Your First Step to an Extraordinary New Year

Do you crave an extraordinary New Year?

But you’re currently overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of the season. Are you stuck between finishing up the minutia of this year all while planning and setting goals for the New Year? Is the noise of life making it hard to think about how to make this new year extraordinary?

Are you like me? It’s that time of the year to get somewhere quiet or go on a long walk to pause and reflect. Take time to look closer and observe some of the smallest things, things that we probably rushed by in the past year.

I look at God’s creation. I think that… I’m truly blessed. I’m very grateful.

Paul reminds his audience in Romans of the value of looking around at creation and seeing the intentionality of all that God has created in Romans 1:20

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made”

“All of us are watchers – of television, of time clocks, of traffic on the freeway – but few are observers. Everyone is looking, not many are seeing.” – Peter M. Leschak Share on X

First Step to an Extraordinary New Year

Are you seeing? Or are you merely looking? People who find a place to intentionally pause and reflect are the few who see.

We see this lesson when Jesus talks to his disciples about why he has chosen to speak to the people in parables in Matthew 13:10-17. Jesus says,

“Though seeing, they do not see;

though hearing, they do not hear or understand.”

Jesus was revealing not the physicality of their sight or hearing but rather their heart condition. He was showing that their hearts were not able to accept in faith what had been given to them. Often, we need to pause and reflect as we look at our life not just to see the physical reality but the spiritual reality of our life.

In faith, we can then see life through a new lens.

Experience is NOT the best teacher

We have all heard that “experience is the best teacher.”

However, experience is NOT the best teacher…Evaluated experience is!

When you pause and reflect, it has the potential to change your life. It means more than just slowing down to “smell the roses.” It means taking time to stop and really look and understand.

This time of year I ask myself, “Where have I been?” and “Where am I now?”

I look at this time of reflection as the first step to making next year extraordinary!

When I reflect on the past year, I’m always amazed at how far I have come. Timed often crawled “as slow as molasses” as baby steps were often made.

But I learned so much by being patient and taking one step at a time. Making one huge leap forward (like I really wanted to do), would have robbed me of the true value of what I learned. Time is not the enemy, it is often the gift we need to make progress.

Observation: It is interesting that each small step I took revealed more learning and insight I needed to know in order to move forward and ultimately succeed in my endeavor.

Pause and Reflect for an Extraordinary New Year

Every person can prepare for an extraordinary year by taking the time to pause and reflect on the major areas of life.

Take time to pause and reflect on the past year on:

• What did you accomplish?
• Where did you go?
• How did you feel?
• Who did you encounter?
• What did you learn?

How would you rate your year in the main areas of life? I’m talking about major areas of life, like relationships, work/career, your spiritual life, etc.

There are seven main areas of life that I have found beneficial to rate on a yearly basis. As we approach the end of this year, I would encourage you to also pause and reflect in order to evaluate your life, so you can have an Extraordinary New Year.

Insight: Understanding your present circumstances doesn’t determine where you can go… it merely defines where you start. Share on X

Free Live Group Coaching with Q&A for the Whole Community!

To help orient our community of leaders into a better season of pausing and reflecting I am excited to offer for a limited time

On December 13th at 2 PM Eastern, Bobby Albert, CEO of Values-Driven Culture, will host a FREE and LIVE group coaching experience discussing

“Why Leaders Need To Anchor In Christ During Turbulent Times”

Do you feel stuck, on the edge of burnout, worried about what the future holds in this turbulent season? Join us as we look at how our goals reveal the spiritual condition of our hearts. Pausing, reflecting, and evaluating will impact our daily habits, reveal who we are trusting, and stimulate growth.

Join us on Zoom to:

• Hear why Christian leaders shouldn’t make choices out of survival mode or a scarcity mindset.
• Receive a FREE personal goal-setting resource that transformed Bobby’s relationships where he lives, works, and plays – and can do the same for you.
• Enter 2023 with steadfast peace and clarity only Christ offers.

I have made it incredibly easy for you to evaluate these 7 areas of your life in my newly updated personal Goal Setting Workbook. It has a convenient self-evaluation form with all seven areas laid out in a simple, clickable review page. I am offering this $100 value completely free when you register for the Live Group Coaching Call.

REGISTER TODAY FOR THE LIVE GROUP COACHING CALL>>> https://values-driven-leadership-llc.ck.page/6f80521aba

Reflection Questions:

• Could you share how you paused and reflected over your past year?
• Did the Goal Setting Workbook help you evaluate where you’ve been and where you are now?
• What did you learn?

Related, Articles, Videos, and Podcast Episode

• Do You Honor God With Your Responsibility As A Leader with Kimberly Wright
• Steward Your Time Like Jesus with Jordan Raynor
• Pour Into The Few To Lead Like Jesus with Holly Tate
• What Your Sleep Reveals About Your Leadership!
• Is Your WHY Big Enough to Succeed?