Practical Ways to Have Your Best Year Yet

Most people wait until January to start building new habits and setting new goals, but we aren’t going to wait to start building the life we want.

Here are four ways you can make the next 12 months your best yet.

1. Choose a Discipline to Start.

Many believe that success is the result of a few big steps. But I’ve found that nothing could be further from the truth.

It’s the small things no one sees that create the results everyone wants. So if you want this year to be your best yet, find one small discipline that will lead to big results.

Whether it’s waking up 15 minutes earlier, hitting the gym three times a week, or praying with your spouse, what’s one discipline you need to start? Your new discipline done consistently will lead to big results over time.

Discipline closes the gap between who you are and who you want to become.

Being disciplined is hard, but we’re going to choose the pain of discipline over the pain of regret.

2. Have the Courage to Stop.

If you want to reach your goals, you can’t afford to waste time on distractions.

In order to accomplish more, you must do less.

You only have so much time, energy, and resources—and your life is too valuable, your calling too great, and our God too good to waste your time being distracted by things that do not matter.

So identify one bad habit you need to stop to give you the freedom to have your best year yet.

3. Build Intentional Relationships.

If you stop doing more personally, how will you accomplish more than ever before?

The key is to stop doing more and start empowering others.

For more on empowering others, listen to the Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast episode ”How To Develop Leaders.”

Once you’ve identified someone to empower, find someone who can invest in you.

Who stretches you, pushes you, or even confuses you? You could learn a lot from someone who is in a different field or thinks differently than you.

An important note: If you get a meeting with a leader you respect, show up prepared. Ask questions, listen, and take notes.

4. Select a Risk to Take.

No one ever achieved greatness by playing it safe.

If you want this year to be your best yet, now is the right time to take risks.

What ideas do you have? Do you have a dream, a hunch, or a theory you’d like to try? Take the risk!

If you wait until you feel ready, you will always be too late.

It’s time to Think Ahead

Do you ever feel disappointed with your life? By this time, you thought you would have more, that things would be different and better.

Even if you did get what you think you wanted, maybe you still feel empty, and you are intensely aware of life passing by.

You may wonder—is this all there is?

I wrote my new book, Think Ahead, for you. Think Ahead will empower you to make big and small decisions so you can discover new joy, freedom, and contentment and finally have the abundant life God designed for you.

Your life is too valuable, your calling too great, and our God too good to waste your time being distracted by things that do not matter. It’s time to Think Ahead.