The Year of Lists: things to know and do for a successful 2015

year of listsI think this was the year of lists. It seems like every other email or blog post was a list of how to do something or achieve success in a certain area of life or business. I am not talking about the long standing top 10 lists of best hotel, restaurant, places to visit or even David Letterman’s top 10; those are good to know.

I am talking about lists to live by like “5 things to achieve financial success,” “7 keys to a better life,” “3 daily deeds to make your life amazing” or “5 things to be #1 on Google.”  The lists go on. I have to admit, I have also been guilty of adding a few of those this last year on our marketing blog, but they were more to consider not to live by.

The real question is do these lists actually work? It seems if anyone just does those 5, 7 or 10 simple steps then he can dominate in every area of life. But I don’t really know anyone who has said, “OH, I did this list, and it changed my life. Now I am on to this list.”

I think the content in some of those lists is good, but do we really think they will get us to number one or achieve ultimate power by just 5-10 simple steps? Nothing good comes from quick and fast.

 

Fatherly advice

I will always remember what my dad told me when I was growing up. “Do it right the first time even though you may have to spend more time and money, and learn what you are really doing.” We all know that there is no real quick way of getting things done or accomplishing things that matter in life. Doing things right takes time, patience, persistence and dedication. You might even say it’s the old fashion way of doing things.

 

Relationships

Relationships are a great example. There is no quick way to build a great relationship. The friends we have that are true friends have been with us through a lot. You can count on them and rely on them. They are built over time. The strongest friends are built through difficulties, strain, understanding, grace, love and the biggest one – time. It’s the same thing with other areas of our life; they take time. Sure there are miracles, and God can do amazing things overnight, but I think He is more about the lessons and what He wants to do in us than the end result.

 

The previous 365

Last year, for me, was one of the most eventful years. The most eventful was when I got married, we got pregnant with our first son, moved, bought our first house, started a business and changed jobs. I have to admit though, both years were amazing. God, through life, teaches and blesses at the same time if we choose to look at it that way. Each year we get to learn, grow, forgive, love, extend grace and experience difficulties as well.

 

A new year

I know there are some things in my life that I want to tackle head on starting this year. What I have learned over the previous 365 is it’s now time to set healthy boundaries and apply wisdom from the beginning. It’s a new segment in life for everyone, even if we are still in a particular season. The calendar has rebooted and given us a new year to have new goals, milestones and bucket lists to fill up. What we do with them should take time, effort and investment in them to return the most value.

 

Our relationship with God is just like people, it takes time and dedication. There is no fast way to deepen your relationship with God — only time and dedication. I personally have been looking at my plan for the new year of digging deeper in certain areas, and one thing keeps coming up. It’s been a while since I read the Bible through from start to finish in a year. I keep remembering back to the years when I have and remember those years as more consistent with my personal much needed alone time. So this is one of my dedicated investment areas I am working through in 2015. Wow, I still can’t believe I just said 2015.

This year if anyone wants to join me in a year-long accountability, just staying on track with our reading plan, email me. I’m in!

 

Be blessed and dedicated in all that you do.

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