Podcast Show Notes 

As the New Year comes around, we realize we have been here before – just a year ago – and two years ago.  When we look back, for many of us, each year rolls around about the same year over year with very little intentional change.   On this episode, we want to encourage all listeners to determine that in 2025, we will have gotten out of our rut and made some lasting impacts on those important areas of our lives.      

 God put that desire within each of us and does expect that of us.  The Bible says: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might” Ecclesiastes 9:10 

Let’s jump into a few principles that can help us stay focused.  

Four Principles to Guide Us Forward: 

1. Commit to the change – Research shows that those who fully commit to the change have much better chances of success than those who never fully commit, but only wish for something different.  
2. Go Public – this becomes positive self-pressure.   Most of us do not want to let people down or embarrass ourselves, so we are hesitant to go public.  The second piece that makes a big difference, is to ensure you have accountability in conjunction with this.  A trusted individual that will check in and see how you are doing.   Men, depending on the topic, it is most likely not you wife.  Men need to hold other men accountable.  
3. Focus on behavior rather than results – most of us who are results-oriented key right in on our results.  Early on in the goal pursuit, there are few results, and can become very discouraging.  Take the long view and stay focused on the daily behavior that moves you forward.  
4. Remove distractions –  What are some of these distractions that can sidetrack us:  busyness, discouragement,  interruptions, other priorities that crash in, perceived shortcuts,  

Now that we understand some of the key principles, what are safegards we will do well to put in place.  

1. Remove temptation – similar to distractions, temptation usually involves something very significant and will pull us off of the road altogether. It is so easy to fall back into behavior or thinking that can drag you back down and make you want to give up or give in.  Keep it clear away from you – have an accountability partner help you with this. 
2. Create a new routine that leads to success – most of us live the majority of our lives on our routines.  You all know the definition of insanity right?  Doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results.  
3. Track the progress – depending on the objective as to how you do that, but find a way to track your activity/progress.  Do not focus on the results, only the journey to your results. 
4. Reward progress – rewards give you the intermediate feeling of success on your way to your larger goal.  The reward is for consistent progress, not results.    
5. If you mess up – give yourself grace on the mess up and get moving again quickly.   Keep in mind that you will mess up – no process is flawless or without holes.   Be kind to yourself and get going again. 

Paul talks about our Christian life as if we are running a race – “Like a person running a race, I try hard to reach the line so that I will receive the prize.”   I would never put our human  goals in the realm with reaching the end of life having run an excellent race towards heaven, or even crawling across the line beaten and bruised, but having finished the Christian life in God’s favor.  Many of the goals we set are often subsets of completing the Christian life God has for us – because they are calling us to excellence in whatever we do.