How Will You Finish the Year?

This year may have presented a myriad of challenges that you weren’t prepared for. Your plans may have been carefully designed, but there’s been a delay due to a family emergency, or other hindrances that pose a threat to your successful future. Despite these unexpected events, there is a way to get back your mental focus to either achieve your goals by the end of the year, or a portion of your goals.

What’s Your Driving Force?

There’s no doubt that some life events can leave a mental blow that causes your thoughts to scatter like leaves on a windy day. After the unexpected hits, it’s easily to succumb to the circumstance and resolve within yourself that life is not going to get better. However, you must Shake Off the Dust, get back into the ring of life, and continue to fight for your dreams.

Your challenges may have left you at a standstill. Those events may have also been unfair, and you have a justifiable reason to think about the situation in a negative way for a prolong period of time. However, if your thoughts about those situations have not helped your progress, it’s time to shift those thoughts in another direction. There’s nothing wrong with remembering what happened to you. However, you must not let those thoughts hold you captive.

If you don’t want to experience those events again, use them as a driving force to keep you motivated. You cannot change the past or people, however, you can force yourself to avoid that which caused the trouble and exchange your interactions with new goals.

Learn the Lesson and Move On

Your success in life should not be based on other people’s opinions, but your action. Personal goals are not achieved by merely wishing. You have to apply specific action every day to accelerate your success.

It’s easy to succumb to the same type of mistreatment in a new relationship whether it’s professional or personal due to the familiarity of characteristics, or the short-term fulfillment of your desire for acceptance. However, if you chose to ignore red flags in the beginning of a previous relationship, or situation that caused you pain, and you see similar signs in a new situation, it’s time to pay attention to your vulnerability.

This means guarding yourself as encouraged to do in Proverbs 4:23 (KJV) … “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” In other words, if you prefer your personal matters to remain confidential, be mindful who you share your business with. If you were betrayed in a previous relationship or friendship when your business was told to others who gossip or slander others without hesitation, listen to those who you are considering entering into a relationship, business partnership, or friendship.

Listen to how they talk about others. Are they uplifting or malicious in their speech? If so, it’s time to move on with others who are loyal, or perhaps you should travel alone for a season until God sends people in your life who will help you fulfill your purpose.

Stay Focused on Your Destination with the Past in Mind

While driving you have visible access to windows that give you a clear view of what’s around you. Among these windows, the most important one is the windshield in front of you. You’re able to see signs which can inform you how many miles you have to drive to reach your destination.

The rear-view mirrors, side windows, and back window are good in that they’re able to help you avoid merging into lanes at the wrong time. However, if you look through those windows for an extended period of time, you can crash into obstacles that are ahead of you. In order to stay the course, you have to hone your navigation skills.

In essence, when others want to distract you by bringing up your past, or their opinions about your inability to succeed, be aggressive in making changes. Listen intently to what’s being said, disassociate yourself from critics respectfully and quickly while refusing to give up.

You can finish strong this year, just keep driving yourself forward while keeping your destination and God as your focal point.