7 Ingredients for your best year ever…
What if I told you by the end of this year you can successfully reach all your goals, be closer to the Lord than ever, have your marriage better than ever, your finances in better condition, you no longer are weighted down with worry and guilt, and you’re excelling in every other area of life? Would that make it your best year ever?
You can see all these things and more come to pass this year. You just need to know how to have your best year ever. You need the right recipe. Are you ready for greater joy, favor, wisdom, and success? You can be assured God has more for you. Even if you’ve had an incredible year, you’ve only experienced a fraction of what God has for your life. Or if this has been a disappointing year or your past has been filled with failure, you need to know your future is spotless. Get ready to learn how to have your best year ever!
How to Have Your Best Year Ever
Begin today mixing these 7 key ingredients into your life. When you do you will have the “secret recipe” that will make – Your Best Year Ever;
1. Make a road map or blueprint to follow.
Write down your own script to follow. Don’t leave your future to chance. Don’t try to wing it. Don’t keep doing the same things you’ve always done expecting better results. Decide now to make this year different and take the time to write down your plan. Habakkuk 2:2 tells us, “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it.”
It takes courage and faith to pursue God’s best. It takes a plan. Do it now. Write it down. Don’t just think it – ink it. Start by defining where you want to be in the next year in every area of your life; with God, in your relationships (spouse, family, friends), physically – your health, your finances – budget, savings, investments, debt reduction, etc. If you don’t take time to write it down then the recipe will fail. Make a written blueprint to follow this year it is an ingredient for the recipe to your best year ever.
2. Be Thankful.
Once you’ve written out your blueprint to follow always start with thanksgiving. Being thankful for what you have already received and accomplished is a crucial ingredient for your best year. It’s when you are truly grateful for the people in your life and the ideas and abilities God has given you that doors of opportunity and windows of blessing open up.
Having an attitude of gratitude sets the stage for miracles in your life. Even in the midst of storms and disappointments we need to stay thankful. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” We all know that “attitude determines altitude”. So lets make sure we have the right attitude, an attitude of gratitude, and then watch everything begin to fall in place. Be thankful it is an ingredient for the recipe to your best year ever.
3. Invest in yourself.
It only stands to reason if you become a better you – your life will be better. If you become a better you this year – then this year will be a better year. The way to become a better you is to invest in you. What’s that mean?
First, realize you’ve been designed by God for greatness. Ephesians 2:10 tells us, “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” We can’t improve upon God’s design, but we can and should develop who we are and what God’s given us in order to become our best. God created you as an original, don’t become a copy. Instead focus on becoming the best “YOU”, the person God made you to be. Too often we settle for less than God’s best. Don’t settle for mediocrity. Be determined to become the best YOU – the way God made you.
That means you need to invest in yourself. Investing in yourself takes work. God will help you, but you have to give Him something to work with. We have to plant and water then God will make it grow. (1 Corinthians 3:6) To get in shape physically you have to invest in yourself by doing the right exercises. To grow spiritually means investing time in the Word and prayer. Developing your skills or expanding your knowledge requires investing in classes, books, or training. Be determined to become the best YOU by investing in yourself it is an ingredient for the recipe to your best year ever.
4. Make better habits and break bad habits.
Our life is a product of our habits. It’s been said, “Habits control all areas of our life”. If that’s the case we need to make sure we are controlled by good habits and eliminate the bad habits.
Make a list of the good habits you want and a list of the bad habits you need to break. Now prioritize those lists and begin to work on them. It takes 21 days to make or break a habit . That means you need to be dedicated every day for at least 21 days to do the good habits and not do the bad habits.
To make this your best year ever determine to develop better habits and eliminate the bad habits it is an ingredient for the recipe to your best year ever. .
5. Major on the majors
Focus your time and attention on the things that are really important. Don’t get bogged down with the small stuff. How many hours, days, weeks have you wasted on little things that really didn’t matter?
Most people fall short of reaching their best because they get focused on the minor things in life. If you want to have your best year you need to major on the majors. It is a key ingredient to the secret recipe for your best year. In the end it’s up to you to decide what is or isn’t major in your life. Then major on those major things it is an ingredient for the recipe to your best year ever. .
6. Work at it.
I know no one wants to or likes to hear that, but friends it takes work. Ecclesiastes 9:10 instructs us, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.” Colossians 3:23 puts it this way, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,” In other words get to work.
This is the downfall of many. Everybody gets excited about having their “best year ever”.
However, the excitement quickly runs out when they realize the cold hard fact is – YOU HAVE TO WORK. Most people just want God to dump the blessing in their lap.
Do you want to lose weight? Having a new gym membership or treadmill won’t make it happen. You have to get to work. Want to see your business grow? Just repainting the office and having a sign on the door won’t make it happen. You have to get to work. Do you want that better marriage? Having a new book or video set is great, but you have to get to work. Do you want to improve your finances? Just want and hoping things improve won’t change a thing. You need to get to work. The list goes on. I think you get the point.
You have to work at stretching your comfort zone. Do something every week that stretches you. You need to work at walking in love. You need to work at planting seeds. You never get a harvest unless you plant a seed. You need to work at living your life by faith. Praise God our salvation is not based on our works, but it’s based on our faith in the work of Jesus. But to experience all that God has for us and to have our best year ever requires we put our hand to the plow – we must WORK AT IT, it is an ingredient for the recipe to your best year ever.
7. Do it as to the Lord.
I left this for last, not because it’s the last ingredient to be added, but because it is the most important. Without this ingredient in the recipe it won’t work. So this is really the first, the last and everything in between. Colossians 3:23 says, “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men”. Whatever you do – do it as to the Lord! Having your best year isn’t about you. It’s not about impressing your friends. It’s about bringing glory to the Lord.
The issue is motivation. What is motivating your actions? Are you seeking fame, power, money, or position? Or are you seeking the Lord and His kingdom? When our priorities are right and having our best year is about honoring the Lord and building His kingdom – I can assure you all these other things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)
The Choice is Yours
Conclusion
The secret recipe for having your best year ever requires all these ingredients mixed together well; a written blueprint, based in being thankful, greased with self improvement, adding better habits and taking out the bad ones, keeping focused on the majors, working them all together with hard work, and doing it as unto the Lord! That’s how to have your best year ever!
The question is will you take the necessary steps needed to add each of these ingredients to the recipe of your life? The choice is yours. So, what action steps will you take so you can have your best year ever?