This is my first post in February, or what is otherwise known as the beginning of “The Annual Black Hole of Gym Memberships” for most people.

Did you know that a staggering 90% of people who join a gym as part of a “New Year — New You” resolution will stop going within three months?

NINETY PERCENT.

That’s a big elephant in the room. An elephant that represents failure (again!), and the realization that we may never be one of those people — the ones who stick with things and succeed.

It’d be one thing if it was just a gym elephant, but here’s the insidious thing about the “I always try and never succeed” elephant: he doesn’t stay in the workout room. He follows us into other rooms.

Into the “I need to be more organized” room, and then the “I’m going to read the Bible this year” room. Give him enough time, and he’ll squeeze himself into other unexpected spaces, too.

Late at night, you may wake up and find him in the bed next to you, an unwelcome reminder that you forgot to do that thing you promised your son or daughter that you’d do. “No, really,” you’d said, “I promise I’ll do it this time.”

It’s ironic, isn’t it, that the elephant that never forgets is really good at making sure we never forget our shortcomings, or our past attempts to do better or be better? It can feel overwhelming, but what if I told you that it is possible to change past patterns?

What if I told you that you could eat that elephant? I know what you’re thinking. Continue reading

Reading Time: 2 minutesIt’s quiet and dark.

The early morning of a new year is so much different from the first few minutes after the ball drops.  No noisemakers. No fireworks. Just a world asleep, waiting to wake up to the wonder and the promise of a new start.

It won’t be long before the sun begins to rise, and with it, millions of authors who will begin to write page 1 of this brand new 365-page book we’ll all call “2015.”  Gyms will be joined, resolutions will be made, diets will be started.

A week or so from now, most of them will be forgotten, broken and failed, UNLESS you change one simple word.

This year, don’t just believe for something; believe toward something.

[Tweet “This year, don’t just believe for something; believe toward something.”]

Yes, hope springs eternal, but the problem with hope is that so many of us see it as  passive instead of active.  We’re sitting in a car hoping to go somewhere else but never turning the key and pushing the gas.

Resolutions require execution.

[Tweet “Resolutions require execution.”]

So many of us quit trying because we’ve bought into the lie that the only scoreboard that matters is results. But what matters is the journey, and even more specifically, who you’re on the journey with and why, and once we get that right, we’ll find that what we’re believing for turns into what we’re believing towards.

There is an interesting chapter in the Bible that is often called the “Hall of Faith” because it includes so many men and women throughout history who trusted God in great ways.  In ways that you and I dream of trusting God.  It’s found in Hebrews 11, and the most curious verse in that chapter of amazing believers is verse 13:

All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. (New Living Translation)

Did you catch that?  If this was just about results, then every one of them failed.  They all joined the gym and quit before Valentines.  Every one of them set out to read the Bible in a year and never got past Genesis.  But what set them apart as examples of success and faith is one simple word:

They weren’t passively believing for something. They were actively believing toward something.

When you and I do that, we’ll find that this time next year, we’ll be further down the road than we are right now.  We’ll find that instead of quitting because we didn’t meet a goal or an expectation, we’re better because we just kept moving toward the goals that we’re pursuing.

So pick a destination, and then crank up the car and go.  You may not make it by the end of this year, or the next, or ever. But like those faithful men and women whose portraits hang in the Hall of Faith, you’ll be better because you’ve chosen to see better. They died still believing the promise because they “saw it all from a distance” and kept moving towards it, and movement is ALWAYS the first step to improvement.

[Tweet “Movement is the first step to improvement.”]

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Instead of setting goals to start trying to achieve at the beginning of the new year, this year I’m choosing to think through the type of person I’d like to be at the end of the new year.

On December 31, 2014, I will be….

1) More like Jesus.  This sounds pretty arrogant, but only if I expect to achieve this by reading the Bible more, praying more and going to church more.  Sure, I’ll more than likely do all of that, but I’ll look more like Jesus because I’m promised in Scripture that as I see Him, I’ll be more like Him (2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 8:29).  That’s the Holy Spirit’s job, and I’m pretty sure He can handle it.  My prayer is simply to see Jesus like the shepherds did (Luke 2:17), and the rest (looking like Him, telling others about Him, etc.) will take care of itself.

2) Farther down the road.  Literally, because I run.  I’m not running to be a runner, but to be healthier. Sometimes goals can get in the way of being healthier, and I’m in this running thing for (pardon the pun) the long run.  Do I have a mileage amount in mind for 2014?  Sure.  It’s 2014.  To keep myself focused more on health instead of achievement, I’m not even going to worry about time or pace.  I’m just gonna run like Forrest Gump.  Slower, steadier, and healthier.

3) Smarter than I am now.  Not just because I’m hoping to get through (either by reading or listening – but I still prefer formats that allow me to HIGHLIGHT) one book a week, but because I’m going to actually think about how to apply what I learn.  That’s the true measure.  And if I’m applying what I’m learning, then I’ll be writing a lot more, too.  And that means that on December 31, 2014, I’ll have probably shared a lot of what I’ve learned with you on this blog and in a book.  But I don’t want to write tens of thousands of words if I don’t have something to say, and learning – and applying what I learn – will allow the sharing to be much more natural.

4) Closer to the people that matter. I made a decision during the old year to be present in the moment, and I’m going to be intentional about carrying that into the new one.  It means that the next conversation isn’t more important than the current conversation.  It mean that technology – while pretty darn impressive – isn’t more important than people, and is only useful if it helps me be closer to people.  One thing I’ve done for over a year now is to turn my iPhone screen-side down during conversations.  It keeps my ADHD from getting the best of me when the screen lights up, and that helps me stay in the moments that matter.

And perhaps the most important of all is the last one. On December 31, 2014, I will be…

5) Successful at all of the things I listed above.  Not because I set the right goals and accomplished them (maybe I will, maybe I won’t), but because I chose the right results and moved closer to them.  In the end, being further down the road and HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION is what makes any of us successful.

So choose your destination wisely, because achieving things won’t matter if you end up farther away from where – and who – you want to be.

Have a happy – and healthy – new year!