and may we shout for joy over your victory.( Ps 20:6 RSV). Take the time to get started by taking action. Start with prayer, courage, and goals. Read the action steps below for getting stated.
Praise God for His unfamthonable love for you!! Praise Him for daily loading you up with benefits. Praise Him for the fact that you are still here and looking forward to GREATER in 2023. God is amazing and can “ fix it”, bring you through ,will never leave you ,will help see you through and He listens and answers prayer.
Even if 2022 took you through valleys, mistakes and heartbreak ,God can still work things out for your good if you pray and Believe and obey His Word. Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17. Keep praying, pressing forth and pursuing the dreams God has placed in your heart. Don’t be afraid to shine with love and the spirit of excellence.
What is your expectation for this week, month , and year? Always Pray. Dream Big. Take Courageous Action. Do it Afraid. Think Big, Do Big and Think Victory! Praise Him for daily loading you up with benefits. Even if things are not what you want for now, shout for joy with Praise now, because you have a God that can “work it out” by working all things –good ,bad and ugly together for your good (Rom. 8:28-30) if you believe.
What are the dreams you have in your heart but have been afraid to do them? Is is write the book? Start a business? Get your college degree? Don’t allow fear to stop you. Confront the fear. Think about why you fear doing such and such. Then begin to take small steps to start accomplishing your goals. Do it afraid.
Your goals could be financial, spiritual, career oriented, family directed or address your health. Get started.
Getting Started
- Pray. When you get still and think about what your desires are and what you want to do or to happen pray first. Seek the Lord’s guidance.
Man should always pray and not faint…” . Luke 18:1.
“Embark upon no enterprise you cannot submit to the test of prayer”. Anonymous
2. Now write your goals. Goals are a must for any person who desires to accomplish something great. Planning is a part of the process of truly successful people. Goals help you to keep focused on attaining a particular purpose you have. It is good to begin the New Year right with a set of goals with which you want to accomplish.
What are goals? Simply put, goals are the stepping stones to reach a destination which you desire to fulfill. Goals are not just the dream in your heart, but rather, they serve as the plan, the how to, the path you need to walk, day by day, to the realization of your dream.
Your dream may be to attain a certain position in the company you work for. Or it may be to make more money in your chosen profession. Then again, your dream may be to start your own business or to raise the level of your business to another level. Your dream may be to have a better relationship with your family or to be a better speaker, teacher, preacher, worker, or something else.
Regardless of the dream, you need to set goals based upon that dream. Then take action steps immediately, working that plan day by day, until the goals are reached and the desire becomes a reality. Here are a few tips for attaining any goal.
Getting Started:
1. Set the goals based upon the dream in your heart . Remember to pray.
2. Write your goals down. Write them in such a way that is clear and focused. This may take time, but the clearer the vision, the better it is to walk it out.
3. Make the steps to the attaining of the goal as practical as possible. Set a reasonable deadline to accomplish your goal. This keeps you accountable. It also is a part of the SMART method. Make the goals specific, measurable , attainable, realistic with a specific time line.
Ask others for advice who may have achieved a similar goal, are knowledgeable about the subject and you can trust. Getting wise advice from others may say you valuable time, money and unnecessary work. Talking with a multitude of counselors is wise
4. Make the goals practical enough to work them daily. This will give you motivation to act on your goals. You eat an elephant ( yuck) one bite at a time.
5. Do not allow fear to stop you. Do It afraid. Have the courage to confront the fear by asking yourself why am I afraid to start. Is it fear of rejection or being stuck in bondage to a past failure or mistake? Are you hearing the voice of someone saying you are not good enough?
6. Take immediate action. Master procrastination. Once your goals are set, begin to implement them right away. Do not wait on a feeling to get going. Do not wait until everything is perfect before taking the steps you can toward your goal. Your confidence will grow each time you complete a step and reach a goal. Start NOW.
7. Believe in yourself. God has given you gifts and talents to use to His glory, to bless the world, and to make provision for you and your family. Believe that you can obtain your desire with the strength and help of God. Believe that God will be there to help you.
8. Persist. Keep pressing toward your goal even in the face of setbacks or mistakes. Learn from mistakes. Never give up. Persistence and courage are important to success. Just think of women who had to overcome barriers and rejection to work in their chosen profession. Do you know that men felt that a woman should not be a lawyer . They believed that it was not a profession for women and early on some case decisions upheld keeping them from taking the bar examination? What if they had not persisted? Persist. Keep at it. Never give up and never cave in. Keep on keeping on. You are bound to hit the mark if you never stop trying
9. Read the Word. Read from the Book of Proverbs. It provides practical insights which govern success, provides wisdom and is encouraging. Read a chapter from the Book of Proverbs in the Bible each day.
New Year Blessings from Linda “The Courage Catalyst who serves as a Persuasion Strategist”. ldfaygo@gmail.com