Happy New Year! I certainly pray that you had a blessed and enjoyable Christmas holiday.

A new year always brings the opportunity to make new plans and goals that you want to accomplish. While some bemoan the thought of even making goals and plans (using as their benchmark the failure of previous years planning), the beginning of a new year always provides a “clean slate” and becomes a launching point to catapult your dreams to reality!

According to a survey conducted recently in December 2007 by FranklinCovey, the Top 10 New Year’s Goals (or resolutions) were ranked as follows:

1-     Get out of debt or save money

2-     Lose weight

3-     Develop a healthy habit (e.g., exercise or healthy eating)

4-     Get organized

5-     Develop a new skill or talent

6-     Spend more time with family and friends

7-     Other

8-     Work less, play more

9-     Break an unhealthy habit (e.g. smoking, alcohol, overeating)

10-  Change employment

The survey also found that 35% of respondents break their New Year’s goals by the end of January and only 23% of those surveyed don’t ever break them. Nearly 40% of those surveyed attribute breaking their resolutions to having too many other things to do, while 33% say they are not committed to the resolutions they set.

That means one third (1/3) of the people who took the survey, really were never committed to the goals they set!

What goals have you made? And were you really committed to the process or do you go thru the motions feeling it is an act of futility? I want to encourage you to 1) first spend time in meditation and thought, to determine your goals for the New Year. 2) After that, write them down. Take the time and effort to put your goals on paper. 3) Finally, establish now periodic dates during the year to take an account and review how you are doing. And if you are falling short, don’t take the attitude “well I’ll try it next year,” but re-adjust and make the effort to get back on track!

The scripture admonishes us to consider the ant, small in stature but resourceful in thought, which makes preparation for the future. (Proverbs 6:6-10) Even Jesus reminds us to plan and prepare for the future with his parable teachings. (Luke 14:28-32). This will be the greatest year of your life, but it won’t happen unless you plan for it! Be blessed and let me know if you are making any goals for 2008.