Another Practical Step for a Productive New Year
December 30, 2021
Okay, yesterday was a lot. I did my annual review of 2021, as I promised. The process took less than an hour but led to other steps that I want to share with you now.
After the Annual Review
If you did your review, you are either feeling as high as a two-billion-dollar empire or as lowly as a two-dollar bill. After admitting to myself that I did not “crush it” this year, I wiped a tear and celebrated that at least I did not “sink.” Yaa, me! Still afloat.
I had a stable year with several accomplishments. I even celebrated a couple of my little victories earlier this year. Still, during the review, I was not fully satisfied. I felt there was room for improvement which led me to another question: how much improvement?
My response depended on the answers to the last W discussed yesterday. The question of why. Why did I break-even? Why did I not sink? Why didn’t I crush it?
How about you? Did you crush it, sink it, or break-even–as I did?
The Next Step: Evaluation
Regardless of the grade you give yourself for all your efforts in 2021, an intense evaluation of the whys will lead you to the next step in your journey for success in 2022.
Perhaps some of your whys are indications that a goal was not clearly identified or that you had too much on your plate at one time. That was one of my problems. I wanted too much, too soon. If I had had a clone, well, I could have crushed it, but maybe hiring someone to help will be a solution (or rather a goal) for the new year. Do you see how the whys benefit us?
Or perhaps, you accomplished a goal because you initiated a project despite feeling intimidated or you spent an extra hour working on that new idea while your family was asleep. In these instances, your takeaway is to do it afraid and be creative with your time, respectively. Both actions are easily duplicatable for new or extended projects.
Whether the whys yielded a positive or negative result, it is smart to take stock. Why? Well, because we humans are creatures of habit, living in a topsy turvy world. To properly manage the pendulum swings of all the things we cannot control, we must look inward.
We cannot fix what we do not take the time to identify, and we will not treasure what we fail to see. As humans, we have this innate propensity to take things for granted which will ultimately yield a world of regret. We are wise to take stock of what we are doing that hurts our efforts and stop doing it, and to reflect on what we are doing well and do more of it.
Once our whys are thoroughly fleshed out, it is time to take the next step.
Accept our Purpose
We all have a purpose, a reason for being here, and an assignment to fulfill. Purpose can be defined as your mission in life. If you were a business, for instance, You, Inc., your purpose would be a mission statement.
In the book of Jeremiah, Chapter 29:11 (AMPC), the scripture reads: “For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts, and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.”
If these words are true, and many of us believe they are, then why would we not go to the Creator of the universe to find out our purpose for being?
The Book of Wisdom states it this way: “My child, never drift off course from these two goals for your life: to walk in wisdom and to discover your purpose. Don’t ever forget how they empower you.” Proverbs 3:21 (TPT)
I already know your purpose. We all have the same one. While we are unique individuals, our mission on earth is the same. We are to please God; some say glorify God. I encourage you to take some time in prayer and bible study to discover the purpose common to us all. (Romans 8:28) Ask for wisdom and it will be given to you, liberally. (James 1:5) And once you have it, accept your purpose (settle it in your mind) and never let it go.
Another Step
Fulfill your purpose by working in your callings. As I mentioned above, we are unique individuals, as different as the rocks on a seashore. And all that we are physically (race, language, sex, culture) and emotionally was predetermined long before we took our first breath. (Ps. 139:13-16) We were also given special talents, aptitudes, intelligence, gifts, and personalities to carry out our mission on earth. Your calling is the mode in which you carry out your purpose.
Unlike, purpose, your callings matter but they are not static. Callings change with seasons. At this very moment, you could feel “called” to teach children with disabilities how to speak, but twenty years from now you could be called to write a book about your time as a teacher. Your mission should remain the same, as noted above, but your outward “doing” is subject to change.
We are human beings, not human doings. Purpose is being who God wants you to be through an intimate relationship. Callings are about the role you will play at different times based on your unique talents, abilities, and temperament. At this point, you want to pray for clarity on how to best use what you have been given for the greater service of mankind and to glorify God.
In Summary
I hope this all makes sense. If not now, it will as you practice using the concepts. I did not bring them up to confuse you but to give you a solid foundation that will help you with goal planning for the length of your days. So, let’s start practicing. If you have not examined your whys to the point where you have identified habits to turn up or turn off, then do that, first. Then, discover and accept your common purpose for taking up space on earth. And finally, pray for callings that will correspond with your mission. And don’t stop there. Pray for this entire goal planning process. Again, wisdom is supplied when we ask for it. Therefore, spend time, getting intimate with God. Don’t rush it or overthink it. The tougher stuff is next. We still need to identify our BIG ROCKs and schedule our daily activities. Things may get HEAVY. But it will be well worth it.
In the next post, I’ll share my thoughts on the importance of having a vision, what to do with it, and how to make it practical.
Till then, live blessed,
ReallyLeah XO / A place where passion, productivity, and purpose harmonize.
Special Note:
Please excuse me if you see a typo or a misspelled word. I feel like a scribe, trying to capture all that is in my heart on this subject in a timely fashion. Oh, if I had an editor-on-call my writing would be tighter. But I do go back and reread my posts. And when I notice errors, I make the correction. If you have subscribed to my mailing list, you will get the revision in your email. So, subscribe to ReallyLeah.com, if for no other reason than to get a better draft of what you might be reading now.