Stop. Look. Reflect. Here comes 2013.

Watch Out for Danger!

In elementary school I was taught a crucial safety procedure.  You may remember it too.  “Stop, Drop and Roll.”

It was drilled into us.  If ever we caught on fire (wait a minute… when was that likely to happen?!) this would save us.

  • Stop.  That meant don’t panic.  Don’t run, which only feeds the flames.
  • Drop.  That meant lay flat on the floor.  Get ready to take action.
  • Roll.  That’s how you put the flames out.  Smothering them in your ’70s corduroy pants.

It was a simple, memorable little plan to keep us safe in case of unexpected danger.  Well, I have a simple plan for you as well intended to keep you safe from an upcoming danger.

2013 is Coming!

stop-drop-roll

2013 is nearly upon us.  (No disrespect to Mayan prophets intended.)  The days and weeks and months of this new year are going to roll out into your life whether you want them to or not.  You’re going to get a certain number of days, a certain amount of emotional energy, a certain amount of money, a certain amount of influence.  As the days of 2013 roll by, you will spend every one of those resources one way or another.  It’s going to happen.  You can’t stop it.

The danger that 2013 poses you is quite simple.  You could pass all those days and spend all those resources and not move toward the life God has for you at all.  You could move further away from your dreams.  You could step away from the kind of person you hope to be.  You could get to the end of 2013 and not have made any progress in the things that matter to you.

But you can avoid all of that with my simple plan.  “Stop, Look and reflect.”

  • Stop.  That means don’t rush into 2013 without taking the time to be still.
  • Look.  Evaluate how 2012 went for you.  Look at where you are now, and where you’d like to be in a year.  Get honest with yourself about what’s true.
  • Reflect.  Think, pray and journal on where you’d like to go, and how you can take steps to move in that direction in the coming year.

Here in the days at the close of 2012, you have an opportunity to set the agenda for next year. Who will you be?  Where will you go?  What will you do differently?  I encourage you to set aside time in the coming days to to stop, look and reflect, so that you get to make the most of 2013.

In order to support you in this, I’m planning a series of blog posts in the next two weeks, some featuring guest posts by some excellent bloggers.  These posts will all be focused on how you can head into 2013 with intentionality.  So, stay tuned.  Great stuff coming tomorrow.

Question: What do you hope to accomplish with 2013?

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