January is a month of both promise and reality.  It begins a New Year and we resolve to do the things that we somehow forgot or just didn’t want to do the previous year.  And this is the year we’ll really get serious about… you fill in the blank.  But the reality is this: we are still the same person and we live in the same life.  January is the month that reality breaks through.

Every year, as I assess my January reality, I am reminded to do two things.  The first is that I need to prioritize my time.  What is really important?  I take the time to remember that relationships are more important than my job, and that the joy of the ones I love gives me greater satisfaction than trying to continually please myself.  The second is that once I prioritize, then I need to plan my time accordingly.  The road to hell is paved with good intentions… the question is what will I do differently.  I need to bring my hopes into existence by deciding to act, not just think or hope.

Let me use this short blog to encourage you to healthy action.  Don’t be overwhelmed or stuck in the “blues”.  January is a frustratingly busy time, but as we transition into February, take the personal and relational steps to move your life in the direction that leads to spiritual, emotional, relational, and physical health.  Take deliberate, doable steps.  As St. Augustine said: “Lord, help me not so much as to live a holy life and to live a holy minute.”  Here’s to your next holy minute!

Jim

We are into week two of 2011, are your resolutions set? Last week, Melissa talked about setting realistic and achievable goals for 2011. So now what? You've set your goals, you believe they are attainable, but many of us have no idea what to do next. How many years have you started off with the best of intentions only to fizzle out around week two or three?  Here are four simple ways to put your resolutions into action: 

1. Put them in front of you: You need to spend time thinking about, evaluating, and encouraging yourself DAILY towards your goals. With the hustle and bustle of life it is easy to go three or four days without even thinking about them. The easiest way to do this is to put them in your line of sight.  Write out your goals, make it BIG, tape them to your bathroom mirror, your closet, your car dash, anywhere where you are going to see them daily. Then, every Sunday switch the location so you don't get used to seeing them and stop actually noticing them.   

2. Create action steps: When you first set your goal, create a list of action steps you'll need to do to accomplish this goal. For example, if you want to get in shape, your action steps might include: setting a certain number of days to go to the gym, adjusting your diet, finding a workout buddy, etc. Break your goal up into doable chunks.  Re-evaluate these action steps every Sunday.  Look at the progress you've made or not made and make adjustments as needed. Notice your strengths and the areas you need to work on and set new action steps for the week ahead.

3. Celebrate the little victories:  If you wait until you reach your goal to celebrate, you'll be missing out on the journey. It takes a lot of work to change how you do life on a day to day basis, and you're DOING IT! That's a big deal.  Think about how you like to celebrate and make a list of those things including, but not limited to,  a pedicure, massage, a special lunch with friends, a night out, new book, whatever, as long as it is rewarding you for the changes you are making. Then celebrate the little victories along the way.  

4. Ask for help:  Sometimes we like to think we can do it all ourselves, and sometimes we can, but more often than not we need help along the way.  Find someone who has achieved what you have and ask them to sit down with you and tell you what has worked for them. Pray and ask God for the wisdom, strength, and courage to make the changes you need to make. Friends are fantastic as well. Ask someone to encourage you along the way. If needed, even counseling can help.  Remember, it is not a sign of weakness to ask for help, rather maturity.

You CAN achieve your goals for 2011! 

Julia

My wife, sitting next to me on the couch one recent morning, turned to me, holding up her iPhone. "I love this app," she said, pointing to the a graph on the little screen. "Each day I enter my weight and then it shows me my overall results. On days I get discouraged over my perceived lack of progress, this thing shows that my little ups-and-downs are actually moving me steadily toward the goal."

I immediately thought of a client I'd seen the previous day--a woman working through tremendous personal and relational challenges. "I don't think anything has changed," she sighed, having just endured a particularly difficult week. All she could see was the familiar gap between where she was and where she wanted to be. But from my perspective, I recognized the week as a small dip in the overall progress she had been making over the past three months. She needed help in stepping back to take a wider view of the change she had been experiencing.

Of course, taking this wide view lets us be honest about our lack of change too. Token efforts of "good behavior" mean little if there is no over-all move in a new direction. In marriages, for example, wives remain unimpressed by sporadic expressions of affection from a husband who generally ignores her. On the other hand, momentary neglect is easily overlooked by a spouse who generally feels cared for. What you are moving toward is more important that what you do today or where you've been in the past. It's your progress that matters most.

Even without an iPhone app you can still take a wide view of change. Don't ignore the steady work God has been doing in your life. When you get discouraged about where you are, step back and look again; be encouraged by how far you've come.

Tim Tedder