Are you ready for 2021?
The new year has dawned and you want to live your best year EVER!!! What does that look like? How does it begin? What can you do to kick off the year right and set things in place that will help you to succeed?
Read on for 7 tips for reviving and thriving in your new year!
A great place to begin with your new year is with something that helps you pursue your priorities and create/form good, lasting habits. Without lasting habits, any goals you have will be unattainable.
from inc.com:
“According to U.S. News & World Report, the failure rate for New Year’s resolutions is said to be about 80 percent, and most lose their resolve by mid-February. If this is true, it’s clear that there is nothing wrong with us; the problem is in the tradition itself.”
If the problem is with the tradition, we have to learn how to recreate the tradition to make it work for us.
I am not one to make resolutions. I never have been. It seems to be that if I try to set one (or many) I end up being one of the “fall off by mid-February.” It just hasn’t seemed worth my time or effort because the things I wanted to see changed weren’t things that could have an “end date” so to speak. They were things that were long-term.
I saw a shift in my mental focus and achievement when I began noticing and watching people choosing “one little word” for the whole year. My brain immediately went, “I can comprehend that.” And I started in January 2016 with the word, Intentional.
I don’t remember right off-hand what all the words have been since then, but for me, giving God the opportunity to speak over my year by putting a word on my heart has been one of the most incredible movements in my life.
He has never failed to show me how He moved through the word that He gave me for the year.
What’s interesting about my word from 2017 is the fact that I can pinpoint the first moment of shifting in my heart.
It was over the course of the year previous that I began recognizing more clearly that things in my life weren’t the way that God intended and He wanted to do some work on me.
Since that year, I have chosen a word, and watched God move through it.
My word from 2020 has been, Rest. At the beginning of the year I had no idea what that meant or what it would look like. My first understanding was that I wouldn’t be “working” this year.
On the contrary, He was giving me rest from feeling the need to achieve anything. He was giving me the opportunity to experience His moving through my obedience and longing to please Him over anyone else.
It was over the course of this experience that the book, Going Deeper was birthed. I believe that this book will be a gift and a blessing to those of you that purchase or receive it as you move into the new year.
Here are a few thoughts from others on the book:
Minna says,
“This study is so helpful especially to someone like me, a high school junior who isn’t sure where to start in her bible. This workbook covers many important topics and how to really devote your life to Christ. With a new topic every month, it really helps me to focus on one thing without getting overwhelmed by everything that I want to learn. I also love how interactive and personalized the study is to someone because everyone is at a different point in their relationship with God.”
Rebecca says,
“Going deeper is such a beautiful book that challenges us to take time each day to stop, pray, dive into scripture and reflect on many different common topics that so many, including myself, forget to bring God into or might not understand how to glorify God in. This book will challenge you, encourage you, and inspire new habits you can continue to use even after finishing this book! I’m so thankful to be able to experience this book and for the impact, it will have on so many individuals!”
Jennifer says,
“If you are looking to grow in your relationship with God I HIGHLY recommend getting this new book, Going Deeper! Seriously! I’ve been able to get a first look at this book and it is AMAZING!! I cannot wait to get my own copy and just see my relationship with God grow to higher levels! It is also a great “where do I begin” book if you are trying to figure out what a relationship with Jesus looks like! This book will definitely challenge you to look at your relationship with God in the best way possible! This book is Spirit-led for sure!”
Catherine of Truth Readers says,
“I can really feel the passion for helping young women grow in their faith–and I love that. I’m impressed with the length and the crazy amount of time this probably took to create. The design is also very professional, well done! You’ve covered so much ground here and I really like some of the very specific challenges you present in this book. I can tell your heart for teens is much like mine–bursting with enthusiasm to help them see the gospel.”
Here are 7 tips for reviving and thriving in your new year!
Pray about it
Your plans are nothing if they are outside of God’s plans.
The heart of a man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. Proverbs 16:9
Discover your priorities
Knowing what your priorities are will help secure the things that you want to improve on over the coming year.
Find a plan that works for you
The same thing isn’t going to work for everyone. When you know your priorities you’ll be able to pin-point what might work for you.
Don't do it alone
Find a friend or friends to go on the journey with you! Maybe this is diving into scripture, maybe it’s finding a workout accountability buddy.
Don’t do it alone.
Give yourself Grace
If you find that you are mid-way through the month and you are slipping on something you were hoping to improve, don’t throw in the towel. Step up and say, “it’s ok, I’m gonna keep going!”
Re-assess regularly
Maybe stop at the end of each month and just look at what worked and what didn’t. Pray for some better guidance for what didn’t work, and celebrate what did!
Don’t be afraid of investment.
Sometimes we look at our resolutions or goals and think that we don’t have to put much into them. Often-times, this short-changes ourselves. If we had invested more time or more money, things may have gone differently.
Perhaps you should invest in a counselor or coach to help you pursue your goals this year. That investment isn’t a waste, it’s an even more worth-while investment than a manicure or hair appointment. Changing your mindset on what constitutes as an investment is worthy of taking up your brain-space.
You can also invest in products that would help further your goals and ambitions. If deepening in your faith, or knowing God better over this year is on your list of priorities, my new book, Going Deeper, would be the perfect investment for you. It’s got over a year’s worth of content to help you pursue God in various areas of your life in simple and attainable ways!
Robbie Bittle
Are you living (and investing) in being holy, or happy?
The time and investment that you make in your faith will not only impact yourself, but all of those around you.
When we are tending well to our faith and relationship with Jesus, there is no way that we cannot overflow with Him into every aspect and area of our lives. The investment in faith is an eternal investment whether that is time or money, it will go far beyond what you can imagine.
Do not let yourself feel ashamed or guilty for investing in your faith. It’s easy to weigh things against one another and find a more “worthy” investment, but is it truly?!
Would you rather have a nice set of nails for six weeks, or an experience with Jesus that will last you for eternity?
Are you making investments into your holiness, or your happiness? (That’s not to say that happiness can’t be found in holiness, on the contrary, holiness leads to a resounding contentment in Christ – I can’t think of anything happier or more satisfying than that.)
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