We all get excited about a New Year, which for many of us means a fresh start or a new beginning. This is also the time where a lot of people start making their list of….yes, you guessed it…. NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS. And all of these resolutions are all about things that people want to change in the upcoming year, right? So what we do is make them in January and by mid February (if we are honest) many of us have returned to our old ways and habits. We start out on a new goal only to find ourselves right back at the starting line again. That’s why I want to share six strategies on how to “PUSH PASS START”.
Of course before we can PUSH PASS START, we first must come to grips that New Year’s Resolutions don’t work, but for some reason we keep making them. As a matter-of-fact, according to the Journal of Clinical Psychology, approximately 50% of those that make New Year Resolutions fail. FIFTY PERCENT!!!! Now, that is a very high percentage, which means that half of us are GUARANTEED TO FAIL.
Other research suggests only 8% of those who create New Years Resolutions succeed. So the percentage is even higher which means that 92% of us don’t have a chance. It’s no wonder we are always at the STARTING GATE ready to take off running once we hear the shot fired in the air only to lose stream right in the middle of the race. Has this ever happened to you? Maybe it happened to you when you set out to lose weight, or to stop smoking, or get out of debt, or maybe to start a business, or finish your degree. Whatever it is, we are still finding ourselves at square one.
Well, it’s time to PUSH PASS START and to go all the way to the finish line! I’ve discovered some great strategies that are derived from one passage of scripture that I believe will empower you to PUSH PASS START!
2 Corinthians 8:10-12 (Message Bible) states “The best thing you can do right now is to finish what you started last year and not let those good intentions grow stale. Your heart's been in the right place all along. You've got what it takes to finish it up, so go to it. Once the commitment is clear, you do what you can, not what you can't. The heart regulates the hands.
Wow!!!! There is so much just in this scripture alone.
STRATEGIES to PUSH PASS START:
1. DON’T START ANYTHING NEW, BUT FINISH WHAT YOU STARTED.
Think about how many projects, assignments, goals, ideas, and dreams that lay dormant only because you stopped right in the middle of it and never came back to it. You don’t need to keep starting over or starting something new, just return to where you left off and continue to work on whatever it is until it is completed.
2. SET THE RIGHT INTENTION & STAY FOCUS
Franklin Covey would say “Begin with the End in mind.” Intention is something like that. Intention is the aim or the direction that guides your actions toward what you purpose to do or achieve. So you have to make a decision to go one way or the other and then stick to it. Don’t lose sight of the direction you were headed in. Focus your intention towards a particular destination or on one particular thing. Place all of your energy, effort and attention on what you are going after and stay on that path until you arrive.
3. MAINTAIN A STRONG DESIRE FOR WHAT YOU WANT
Don’t let your desire for "MORE" die, just because it may get a little challenging or that it seems to be such a long time coming. A sacred longing of the heart is a major ingredient to keep you moving ahead. I like what King David said “One thing I desire of the Lord and that will I seek after”. So resolve within yourself that maintaining a strong desire as well as imagining what you will like and what your life will look like once that desire is fulfilled will be a huge “Push Factor” in your life.
4. TRUST IN YOUR ABILITIES TO SUCCEED
You have what it takes to succeed! You must have faith and confidence that you are well capable of overcoming any obstacle, distraction, barrier, and hindrances that comes your way. Don’t focus on what you can’t do, but only on what you can do because you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you! Also, make sure that your goals are broken down into bite-size pieces, which will fuel your confidence and grant you the assurance that it is possible to accomplish and a higher success rate.
5. MAKE A COMMITMENT TO YOURSELF
Determine that you are going to put your whole self into what you believe and make sure you are crystal clear on what you are committing to. Making a commitment to yourself is making a promise that you will honor and keep because it is important to you. Or better yet, draw up a contract regarding what you say you believe, sign it and have someone else to sign it in order to hold you accountable. We all know what happens when you break a contract, right? There are penalties to pay!!! Ask yourself what would it cost you if you don't do what you said you would do and decide upfront whether or not those penalties are worth the price you will have to pay for not pushing to reach your goal.
6. DISCOVER YOUR MOTIVATION THAT IGNITES YOU INTO ACTION
Ask yourself what is your motivation? Why are you doing what you are doing? Is this the thing that matters the most to you? In other words, find out what is your big “WHY” is. Once your “Why” becomes bigger than you, it will be the fire that keeps you burning until you experience a breakthrough to your victory and achieve your desired outcome!
Ask yourself....
What have you prevented from taking place in your life because you stopped what you were working on only to start something new?
What's been holding you back from reaching your finish line and receiving your reward?
Remember, you don’t have to start on something brand new. Just PUSH PASS START & finish what you started!!!!