Many of us when going into any new venture such as a business or project, we sit down and compose a business plan. This gives a detailed image of our goals, expectations, projections and forecasts for the new venture we are entering into.
But how many of us actually sit down to write an Action Plan for the New Year? Many of us simply sail through every year from one day to the next without setting out any clearly defined goals for the year or composing a list of what we want God to do for us and take them to Him in prayer.
It is often said that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
Many of us find that we are ending a year the same way we started it because we failed to set expectations for ourselves. When we do not think about where we see ourselves by the middle or by the end of the year – from the beginning of the year, we discover that we are set in the rot of a comfort zone without making much progress or moving from where we were last year.
In my church, we are instructed to write out a list of what we want from God in the new year and this list is brought to the cross-over service on the last day of the year where we bring our requests to God in prayer.
What these requests are is basically, a carefully thought out action plan for ourselves. A list of upward changes we desire to see in our individual lives touching on our business, family, ministry, finances, marriage, career, etc
Our action plan can also be about changes we need and desire to see in our individual lifestyle, our personal status or social standing; the company we keep, our attitudes, mentality and behaviour towards our friends and loved ones.
Included in our action plan most importantly should be what we have done in the past but hasn’t worked and perhaps why. And then, we think of and write down new ways, approaches and possibilities that can be implemented towards achieving these important changes (better time management, less time on social media and chatting on the phone, better prayer life and studying the word of God more, better efforts at being more understanding and patient, saving more and spending less, nearer closeness to God, reading more motivational and inspirational books, less judgmental, new or more ambitious and enlightened circle of friends, more family time etc)
And after the cross over service, we are encouraged to start and keep working towards these goals, doing all that is necessary to bring about the desired changes – with the full trust and belief that we have divine encouragement and assistance to achieve these changes.
This are not just New Year resolutions that many make but abandon before the end of January – but a continuous course of action that we constantly review and assess throughout the year to check for progress.
So as this year rolls to its glorious end, I urge you my friends – particularly my Sistas & Divas to take time out and write our Action Plan for 2016 – and heaven will grant us the power and help to achieve them all.
AMEN.
By Jummy Ariyo
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