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Happy New Year 2019
Happy New Year!
2018 is in the books, and we officially begin 2019 TODAY!
Many of us use the New Year, January 1st, to get a fresh start. We establish new goals. We make attempts at starting new habits. We pursue things like health, wealth, and happiness with more passion and vigor when the new year starts.
I won’t lie I made some attempts at creating better habits and pursuing certain goals today, and I also already fell short on some of the things that ran through my head.
The great thing is that tomorrow is a new day, and I get to start all over with a fresh start when my alarm goes off at 4AM on January 2nd.
2018 was a pretty good year. I read lots of books. I traveled to some amazing places. I spent time with my family. And I took a lot of steps (and I mean a lot).
As 2019 begins, I want to continue these things, but I also have aspirations for some other important things. I want to grow closer to God in 2019. I want to make strides in building deeper relationships with those around me. I want to go to Washington (state) again this year for a facilitators conference/retreat with Family Lines. I want to return to Guatemala and help build more houses. I want to host the first ever Stretched Men Live event. And I want to become a jump roping master (I’ve got a LONG way to go with this one).
Above all else, I want God’s plans for me to be my plans. This will require an open mind, an open heart, and an all-out pursuit of Him.
As 2019 gets underway, I pray God directs our paths.
Who’s with me?
Help for Your New Year
New Year’s Day is every man’s birthday.
Charles Lamb
It’s New Year’s Day, and it’s a time when many are considering how they want to start the new year. What targets will we set for the new year? What resolutions will we make? Will they last, or will they fade away as the days and weeks unveil themselves in 2018?
If you’re like me, your Facebook feed is filled with advertisements promoting planners, guides, books, and webinars that are “guaranteed to make you a new person in the new year.” I’m not opposed to all of these things as I’m a very goal oriented person; however, it can be a real challenge to pick the “right” just for you.
As I’ve been thinking about my goals for 2018, I’ve been thinking about dreams and goals in the following areas:
- Faith – I want to be intentional in my relationship with God. I want to make my faith a priority in 2018, and I want it to be the underlying current for the rest of my hopes and dreams.
- Family – I want my marriage and my parenting to be all they can be, and I want them to have an impact that far exceeds the walls of my house.
- Fitness – I need to be in good shape (and I don’t mean pear-shaped – although I like pears) if I’m going to be all I can be. Dropping a few pounds and keeping a consistent exercise routine are essential for me to succeed in this area this year.
- Function – This relates to my job. I want to grow in my leadership and skill, and I want to do whatever I can to help my team members, my customers, and the company succeed in 2018. I also want to make sure I’m thinking long-term in my approach to my function (my work).
- Founder – You probably are getting the picture. My goal areas for 2018 all start with the letter ‘F’. When I say founder, I mean my entrepreneurial pursuits. I have goals related to my writing, my speaking, my mastermind group for men, and other things I’m working on outside of my job.
- Financial – In order to reach my dreams of being completely debt free including my mortgage and of being prepared for retirement, it’s important to set financial goals for this year. Leanne and I are preparing to have both of our kids in college later this year which means this goal area requires extra attention to make sure we thrive through these years.
- Fun – Yes, I said fun. We can’t forget fun when we set our goals. This means vacations, weekend trips, family outings, and even individual retreats.
As you consider your goals for 2018, I don’t want you to feel lost. I’d also hate to see you let apathy set in as you enter the new year. It’s important to have a target at which we can aim.
“If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.” Zig Ziglar
I’d love to help you sort out your goals for 2018. In fact, I have a framework that will help you STRETCH in the new year. Because I believe you aren’t really living if you aren’t stretching and growing.
To help you get off on the right foot in 2018, I’ve created a 7 Week Stretch Challenge. When you sign up for the Challenge, you’ll get a weekly email from me that will teach you some important concepts to help you STRETCH into the new year. Each week, you’ll have one simple concept to work on that will help lay the groundwork for a better you in 2018.
You have a choice to make.
You can proceed as usual. When you make this choice, you should expect a usual outcome.
Or you can take the challenge and STRETCH yourself. You can be a new you at the end of the year.
What’s your choice?
To sign up for the 7 Week Stretch Challenge, click here (or sign up below).
What goals are you setting for 2018? Share your goals in the comments below.
New Year’s Eve 2011 Week In Review…
It’s been a different week here at the Stretched blog. The holidays have provided a great opportunity to catch up with family, to relax, and to regroup for 2012. The traffic to the Stretched Blog was a little lower than the past few weeks, but that was expected. On the positive, December 2011 has been the best month (by far) since the blog started! Thank you!
Here’s the rundown on the posts for the week:
Tuesday: Top Posts of 2011 Number 2 – Ten Things Every Small Group Leader Should Know
Wednesday: Top Posts of 2011 Number 1 – Top 10 Things To Do At Grove City College
Thursday: Book Review: Rumors of God by Darren Whitehead and Jon Tyson
Friday (this actually posted Saturday do to a visit to me by the stomach flu): Ice Breaker – Resolutions
I am so thankful for your continued contribution to the blog through comments. Your comments are what makes this Stretched Community! Please remember to take the time to Subscribe to the blog, so you can have Stretched delivered daily to your e-mail inbox. Also, don’t forget to stop by the Jon Stolpe Stretched Facebook fan page. Become a fan to keep up with some additional Stretched stuff. I have started to share more blog highlights from other blogs that I read regularly. I think you’ll find some great stuff here. Thanks!
I’m really excited about this upcoming week as we roll into 2012! I’ll be guest posting on a blog or two, and I’ll have more stuff right here. Please stop back so you can see what’s going on here!
How about you? How was your week? If you’re a blogger what happened over your way this week? Did you read any great blog posts this week? Share with the rest of us!
Ice Breaker – Resolutions
Okay, here it is! The last ice breaker question of 2011! I started these ice breaker questions a couple of months ago, and I’ve been amazed at the popularity and response. The Ice Breaker question a few weeks ago about Christmas movies is one of the top posts all-time on The Stretched Blog. For those of you who are new or who forgot, ice breaker questions are used to help people get to know each other – to “break the ice” so to speak. I love hearing what other people have to say and how they think. So for today, I’m excited to throw out another simple New Year’s themed ice breaker question. I’ll answer it first, then it’s your turn. Answer the question by leaving a comment for us all to enjoy. Thanks!
Question: Do you make New Year’s resolutions? If so, what’s one of your New Year’s resolutions? If not, why?
My Answer: Here you go….
If you’ve been reading for a while, you may have noticed or you may have heard me share that I’m a goal oriented person. I love to set goals and to see where they take me. So…it shouldn’t be a surprise that I like the opportunity to set new goals for the year ahead. I usually set personal fitness goals, spiritual growth goals, leadership goals, church goals, marriage goals, family goals, financial goals, and personal growth goals. I’ll share a goal from my personal growth area. I’d like to read at least one book per month in 2012. For the avid readers out there, this doesn’t sound very challenging. But I’m not the average avid reader, I’m pretty slow and deliberate with my reading. So reading one book per month will be a decent challenge. I am currently reading The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson, and I think I may finish this before the new year, so this doesn’t count. I’m looking to focus my reading in a few areas: small groups, leadership, and spiritual growth. I couple books that I’m looking forward to reading this year are: Community Is Messy (a soon to be released book by Heather Zempel), Community: Taking Your Small Group Off Of Life Support by Brad House, and EntreLeadership by Dave Ramsey.
So there you have it, my answer to the question. Now it’s your turn….I can’t wait to hear what you’ve got to say!