Setting Yourself Up for an Amazing Year

So maybe 2016 was trying… Ok, to be honest, half way through the year, I was ready for it to be over.

So what can we take away from 2016? What can we say we learned? What did God reveal to you?

Perception is key to where you need to go. How do you see yourself? Are you ready to go? Can you make it to the next chapter? Yes, you can!

I love when the end of the year comes because it means clean slate and begin again.

It means that even though we suffered some losses, that your life’s errors are redeemable. His grace is sufficient. He will turn our mourning into dancing. He will take our sins that are red as scarlet and make them whiter than snow. He will be the advocate in our lives and make us victorious ones. He IS that good.

So starting a new year right begins with you. Dust yourself off. Exchange your garment of heaviness for praise. And begin again.

A while ago, I was given some easy steps to make a new year’s declaration in my life. 3 things that will help you to focus on growth and cultivate new mindsets in my life. These 3 topics will help your New Year be better than last year. Stop and focus on them. Write them down. Habakkuk 2:4 and began to implement them in your life.

1. Pick a fruit of the Spirit. We all posses the fruit of the Spirit inside us. But there are always one we can focus on.

Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Gentleness, Kindness, Faith and Self-Control. Galatians 5:22

Pick one and find someone that does it well, and just watch how they live it out. Find a scripture with it in mind, and declare it over yourself. Finally, began to see yourself as you would act if you had this fruit displaying in your life with other people.

2. Pick a word or a declaration that you would want to declare over your life in the next year. For instance, “This is the year that there will be nothing missing, nothing broken, I will attain great peace.” It can be several. I always do three; One for finances, one for relationships, and one for health. Write it down and place it somewhere you see everyday. Like a bathroom mirror or even your refrigerator.

3. Get a dream list. Simply write dreams that seem to far out of reach to attain for you. Maybe its go to Greece, or get married. It may seem like it will be far off, but allow yourself to dream and dream big. My heart is that you would have 100 things written down, but if you can only think of 25 then do it. Again, place them somewhere you can see them. Get pictures if you need to. Dream stirs up hope that good is coming. It challenges your brain that even in hard times, you can see a future of good. Its so good to dream.

Then, when all is written and done. Look at them, say them repeatedly, and see them every day so that you are reminded of where you are going.

So when you are tempted to dwell on the year of what could have been… I encourage you, no implore you…begin again.

Don’t wait until the new year to start…. Do it now. Take 10 to 20 minutes and write down what is on your heart for the next year. Place them somewhere you can see and start a new beginning before the old year runs out.

Cultivate your life….