Jason and I are both guilty of thinking we can time the seconds on the microwave so precisely that the food inside won’t explode — and sometimes we achieve success.
Often, however, one of us ends up spending more time cleaning out a splattered mess than it would have taken to merely put a cover over the plate of food.
Why we continually choose to skip this step, I’m not sure, but I’m determined to do better going forward.
It’s a simple, and maybe even silly, goal, but it’s one I’m confident I can achieve.
What may be harder is applying the concept of not skipping important steps across other parts of life.
Do you ever skip steps?
It might be related to our health or spiritual walk. It could be something we aren’t doing at work that we should or an area that could potentially be harming our family or friends.
The skipped steps could be because of fear, lack of understanding, fatigue, discouragement or maybe because we are overwhelmed with life.
Skipping some steps here and there may not wreck the world around us, but it’s always good to evaluate when steps are consistently skipped and attempt to determine why and what consequences may result.
That’s my primary new year’s goal — to assess all parts of life to see where I’m not at my best and then do something about those particular areas.
I’ll likely discover I’m basically skipping steps rather than contributing fully to each area.
It may mean having to give up some activities or responsibilities I’ve added to my day.
Or I may discover I merely need a refresher course or training to learn how to be more efficient and effective.
In other cases, I may realize it’s all connected to my energy level or attitude. Digging a bit deeper, I might find that I’m holding on to an emotional enemy that’s weighing me down and taking up precious mental capacity.
Have you ever held a grudge or been so frustrated about a situation that it absorbed all your energy? How about refusing to let something irritating go or maybe even being unwilling to forgive someone for hurting you?
It’s a difficult step to release those types of feelings, but I know from personal experience how freeing it is when we do. The difference in our energy level, ability to face each day’s requirements and improvements in our relationships across the board will be immediately noticeable to all involved.
Assessing your vibe
Plus, who doesn’t flourish when those around us bring positive energy to the room rather than grumpiness, negativity or a slate of constant excuses?
The world needs us to be a genuine and truly authentic light, not something put on for show, and that means first having a real relationship with Jesus Christ and second striving to look more like Him every day.
He will guide us in how to be our best in every aspect of life if we allow Him.
What goals are you setting for this new year?
