Your Intentions were good, but time just got away from you. Or did it?

IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO CREATE AN AMAZING 2020

I know. January is almost over. 1/12th of the year almost gone. 2020 is here. New Year. New Decade. Resolutions should have already been made. The Party is over. The train has left the station.

Just trying to recover from Christmas is enough to lay most people flat. On top of all the crae-crae we deal with in a normal week, we have to get the kids ready to go back to school, put up decorations, clean house, catch a breath, finagle the finances, return to the gym, catch-up on work, etc.

In the shuffle, we lose track of time and BAM!, February is here.

We wanted to take a solo, a retreat, find some solitary space and time to dedicate our year to God, to write down our goals, to revise our life-plans, to make changes on paper that would translate to progressive life enhancements over the course of 2020...the year of vision...the year of clear sight and insight.

BUT YOU BLEW IT. And now the year is already set in motion and things are already shaping-up to be as normal as ever. Another Failed attempt. Hope Deferred. Slavery..

NOT SO FAST! YOU STILL HAVE TIME!

Now that you've caught your breath and settled into some sense of normalcy, detached somewhat from the nostalgia of the season, and cleared the Christmas cobwebs you are BETTER READY to engage in setting the course for a prosperous and exciting year. It's not too late!

HERE'S WHAT TO DO:

Now that your schedule is normalized, you can see the space available for you to take for yourself.

1. Schedule an appointment with yourself for THIS WEEK! I recommend a minimum of 4 hours. If you need to, get a babysitter, or drop the kids off at grandma's for a night or let your dog pee on the newspaper, then do it! It's a matter of LIFE! Even if you creep into the first couple of days of February, your'e still Okay.

2. Go buy a New Journal and scrawl 2020 on the cover or the binding or somewhere. This will give you the feeling that your'e doing what you meant to the first week of January when you determined to chart your course for the new year.

3. Find a quiet place where you won't be disturbed or interrupted for several hours, perhaps even a day or two. Maybe this is your empty house, a hotel room, a cabin in a state park, or a tent in the wilderness. No matter, just find a solitary place. Limit your screen time here. Get cozy. Coffee, tea, etc.

4. Initiate the time with some great worship music. Get in the Spirit.

5. Consecrate your year to God. Dedicate your body, your career, calendar, your family, your career, your days and hours, your weeks and months, your plans and desires. Offer everything to Him on the altar of your heart and present your life to Him as a living sacrifice.

6. Ask God to seal this year of your life with His purpose, presence and plan. Invite Him into your year to guide you into your most amazing year ever. To protect you in the storms that are sure to come and to cause you to grow in Him like never before. Ask Him for favor, blessing, provision, and prosperity to come to you and your household.

7. Employ the use of vows (warning: if you choose to do this, please read this article before doing so, otherwise, you could cause harm to yourself or others) in short, 30-Day commitments to help you stop or start doing something for the benefit of your relationship with God and the advancement of His Kingdom.

8. Take some time to reflect on 2019. Write down the significant events that took place in your life. Record the beautiful things that happened and express and feel extreme gratitude to the Eternal. Cultivate a thankful heart as you reflect on the past year. Recall the difficult and confusing times you experienced as well. Invite God into those places of hurt and/or deferment. Ask Him to help you make sense of the things that transpired. Be willing to accept responsibility. Be willing to extend yourself grace as He does. Search your heart for any unforgiveness and forgive tactically. Leave those negative people and experiences behind where they belong in the past, and press forward into the new year with the freedom of forgiveness.

9. Now, ask God for the "theme" of this year. What is His heart, His desire, His hope for you in this New Year. Take time to listen for His voice. Wait for His whisper to show you His theme for your life in 2020. You may see a mental image, or hear words from your gut, or a beautiful thought enter your mind from seemingly out of "nowhere". Perhaps a memory or a certain song from your past triggers a thought or word-phrase. Pay attention to it and explore it. He is faithful to answer this question if you pursue it with persistence and patience. Let it come gently. Once you discover this "theme" write it down on the cover of your journal so you will see it every time you pick it up. This will help you return to the center of God's heart for your life in 2020. As the year progresses, you will notice how the theme develops and how intimately involved He is with your life. You will marvel at the History of His faithfulness He is building in 2020.

10. Take some time for self care. Do a Self-Care inventory.

11. Finally, instead of making a litany of resolutions, that you hope will happen, Make a list of MUSTS for 2020. This is called raising your standard. These are not goals, these are MUST-HAVES/MUST-ACCOMPLISH for the year. Elevate your life, by raising the standard. Make these MUSTS very concrete and detailed. I recommend 3-5 MUSTS. No more, or you may get overwhelmed and give up. Your MUSTS are are non-negotiable. They are MEASURABLE. In other words, by the end of the year, you will be able to see clearly if you have effectively raised your standards...if your MUSTS were really MUSTS.

12. Determine the daily rituals that you must employ, that will make your MUSTS a manifest reality. Write these specific, daily actions steps down and revisit them often to take inventory on your progress. Are you following through on your daily rituals that lead to fulfilling your MUSTS? Don't forget to add affirmations to your daily ritual! You can use mine until you create your own to program your subconscious for SUCCESS!

I hope you enjoyed this and were inspired to renew the NEW YEAR. If you know of anyone who might benefit from this blog, please pay it forward. Send them this link!

Now snap to it! Schedule your appointment with you today! Like, right now!

~Mark