Resolution #1: Discover the Mystery of You

            Did you manage to make it through New Year’s Day without writing a resolution list?

            Resolution lists usually consist of goals like losing weight, getting in shape, being kinder, volunteering more, being more generous, etc. They’re usually honorable goals. Why are they so often broken and discarded before the end of the month, though?

Establishing a firm foundation

            In order to be successful in writing and succeeding in those resolutions, you need to set a firm foundation to build those resolutions upon. Just as a building contractor needs to level the building site, measure the layout of a home, stake the perimeter of its footprint, prepare and pour a strong foundation upon which to construct that home, you need to take the same approach to life.

           

            You can’t just lay out some sticks on the ground, nail vertical rails to the horizontal ones and then slap up some walls and expect it to stand. Life is the same way. It takes forethought and planning and careful building to achieve success.

           

            So where can you start?

ü  You need to be realistic in your goals.

ü  You need to write down your goals. (Studies show that people who write down their goals are far more likely to successfully attain them.)

ü  You need to know why you want to achieve those goals. Know what will they do for you or for others. When people ask me to develop a physical fitness/training program for them, the first question I ask them is: “What do you want to achieve?        

           

            Surprisingly enough, most of them can’t answer that question. Instead they look at me for several seconds and then say, “Well, that’s a good question. I really don’t know.” They simply know they “want to lose” and “get in shape.” But they don’t know what that means for them personally.

           

            Now, I might be able to tell them what I think they should do, (I can usually tell by looking at them, asking them a few questions and doing a few simple tests what they need), but that wouldn’t be their goal—the one they’re sold on—so it’s less likely they’ll stick with the program or be happy and consistent doing it. I’d have to beg and cajole them into sticking with it. And that’s no fun for anyone.

            And I really can’t instill the mental toughness into someone that needs to be there to guarantee success. That’s a personality issue you need to work on and develop yourself. (Studies also show that most successful competitive athletes don’t workout more than the average person because they like working out. They workout because they know they need to do it to get better. When their athletic competition days are over, they usually stop working out and end up gaining weight like the average population. The goal has ended so the means to get there can be discarded.)

            But there is a very critical first step that needs to be taken before you get on the resolution train.

Know thyself

           

            There’s a great statement the North African Christian theologian Augustine of Hippo made and it bears repeating and spending some serious time meditating on before rushing off to write down resolutions or goals.

           

            “And men go abroad to admire the heights of mountains, the mighty waves

            of the seas, the broad tides of rivers, the compass of the ocean, and the

            circuits of the stars, yet pass over the mystery of themselves without

            a thought.”

            When was the last time you really spent some serious time discovering the mystery of you? How you’re wired? What your gifts and talents are? What your likes and dislikes revolve around? What your weaknesses and strengths are?

           

            Not what you wish they were. (You can explore that later.) But what makes you unique. Because God makes everyone unique. But instead of valuing our uniqueness, we often spend more time comparing ourselves to others and expending energy trying to be like them—acquiring their talents and dreams and gifts. It might be because their gifts are the ones that seem to get all of the attention, or they may be the ones you admire the most (or someone close to you does, in which case you’ve convinced yourself, incorrectly, that you need to be more like that other person).

            But that’s the challenge I want to present to you this week. (Although it may take longer than a week for real introspection.) Explore the mystery of you! The good, the not-so-good, the strengths, the weaknesses. The likes and the dislikes.

           

            If you’re really feeling motivated, write a one-page composite sketch of you. Not how you’d like to be, but how you are. Right now. Before any resolutions. Pray about it.

Meditate over it. Go for a walk and explore the mountains and beaches while you’re asking God to reveal you to you.

Meet me here next week and we’ll explore what to do with that personal composite sketch!

Blessings,

Andrea