This week, as we head into a new year, I want to help you think through life planning. I believe in purposeful living.

Here is a reality that I have experienced personally and in observation of so many others. Most likely, the degree of success you experience this next year will be directly proportional to the direction you head your life and the intentionality you have with the decisions you make. If you have an idea or goal of where you want to go, and a plan of action coupled with discipline, you are more likely to achieve your desired results.  You can’t control some of the things life brings you, but you will have a better chance of achieving your dreams if you create some organization in your life to help you reach them.

I also believe simple is good…so for the next few days, I want to offer segments of developing a one-year life plan. I’ll break it down a little each day to keep it from seeming overwhelming. At the end of the week, if you follow along, you’ll at least have a plan of action. (If you have a better way of doing this…I welcome your input…the key is doing it far more than how…)

Today, let’s set some goals for ourselves…

List three to five goals total…if you have too many you’ll burnout trying to reach them and too few will keep you from achieving all that’s possible.

Think through several areas of your life where you would like to see improvement. Areas such as:

• Spiritual
• Personal
• Marriage or relationships
• Physical
• Emotional
• Financial
• Professional

Include a stretch goal, such as run a marathon, read through the Bible. learn to fly a plane, get out of debt, start a side business, or write a book.

At this point, they can be very general. They shouldn’t all be “stretch goals”; limit that to one or two, but they all should be goals designed to take you somewhere you want to go in life; somewhere you hope to improve.

So, spend some time today and list your goals. Remember, no more than five….no less than three…

Here is an example:

1. Lose 10 pounds. (I went specific here because most have an idea of a number here…you can simply put “lose weight” at this point if that’s one of your goals.)
2. Improve my marriage communication.
3. Pay off my credit card.
4. Read through the Bible.
5. Write a book.

Tomorrow we will take this a step further.

Feel free to share your list in the comment section of this post.

Are you up for the challenge? Do you need something like this? Have you ever written out a plan for the New Year?

(Side note for those who are thinking…God is in control of my destiny…so I’ll just let Him direct my paths…I don’t need a plan… I couldn’t agree with you more about God being in control…as He should be.  All our plans and goals are futile without His input, but read through the Bible and you’ll see countless illustrations of how God allows men and women who seek Him to create a plan of action; sometimes for good and sometimes not.  There are times God gives us clear and direct instructions and other times (I would say most times) God allows us to figure out the best course of action based on the wisdom and experiences He has allowed us to have.)

I’m very reflective this time of year…

As we head into a New Year, I considering if my life is achieving the things of greatest value…

One way I’m doing that is asking myself some self-evaluation questions…

For example…

Am I more concerned about:

• My clothes or my character?
• What others think of me or what God thinks of me?
• My success or my influence?
• Having fun or making a difference?
• Making a quick and easy return or a creating a long term investment?
• Gaining instant pleasure or producing eternal rewards?
• My personal safety or my obedience to God’s will?
• Being loved or loving well?
• My happiness or enhancing the happiness of others?
• The worries I can manufacture or having a faith in One I can’t control?
• My popularity with the rich and famous or a relationship with my Creator?
• My bank account or making a Kingdom impact with what God has given me?

Sometimes it is not a matter of good or bad, but of good or best…

In 2011…let’s be concerned about things of greater value…

What else could you add to my list of questions?

Making the right decision isn’t always appreciated. If a leader is going to do anything of value, it will involve risks and be subject to the opinions of others. There will be days, weeks and seasons where it feels as if everyone is against you, even though you know, because of insight you have that others don’t have or because of a calling of God, that you are doing the best thing for the organization. These are hard days for the leader. I once wrote about the loneliness of these times in leadership HERE.

In those times as a leader, when your popularity is threatened, here are a few suggestions:

Make sure you are following your heart and God’s will - The two should go together. If not, follow God’s will, but know that men and women throughout the Bible and church history have been persecuted even when they were in the center of God’s will. (Remember Jesus? He was too!)

Surround yourself with those who believe in you - You have supporters, even if it is just a remnant of people, but they are somewhere to be found. Sometimes those people may only be found among your immediate family, but even though you may feel you are alone, you are not. Open your eyes to those who are still on your team, believe in you and are in your corner. (Remember Elijah? He thought he was alone also…Read 1 Kings 19…he wasn’t.)

Be flexible – There are some things that are not worth arguing about. You may have to alter some of what you want to do in order to do what’s best for everyone and to be obedient to God. (Remember Peter’s vision…Acts 10…he had to alter his plans and it was likely unpopular with his comrades.)

Don’t compromise truth - Being flexible does not mean altering the vision God has given you. Stay true, without wavering, to the call of God on your life, even when that’s uncomfortable to do so. (Read the commitment of Joshua in Joshua 24…in spite of the decisions of others, Joshua was sticking with God)

Push forward – Once you know you are heading in the right direction and you’ve surrounded yourself with a few people who support you, move forward without looking back, regardless of who you leave behind in the process. (See Nehemiah chapters 4 through 6 for a reminder of a leader who moved forward in spite of opposition.)

When you begin to see the reality of God working in your life, you’ll be glad that you stayed the course. The sense of loneliness is real…it’s hard…it’s uncomfortable…but it’s part of the process of leading.

Read THIS POST or THIS POST if you need more encouragement.

Have you had moments of leadership when you felt unpopular? Are you there now?  Does being unpopular bother you? How do you deal with this?

Don’t rush every decision…every movement you make doesn’t have to be made at rocket pace…

I recognize the pace of life and the speed at which the world is moving…

But sometimes wrestling for a while with a decision is the better option…

A few examples I’ve learned the hard way:

• Be slow to add someone to paid staff…
• Be slow to make changes that alter vision…
• Be slow to make assumptions without facts…
• Be slow to sign for borrowed money…
• Be slow to repeat someone else’s story…
• Be slow to offer correction to someone until you’ve built a relationship…
• Be slow to sign a partnership agreement…

There will always be exceptions…you don’t want to miss out on great opportunities…most of the time I’ll be one encouraging you to dream big and take a risk…even to move quickly…

Today I feel the need to suggest to you the slower option…

Is this something you need to hear?

Could you add any examples to my list? Perhaps we could learn from your experiences…Please share…

For a similar thought, read THIS POST or THIS POST

I was talking with a doctor recently. He said increasingly physicians are deciding not to attempt private practice. They are choosing to work only for guaranteed salaries at a hospital, afraid to take a risk of self-employment. In his opinion, it’s changing the way healthcare is done in America. I can’t speak with authority about the field of medicine, but I have noticed the same trend occur in other fields. I talk with people regularly who are settling for security rather than take a risk in this economy.

In a way, it’s completely understandable. This economy is scary for everyone, even churches (even though we are called to live by faith). I am certainly not an advocate for being irresponsible. I think we should be especially wise in these days. I will say, however, that we can’t allow our fear of the unknown to keep us from dreaming big dreams for tomorrow.

My personal concern is that if we eliminate the process of taking risks from our culture, it will be the end of life as we know it as Americans. Our country was founded and made to flourish by dreamers who took big risks.  An even greater concern, and of more personal interest to me, is that we will miss out on some God-sized opportunities because we are developing a culture of fear.

Have you seen this trend? Do you have an example? Have you been scared from following the dreams God lays on your heart?

I was thinking about you this morning. Maybe not you specifically, but I was thinking of someone like you…that is if you are someone who is sitting on the sidelines afraid to pursue your God-given dreams, watching the world pass you by.  Was I thinking of you?

Maybe it’s because I encounter many people at their point of desperation…when they are tempted to give up…

It could be because I’m wired to dream big dreams…or because I’ve been sidelined for a time…watching everyone else pursuing their dreams except me…

But, for whatever the reason, I continually sense the need to encourage people to move forward with their dreams and aspirations.

Have you thought lately about the legacy you are leaving? Will you leave a legacy of having followed the dreams you had for your life?

If that’s your desire for a legacy…you may have to:

• Take a risk…
• Face the fear of the unknown…
• Resist the temptations to give up…
• Ignore the negative voices in your life…
• Say yes again to God’s call on your life…
• Release the guilt of the past by receiving God’s forgiveness…

What is your dream?
What is holding you back?
What legacy are you aiming to leave behind?

What will you allow to be the greatest pull on your heart?

Go for your dream…get started today!

What are you afraid of?

Do you have a dream you haven’t tackled out of fear?

Have you allowed your weaknesses, even your disabilities to hold you back from all God would have for you?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then you MUST read this book.  Buy it HERE now.

The Summit, by Eric Alexander, retells the story of Eric’s powerful story and his unique life journey of guiding people with disabilities to the most perilous places of the world, including Mount Everest’s first blind ascent. In The Summit: Faith Beyond Everest’s Death Zone you will follow in their historic footsteps, and learn about faith, trust, prayer, depending on God, as well as the perseverance needed during these climbs and in your own life. Be inspired and motivated by Eric’s insight, not simply to survive but to thrive every day in God’s grace.

You can even read the first two chapters free HERE. Can’t pass that up!

Be inspired, be challenged, be moved…Read this book! There is also a Kindle edition at Amazon, which is what I purchased.

Watch this video:

What is the one fear you want to conquer? Share it here!

In case you haven’t been keeping up, the world has changed. To be successful today in any profession takes new tools and skills. I am asked frequently by young leaders what advice I have for those just starting their career. Obviously, if you are a believer desiring to do ministry (which describes many of my readers) then you first need to work through your relationship with Christ to be obedient to God’s call on your life, but even Christian leaders need to think how best to succeed in a changing world.

Here are some “must haves” I would advise young leaders to seek to possess in order to achieve personal success:

Personal branding – I have always kept my resume up-to-date and encouraged others I work with to do the same, but today requires far more than a resume. Today it is easy and therefore important to develop your own identity…your own brand. (I wrote a post about personal branding HERE.)

Connectedness – Social media is not an option, anymore. The use of Twitter, Facebook, blogging and other social media sites is the way networks are built these days. People once traded email addresses to build professional relationships. Now they trade social mediums.

Action plan – You will never reach your dreams without a plan. Those who achieve great things develop a system to implement their ideas. This is not new to today’s world, but it is perhaps even more important now. (Read a post about achieving your dreams HERE.)

Self-initiative - No one is going to script life for you. The days when the organization writes the rules for you are over. The ones who achieve success today are those who are willing to take the initiative to do something without anyone forcing them to do so.

Original thought – Uniqueness sets you apart from the crowd and today that’s more important than ever. There are thousands of ideas in the world and yours is just one of them, but you better have some of your own.

Team spirit - Most healthy environments these days frown on lone rangers. Be willing to humbly submit to others and participate in a team environment. Be likable and work well with others. Collaboration is a key function of today’s successful organizations.

Flexibility – Change is the only guarantee in all this. Today’s leader must remain flexible to a changing environment and wiling to adapt quickly as necessary.

What else would you add to my list (or take away)?

I love and encourage dreaming, because I think it’s healthy emotionally and the process helps us accomplish great things personally and for God. We are told we serve a big, creative God, whose thoughts will always be bigger and better than ours, so dreaming should be natural to believers. Dreaming stretches the vision of churches and organizations, it fuels creativity, and many great opportunities develop first as a dream.  (I written previously about the subject of dreams HERE.)

The reality is that more people have dreams than attain them. Perhaps you have dreams you have yet to accomplish. I certainly do. One reason dreams never come true is that we don’t have a system in place to work towards them. I love to be an encourager for people with great dreams, so with that in mind, here are some steps to help you move towards reaching your dreams:

Identify your dream – This is where you list specifically what the dream would look like. Obviously it needs to be attainable, but don’t be afraid for it to be a stretch either. For example, suppose your dream is to be to be an author. That’s a dream you can accomplish, but it may not be attainable to be the next Max Lucado.

Make an action plan – Write down specific action steps you can take towards attaining your goal. (The writing down part is important) Sticking with the the idea of being an author, perhaps you could start with a blog for which you write post regularly to build the discipline of writing. Then move to outlining chapters. Then you might set aside a few hours a week to actually write the book. Record realistic dates to begin/complete each step.

Develop accountability - Most of us work harder when we know someone is going to challenge us to do so. Consider the success of programs like Weight Watchers. Accountability works, so share your plan of action with a few people who will continue to challenge you to completion.

Share the load - Even though it is your dream, the best ideas are accomplished when people work together towards a common vision. Don’t be afraid to invite others to help you accomplish your dream as needed. (Read my encouragement to give your vision away HERE.)

Take a risk - If you really want to succeed, you must be willing to risk failure. Every great dream has an element of risk involved and the ones who achieve their dreams are the ones wiling to assume the risk.

Stay consistent – If you want to achieve your dreams, you will have to keep at the task, even during the set backs. Push yourself to complete scheduled action steps even on days you may not want to do anything. These is how habits are developed. Many give up too soon, often just before the tipping point towards success occurs. Unless you know it’s time to try another dream, stay consistent with the one in front of you.

Get started now – The longer you wait, the more you delay achievement and the less likely you are to begin. If you know the dream is worth achieving, if you are confidant it’s a God-honoring, morally right, and worthy dream, then start today!

What is one dream you have yet to attain? Why not take one meaningful step to get started today?

It’s a strange phenomenon…I’ve seen people serve in leadership roles who I didn’t think were the most qualified to lead, yet they are leading well and people are following. And, many times, they are achieving great results…

The reason is not their abilities as much as the way they have positioned or presented themselves to a group of followers.

The opposite is equally true. I have seen people who have positions where they are to be the leader but no one seems to be following.

That’s because of one principle of leadership:

Leaders posture themselves as leaders…

• They seem to be in control or they take control…
• They aren’t afraid to take a risk…
• They are willing to go first…
• They have battle-scarred hands from life experience…
• They are still dreaming, when everyone else is settling for mediocrity..
• They have the latest information…
• They appear to have a plan…
• They have impeccable character and integrity…
• They hold a big vision…

You may not have all the answers, you may even be fooling yourself at times, but if you are postured to lead…others will follow…

Consider your leadership posture…would you want to follow you?

What do you look for in a person you will consider following?