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Showing posts with label New Year. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Year. Show all posts

Friday, January 1, 2021

At the start of a new year change your life by changing your perspective



The start of a new year is a time of reflection. 2020 will be remembered as a challenging year and we all hope for a better year to come. Whether it will be a better year will depend not so much on external circumstances but on the perspective with which we approach it. Here are six perspectives to consider as we start 2021.


1. Choosing to live joyfully with an attitude of thanksgiving changes everything. Everyone has things to complain about but those who focus on their blessings and God's goodness enjoy far greater peace and joy than those who don't. A focus on our complaints creates a negative outlook on all of life. A focus on our blessings and God's goodness creates joy and peace. Why settle for the first when you can have the second?


"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)


2. Put Covid into perspective. All of us are ready for this to be behind us: the virus itself and the controversy that surrounds it as well as social distancing and masks. Covid has been a major interruption in our lives and many lives have been lost. Here is what we forget. Covid is a hassle but much of our world lives every day with polluted drinking water, hungry stomachs, inadequate medical care (if at all), daily income that can be measured in a few dollars and in many places, ongoing persecution because of one's race or religion. Put in that perspective, our momentary irritations pale in comparison to a lifetime of struggle, pain and poverty. We of all people should embrace the many blessings we have rather than focus on the temporary irritations of Covid.


3. God has given you a mission in life: Focus on that mission!  In Ephesians 2:10 Paul writes that "we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." You have a purpose given by God and work to do in light of the purpose He designed you for. It may be helping others,  sharing one's faith, leading Bible studies, generosity, ministering in the church or in the community. Whatever it is, focus on that mission. At the end of the day, God wants us to embrace His gifting and calling on our lives. 


4. Keep your relationship with God fresh. Our relationship with God is only as fresh as the last time we spent with Him. Given that, endeavor to meet with Him daily in a combination of listening to His Word, conversation with Him in prayer, listening for His voice in our lives and living in obedience to Him. This is the most important relationship you will ever have so don't neglect it. Make it a priority and it will change everything about your perspective on life. 


Jesus said this: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."


Five. Remember that people matter. Those who we interact with every day are men and women made in God's Image. They matter to God and they matter to us. Treating everyone with dignity and respect, seeking the best for them, encouraging and lifting them up, forgiving those who hurt us and living at peace with everyone are all part of living out the relational wholeness that God calls us to. 


Paul writes in Colossians 3:12-14,  "Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."


Six. Focus on making the Fruit of the Spirit evident in your life and relationships in a new way. Becoming like Jesus changes everything else in our life. In a divided society, those who practice and develop the Fruit of God's Spirit will not only develop His perspective but they will stand out.


"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other." (Galatians 5:22-26). Practice these character traits and your perspective will change!


These six perspectives can dramatically affect your life and relationships in 2021. Focus on the right things and God will grant His blessing, peace and joy.





Sunday, December 29, 2019

Asking the right questions at the start of a new year


This week is a time to ask questions that allows us to evaluate the past year and plan for the coming year. There is no growth without change and change comes from evaluating the past, planning for the future and acting on that plan. 

So here are some questions to ask or issues to evaluate. The rest is up to us!

  • List the major accomplishments of the past year.

  • What are the three key goals you have for the coming year?

  • In order to meet those goals - What do I need to stop doing, what do I need to keep doing and what do I need to start doing?

  • How will you evaluate your progress in these three areas over the course of the next year?

  • Are there any relationships I need to leave behind because they are life taking rather than life giving? Are there boundaries with people that need to be established for your well being?

  • Are there relationships I want to nurture that I have not paid enough attention to?

  • What books did you read this year and what books do you want to invest your time in this coming year?

  • Time and focus are the key to all goals. How can you free up time this coming year to focus on what is truly important to you?

  • We frequently add obligations to our lives but often don't eliminate those that have run their course. Are there obligations you can and should shed? 

  • Our faith journeys matter. What can you do to take the next step in that journey?

  • All of us have "shadow sides" that dog us. What shadow sides do I need to learn to manage and how will I do that?

  • If this was my last year on earth, what would I do? How should my answer impact my plan for the coming year?
The most successful people ask the best and deepest questions. Finish this year and start the coming year by asking the questions that matter. I would love to hear the questions that you ask. Those who ask the best questions and act on them are the largest winners in life.