10 Things Everyone Needs To Do Before Beginning The New Year

We normally embrace the New Year with high hope, anticipation and enthusiasm but sometimes little is achieved by the end of the year. A lot of people as usual, will push their unfulfilled dreams of the year to the following year hoping that life will treat them well but life is not lived on autopilot. Life will gives you what you have planned and worked for not what is hoped and wished for.

Research shows that a lot of people forget their New Year visions latest by the end of the first quarter of each year, thus by the month of March. The question is do you remember all your visions for this year?

In Proverbs 21:5, the Bible said that Careful planning leads to profit. Acting too quickly leads to poverty (ERV)

In the above text, the writer said careful planning leads to profit. Acting too quickly or too late or in haste will definitely lead to poverty. It is a prudent practice to plan ahead and strategize, for the future before getting there.

10 Things To Do Before Beginning Your New Year

1. Have a Review of The Year

• As the days and hours race to end the year, you should be having a personal review of your life, your ministry, family life, career, relationships and marital life, education, investment, and other equally important goals you set for yourself.

• Through the review, you will get to know which of those visions that you failed to do your very best, investigate to know what made you fail, why you didn’t achieve your visions and outline the possible causes and solutions.

• A good review will assist you to know which friends to be maintained and which ones you should cut ties with.

• Any relationship or friendship that pushes you far away from your destiny and your God is a total waste of your life and time. Avoid such relationships. There are more people out there to assist you to reach your goal without demanding anything that will compromise your morality and spirituality.

2. Prayerfully Plan The Next Year

• It is not just enough to put pen and paper down and start writing anything to do in the following year.

• Carefully seek the face of God in your plans to know the will of God for your life.

• Planning and living in the will of God makes things easier for you without struggling.

• The man that lives his life according to the intentions and purposes of God lives a fulfilled life devoid of unnecessary struggles and disappointments.

• Know which of your long term visions that are Work In Progress and needs to be carried into the following year.

• Do not plan of too many things to do; concentrate only on just a few important ones to avoid frustrations and disappointments.

• Consider your priorities instead of the other things which may not be too important.

3. Have A Budget For Your Visions

• Your budget is supposed to be an appendix or an attachment to your plan. How do you finance your ideas or New Year goals?

• Luke 14: 29 says: For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you.

• It is your budget that will determine whether you can single handedly finance that goal or vision.

• Can you marry, buy a car, a plot of land, start a business and further your education at the same time?

• If no, then you need to consider two things here: Priorities and Source of Income.

• Be prudent in your decision making especially if you have to take up a loan facility. Consult first to be sure of what you are doing.

4. Remember Your Vows

• Do you remember that promise you made on 31^st Night last year about what you will do for God when he does A, B and C for you?

• May be God has done it and you have forgotten to fulfill your part of the agreement.

• 5:4 says: When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow.

• 23:21 says: If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not be slow to pay it, for the LORD your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin.

• Do not make any pledge or promise in the House of God if you know you won’t pay it or if you know your faith is too small, better keep quiet and not make any pledge that brings a burden and sin onto you to block your future blessings.

• Ask yourself, are there some pledges or vows that you have not redeemed?

5. Make A Remembrance And Thank You List

• We live in the part of the world where a lot of people play great roles in our upbringing, schooling and working.

• Sometimes, some of these people may not be related to you but total strangers whose hearts will be touched to be a blessing to you.

• You have no idea what they went through to assist and establish you to be well of in life.

• It is a wise thing to remember them, visit them and say thank you for being there for me.

• If possible, show them some love if you have the means to do so. They may need it than never before.

6. Make A Deliberate Attempt For Savings And Investment

• 2 Corinthians 9:10 says: Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.

• The wisdom here is that some monies that come your way are seeds that needs to be planted, thus savings and investments.

• It takes wisdom to know which of your incomes are for seeds and that which is for bread, thus meant for spending.

• You will surely go hungry at the time of harvest if you eat your seed during time of sowing.

• Respect little and consistent habit of savings.

• For easier way: Use the 10, 10, 80 Principles, thus the first 10% of your salary is for your tithes; pay it to God. Second 10% is for savings and or investment, make sure you are disciplined here no matter how small the salary is. The bigger 80% of your salary covers your monthly expenses, thus travelling expenses, food, utility bills and several others.

7. Do Not Neglect A Plan For Your Own Health

• It is good to have big dreams and plans to achieve in the ensuing year. That is great but how will you achieve that if you are down and seriously ill.

• One of the serious mistakes Christians and many people make is the neglect of their own health.

• They punish the body, use it to do many strenuous works and deprive it of good rest but never joke with servicing their cars fearing that they may breakdown and bring huge costs.

• The human body is just like a car. If you do not make conscious efforts to treat it well, you will end up spending your entire savings with just one sickness or losing your life simply because you ignored your own health.

• Be discipline and maintain a health check pattern. This can be done during your leave days. It is necessary. Many deaths are avoidable if you take checkups very serious.

8. Have A spiritual Goal

• Having a spiritual goal is part of the general plan but it must be treated separately for more emphasis.

• Sometimes, your attitudes towards God may determine His attitudes towards you.

• Have a spiritual goal to balance off your life.

• Remember, a false balance is an abomination onto the Lord – Proverbs 11:1

• A well planned spiritual life will outline time for consistent devotions, acquiring a devotional guide, buying a good study Bible and a diary, etc.

• It could be your goal to have a whole year Bible Planner to enable you to read the entire Bible by the end of the year.

9. Forgive Your Wrong Doers

• It is likely that some people will bring you so much joy while others too will bring you so much pain, tears, heartbreaks, disappointments, serve as setbacks and sometimes, enemies of progress.

• My dear, do not enter the New Year with these baggage. They are too much of a burden to be carried forward into the future.

• Forgive and you shall also be forgiven

10. Make Conscious Efforts To Upgrade Yourself

• In the world of business, the more you know, the better it gets.

• Do not be stuck in life using same old ideas.

• You can improve and upgrade yourself by
• Furthering your education which should be part of your main plans,
• Reading a good inspirational or religious book,
• Watching YouTube videos on how to do some simple things.
• Learning a trade
• Upgrading your ICT Knowledge
• Attending relevant and important conferences regarding your profession, etc.

So folks, here are the 10 Things Everyone Needs To Do Before Beginning The New Year. Kindly share your experience and views with us.