We are welcoming in a new year, 2024 is here! It contains 365 opportunities to do good, learn and grow, and live authentically with integrity.
2024 brings us 365 days to touch people’s lives in the name of Jesus.
One of the best ways to maximize your life and ministry in this new year is to reflect on last year.
Reflection is good for the soul. Can you can get away for a quiet day or half day this week? Or perhaps simply go to your favorite coffee shop for a couple hours to think about last year to gain insights and inspiration for this year.
If quiet reflection is not motivating for you, try it verbally with your spouse or a close friend. The key is to make it enjoyable, not a chore.
Regardless of your wiring, personality, or the amount of time you have for this, investing quality think time to process 2023 will position you for a substantially better 2024.
Reflection is good for the soul, but is even better if you act on it.
There are three keys to getting the most out of this process.
Be Honest
Be honest with yourself. If you are courageous, ask a close and trusted friend to “test” your reflections. But, short of that, being authentic with yourself is essential. Don’t beat yourself up, but tell yourself the truth.
Express gratitude
The best disposition for this reflection is gratitude. If you begin by writing a quick list about all that you are thankful for specifically in 2023, the process will be more encouraging and productive.
Take action
If you want 2024 to be all it can be, take action. Do something. That’s the bottom line. Change and growth. How do you want to be different? Live differently? Lead better? You get to choose. My advice is not to make a list too long. That can be overwhelming. If you do make a long list, then prioritize it and start with a short list of the most important things first.
10 Personal Questions:
- Allow these questions to serve you as a guide for reflection and identify areas you would choose for growth.
- You may want to focus on all of them, but I recommend no more three at time as you develop new habits and growth-oriented practices. Rotate your focus on them.
1) Did you make a new friend?
Simple enough right? Not always. Your life is busy, it’s full, and it’s difficult to find time to do all that you are currently responsible for. Where would you find time for a new friend? Yet one of the most valuable, enjoyable, growth-oriented, and life-giving things is found in meeting new people and making new friends. Are you where you want to be in this relational area?
2) Did you spend less than you made?
I hope that you did not endure a financial hardship this year that made this one impossible. If so, I pray this year is a fresh new start for you. Otherwise, we know the merit of this question and the wisdom of spending less than you make. The 10-10-80 method is still a great plan. Save 10% Give 10% and Live on 80%. What changes are needed?
3) Did you pray in a way that your heart is full?
This might be a tough question. But to start, I don’t mean it quantitatively. It’s not about how much you prayed, (though that can matter), but the results of your prayers. Did you pray in a way that you saw God move? Did your prayers draw you closer to God’s heart in 2023? Did you sense the power of the Holy Spirit at work? In what way would you like to see your prayer life become more powerful this year?
4) Did you take good care of your body?
Don’t stop reading now. I know this one may feel extra personal, but it’s just for you to consider. As someone who ate homemade chocolate chip cookies every night for some thirty years, I have my struggles here! But, it’s possible to eat smart and exercise regularly. Don’t pick a hard-core fad. Start simple. Celebrate your success, (not with a cookie.) And keep going. If you are beginning, even a brisk walk 3-5 times a week can be life changing!
5) Did you learn something new and specific about leadership?
Naming what you learned last year and in what specific way you are a better leader is vitally important. It’s possible to lead for an entire year, work hard, read books, listen to podcasts and not learn or practice something new as a leader. Set your sights high for 2024.
6) Did you love your family in a way they feel it?
It doesn’t matter if you are a thinking or feeling based person, (Myers Briggs), or if you are an introvert or extrovert, loving people in a way they receive it and feel it matters. The simple love language guide that Gary Chapman wrote years ago is still a great tool. The 5 are, words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, quality time, physical touch. Do you know which one matches those you love the most?
7) Did you forgive someone who hurt you?
As a pastor, I’m very aware of the hurts that people carry. I hear the stories and understand how hard it can be to forgive. And leaders are by no means exempt from this kind of pain. Nonetheless, the burden from lack of forgiveness is greater than the burden to find the grace to forgive genuinely. You may not be able to forgive fully in an instant, but you can start the process by acknowledging intent and desire to forgive. Then, if your heart is genuine, God will help you get there.
8) Did you finish that one big project?
This is one of the questions that I don’t have the response I would like. I had a writing project I wanted to complete last year, but I barely got it started. In addition to the writing goal, I’m focusing on a couple big new leadership development projects and finishing a couple projects at home from last year.
9) Did you focus on positive and forward-moving thoughts?
One of the most healthy and productive disciplines as a leader is staying focused on positive, pure and productive thoughts. It’s not as easy as it may seem. From difficult times in general to the fact that the enemy wants to cloud our minds with negative, self-defeating and sinful thoughts, it takes disciplined focus to remain consistently positive.
10) Did you hear God speak clearly to you?
We touched on this in question #3, but where it focused on prayer, this one centers on a specific element of prayer — hearing the voice of God. What was the most impacting thing you heard God say to you in 2023? What is the last thing you heard God say to you in 2023? How did they change you? Listening is core to this practice, followed by joyful obedience.
I hope these practical and personal questions help you have a fantastic New Year!
