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7 things to do make the New Year a truly happy one
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Article By Dawn Jackson // EEW Magazine
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Posted December 27, 2017
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Make the New Year count with these tips from Empowering Everyday Women
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Whether or not you make formal New Year’s resolutions, you should be resolved to do some
things differently in the New Year. No matter how great or poorly things went in 2017, we all
have room for improvement.
If you want to experience joy and fulfillment, maximize your potential, and impact the world in
greater ways in the year to come, here are 7 things that are required to make your New Year a
truly happy one.
#1 Unwrap the gift of goodbye: Christmas is over, but there is still one gift you have left to
unwrap: the gift of goodbye. Every old connection and situation isn’t worthy of being brought
into your new season. Walking away from what holds you back, hurts you and keeps you stuck
is the one present you owe to yourself. 2018 is your year of new beginnings. Jesus said in
Matthew 9:17, “Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is
spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are
preserved.” Any person or thing that cannot grow, stretch, change, be flexible or improve, must
be reckoned dead and left behind.
#2 Forget about it. You don’t have to have a true case of amnesia to forget about what’s in
the past. Just shift your focus. Don’t waste mental energy on useless relationships and
circumstances that no longer serve you. If God led you to let it go, leave it in the past. Value
your mental health and preservation by focusing on what matters most, what helps you, what
betters you and what motivates you. As Paul said in Philippians 3:13 NIV, “But one thing I do:
Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.”
#3 Change your tires. If we invest in our automobiles by changing tires to avoid them getting
worn down, losing traction, and air, why would we neglect to do the same thing in our lives? In
life, changing your tire means getting rid of what doesn’t add to you, but consistently tires you
out, wears you out, and burns you out. Change your tires. Tired of that toxic relationship?
Change it. Tired of focusing on everyone’s needs and not enough on your own? Change it.
Tired of working a dead-end job instead of working toward your purpose-driven goals?
Change it.
#4 Omit mistakes. Back in the day, when typewriters, not computers, were the main thing,
whenever I made a mistake, I would omit it using whiteout or liquid paper. After the whiteout
dried, I would type over it, thus omitting the mistake and moving on. In our spiritual journey, we
don’t use whiteout, however. We use red-out. The blood Jesus shed omits mistakes, erases
guilt and gives us a new lease on life. I implore you to take that fresh start. Let Him blot out
your wrongs. Don’t carry that shame into your new season. It’s over. It’s done with. Begin
again. He has made all things new.
#5 Give your mouth a rest. Spend less time talking about what you’re going to do and more
time actually doing it. Instead of letting your words speak for you, let your work speak for you. It’
s easy to get excited about witty ideas, short-term and long-term goals, and share them with
others, but fail to take action. With lip service, multiple people discuss their intentions, but fail
to take action. They believe in their dreams, spread the word about their goals, but don’t put
the work in. James 2:24 teaches us faith without works is dead.
#6 Act brand new. This principle aligns with #5. Let your behaviors, work ethic, relationships
and activities line up with your new goals for yourself. Wanting a new life is not enough. You
must be willing to do what it takes to create it, by giving everything an overhaul. Examine your
closest relationships; the amount of time you spend engaging in needless things; the level of
focus you have; the attention you give to the details of your vision, and more. If you want to be
brand new, act brand new. First, begin carving out prayer and study time daily, and let nothing
get in your way. We are transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). Then,
disassociate from those that discourage you from changing. Gravitate more toward healthy
sources of motivation and inspiration to support your evolution.
#7 And finally, say yes more. Don’t indiscriminately say yes to everything, but absolutely say
yes to those deep-rooted desires that have been lying dormant for much too long. Say yes to
confidence when self-doubt tries to make you question your ability and faith in God’s power.
Say yes to your dreams when you wonder if you really have what it takes to execute the plans
God has divinely downloaded into your spirit. Say yes when others skeptically ask you, “So,
you’re really going to do that?” and “Do you think that’s a good idea?” Above all, give the
greatest yes of all to the Lord. Say yes to His will; yes to His plan; yes to His standard of living;
yes, wholly, fully, completely.
2018 doesn’t have to be a repeat of the mistakes, setbacks and challenges of the year before
it. Sure, you’ll deal with some struggles in the New Year. We all will. But those struggles don’t
have to be of your own making. Christ has empowered you to be strong and courageous, and
live fully. He has also equipped you to move boldly forward in purpose.
Make the New Year a truly happy one. Believe that you will begin 2018 strong and finish even
stronger with the help of the Lord. After all, you can do all things through Christ.
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