Congratulations, it’s a New Year with fresh opportunities to improve your life and make a difference in the world. You have 365 new days you have been given to make progress. The question is: “What are you going to do with them?”
Should you focus your energy on living one day at a time, or build a life plan to help guide your journey forward? Do you concentrate on listening for and discerning God’s will, or keep taking steps that seem to be taking you in the right direction?
A good answer for each of those four choices—in fact, for all of them— is, “Yes.”
Because you can have a happy New Year, perhaps your best year ever, by living more intentionally.
Living More Intentionally is a Journey
Everything I write is somewhat personal, but this article was especially meaningful in some special ways. That’s because when I lived through the story below, this wasn’t a theoretical discussion or a theological exercise for me; it was real life!
I had been in the business world for over 37 years but was moving toward a major life change into full-time ministry. During that process, I wrestled with a number of questions including:
- How do I balance being intentional with waiting to discern the direction God wanted me to go?
- Had I been given enough guidance already to move forward, or should I seek more input?
- Do I trust the life plan I had been using to guide me or continue to rethink my future?
I had a life plan and had spent a lot of time thinking about the future. Frankly, I would not have been in position to consider a move as drastic as leaving a life-long career to move into ministry if that were not the case, because making a big life change involves many factors.
In the middle of that process, my younger son gave me a couple of books as presents. He knew I was doing a lot of thinking about living more intentionally, and he had thoughtfully picked books he thought I would enjoy.
I started reading one of them, and I finished it quickly; because I couldn’t put it down! The book was titled Be You. Do Good: Having the Guts to Pursue What Makes You Come Alive by Jonathan David Golden. This is a great book for anyone trying to discern their calling, find purpose, or make a life change. And for anyone interested in living more intentionally.
The material teaches us to be who we are, use what we have, and pursue what makes us come alive. And that sometimes we may need to make a life-changing decision and then not look back, while at other times it’s better to move forward by growing little by little along the way.
All great advice for living more intentionally.
“Every person’s journey toward their calling is different. It’s about you taking the next faithful step in the direction the One who’s calling you is leading.” (Be You. Be Good. by Jonathan David Golden)
Living More Intentionally Requires Balance
But how does all this apply to you?
That depends. Without thinking about it, many people spend more time planning their vacations than planning their lives. They allow tasks that are urgent, rather than important, to dominate their weekly calendar. Each morning, they jump into the to-do’s of the day before taking a little time to get centered. Maybe they rush through their busy schedule of activities without appreciating that life is lived a moment at a time. Or perhaps they waste much of their time just cruising along.
Does any of that sound familiar?
If it does, relax. You don’t have to change your life today. But you owe it to yourself and those you care about to do some thinking as you head into the New Year. To make a conscious decision to live more intentionally, one step at a time.
Because to help ensure you are moving in the right direction, you need a road map, and building a plan can help you chart your journey and stay on track. Then, you take it a day at a time, focus on progress and not perfection, and keep taking the next right steps one day at a time.
Here are 5 guidelines to help you achieve the right balance in your approach:
- Decide that living more intentionally is important – You only get one life, so it makes sense to be a good steward of the time you are given. Life is a journey, and your job is to seek the right direction using God as your guide. Look for your role in God’s larger story and identify a set of Values to guide you and a Vision for your life to inspire your efforts.
- Build a life plan and update it each year – Take a few hours—or at least just 60 minutes—each year to build or update your Life Plan. In that process, clarify and prioritize the Objectives or life improvement areas that you should focus on to give you more direction over the next 12 months.
- Plan your calendar wisely each week – Starting first by looking briefly back at the Life Plan you created, determine what Commitments you will make and schedule time for them during the week. Include first the areas that are most important in your life, even if they are not urgent.
- Hold a quiet time each day – Schedule a daily Quiet Time to stay in touch with God, pray, and listen for his input for the day. Meditate on important parts of your life and seek to discern how you can follow God’s will in those areas and stay alert for where he seems to be leading you today.
- Live in the moment – As you move through the day, keep your eyes open for treasures (small blessings), epiphanies (new ideas), victories (good choices or temptations avoided), and miracles (divine intervention) and enjoy them. Each time you adjust what you’re doing, pause to evaluate and pray about your choices and keep taking the next right steps.
Along the way, know that you can have a better New Year than you would have otherwise by living more intentionally.
You don’t have to change your life today, just keep moving in the right direction one step at a time. You don’t have to be perfect, just give it your best shot, allow yourself some grace along the way, and enjoy the journey. Learn to live life better by taking the next right steps.
But for this way of living more intentionally to make a difference in your life, there is a key step you must take: the next one!
“Life is a journey. Seek the right direction using God as your guide. Make wise choices and take the next right step.” (STEPS Principles as taken from “The Meaning of the Journey”)
Question: Which of the five guidelines above do you feel will help you the most in living more intentionally?
Action: Calendar 60 minutes this week to go through the process in the article “How to Create a 1-Hour Life Plan” and use the resources in the Online Toolkit “Living Intentionally to Change Your Life” to help you live more intentionally this year.
