Busyness of life demands a well-thought out plan to achieve your life goals.

During the past year, I found myself pulled in numerous directions by unavoidable responsibilities, such as adding new parts to one of our businesses, another family member in the household, attending to needs of aging relatives. The use of my time was not always a matter of choice. When this year began, I realized that I needed to refocus with a new, clear cut “life plan” if I was going to achieve my own goals instead of just maintaining in the face of these new responsibilities. Calling to memory last year’s posts on Dawna Markova’s book, I knew I needed to make sure I was “living on purpose” and daily creating the environment needed to live out those purposes. (If you missed those 2 posts, use the links here. Living with Purpose and Living Your Purpose and Creating Your Purposeful Life Environment) In the same way, it is essential for each of you to make a clear cut life plan now, early in the year, to ensure that you stay on a progressive track with all of your goals.

Why Bother?

Because a clear cut life plan is a form of taking control of your life! Someone said to me the other day something along the lines of “Why bother? I know what I want.” Here is the reason — without a detailed plan for your life, the stresses of life distract you. Your focus gets pulled to the issues taking place. Your energies get poured into putting out fires. A detailed life plan in writing which you can skim over every morning keeps you focused on what you need to do the present day, week, and month to accomplish your goals for the year. Secondly, as with the Law of Attraction, making yourself see or “visualize” those goals every morning creates a vital alertness in your mind to any options/opportunities that come up in a day are helpful in achieving those goals.

A Sample Plan

Here is a sample of the categories I used to make my life plan. Yours may vary but you can see that the multiple categories help me make thorough progress in all the various aspects of my life. The details under each of my categories are not listed for privacy purposes, but generally I have about a dozen goals under each category:

Business Goals (This included projected statistics as well as desired projects)

Personal Growth

Spiritual Growth

Household Goals

Charitable Goals

I encourage you to go ahead this week and make a life plan. Life goes by too fast to wait! Don’t let another year slip by and your goals be lost in the midst of life’s busyness. With a life plan, you can stay focused, become alert to daily opportunities, and make your dreams realities!

Attracting the favor you need and desire in your life this year is contingent upon believing you will receive it.

Though the “Law of Attraction” may be a contemporary term, the concept is an ageless one. We have discussed at times in the past the concept of the Law of Attraction, of believing that good will come to you and visualizing it. God Himself, in His covenant with Abraham, asked him to believe for the fulfillment of Abraham’s “impossible” dream for a son when Sarah was over 75 and to visualize the stars in the sky as being his numerous descendents. (See the post Visualizing Your Dreams)

A few months ago, I was doing a word study on the concept of favor, as I was in need of favor during an upcoming business transaction. I was truly amazed at how frequently favor is promised by God and how much it is a part of His covenant with mankind.

I want each of you to believe this year for the favor you both need and desire from your relationships/interactions with God and people.

As you read through the quotes below, visualize the favor spoken of as being yours. Put your name into the quotes. Begin the year believing that you already have the favor of God and will grow in your favor with people, regardless of the circumstance. Continue throughout this year to believe and visualize that you are a person of favor and receive the favor that is yours!

I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you. Le 26:9

O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant…Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man. Ne 1:11

You will arise and have compassion, for it is time to show favor to her; the appointed time has come. Ps 102:13

Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to him. Da 1:9

God says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, in the day of salvation I helped you.” Now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation. 2Co 6:2 [Remember the Hebrew term for salvation includes deliverance, aid, victory, prosperity, health, and welfare; the Greek term includes rescue, safety (physically or morally), preservation, healing, and soundness.]

…Praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Ac 2:47

A good person obtains favor from the LORD. Pr 12:2

You will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Pr 3:4

…Proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor. Isa 61:2

For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield. Ps 5:12

He prays to God and finds favor with Him… he is restored by God… Job 33:26

…God’s favor lasts a lifetime. Ps 30:5

The LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold… Ps 84:11

She won the favor of everyone who saw her. Es 2:15

Then he sought the LORD’s favor, and the LORD listened to him, for God saw how severely the king was oppressing them. 2Ki 13:4

The LORD was with him; He showed him kindness and granted him favor. Ge 39:21

You have said, “I know you by name and you have found favor with Me.” Ex 33:12

And the boy continued to grow… in favor with the LORD and with men. 1Sa 2:26

Take a look at this self-evaluation quote:

Picture your life twenty years from now. Have you ever wondered what your purpose in life is and what your future holds?… Does your current lifestyle predict that you will be happy and fulfilled, or disappointed and frustrated? Think about it. What does your bank account look like? How much retirement money have you set aside? How much debt do you owe? What are you doing to improve your health and well-being? How is your family really doing? The answers to these questions may be an indication that a few changes need to be made.(1- see below “8 Steps to Create the Life You Want”)

Were the emotions you experienced from reading these questions positive or negative? Emotions result from the thoughts you’ve been thinking. As a result, those emotions dramatically impact your decisions.

If you are going to improve the quality of your decisions, you must first improve the quality of the words you speak/think about your life.

Controlling the words that you speak and think about your life is a foundational point for improving your life. Much like the Law of Attraction, if you are speaking and thinking negative words about your life, you will attract negative circumstances as well as negative responses from other people because that is what you are resonating from your own person about your life.

How can you expect to have positive, life-changing ideas to accomplish your goals if your words and thoughts are focused on the negative? How will positive, successful people offer you productive opportunities if you are emanating defeat? It is essential to realize here that, even if your present circumstances are actually negative, speaking and thinking about the negative will only keep you there.

You alone are responsible for making changes to your words, thoughts, emotions, and ultimately-your decisions.

Since getting past the negative emotions that presently form your decisions is overcome by speaking and thinking positively about your needs and goals, it is a change that only you can make. Quit blaming others for holding you back. Start taking in positive input from articles or talks given by life coaches or successful business people that you admire. Reading the “8 Steps to Create…” by Creflo Dollar about his approach of taking control of your life by speaking and thinking positively has already greatly influenced myself and my spouse.

Here are some past posts on Controlling Your Thoughts/Words that will be helpful to you in the move to positive words and thoughts:

Take Charge of Your Thoughts, Take Charge of Your Life
Better Thoughts for a Better Life
Making Real Change to Thoughts, Feelings, or Behavior
Practical Ideas for Overcoming Fear

I challenge you to take responsibility now for improving your decisions until there are no negative emotions forming the decisions you make.

There is a famous quote by Eleanor Roosevelt regarding taking responsibility for your own decisions. It says,

One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And, the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.(2)

1. Creflo Dollar, 8 Steps to Create the Life You Want, p. 28
2. Eleanor Roosevelt Quote, QuotationsBook.com http://quotationsbook.com/quote/6544/

Table of contents for Goals: Where is Your Focus?

1. Is Your Focus on the Goal or the Obstacles? Pt. 1
2. Is Your Focus on the Goal or the Obstacles? Pt. 2

It is an important principle of success to focus more on your goal than the obstacles that come against you, or even the steps to achieve it. 

(This is Part 2 of a two part post in which we’ll cover quotes from historical figures on goal focus as well as how  focus affects your spiritual goals.  Part 1 of this post covered reasons, results, and benefits of focusing on your goal. If you missed Part 1 of this post, please click here to read Part 1 now.)

Famous literary authors have encouraged people through generations to “focus on the goal.”

Though Ralph Waldo Emerson is well-known for his quote, “Life is a journey, not a destination,” encouraging people to enjoy each day of life as opposed to only allowing oneself to enjoy achievements, he also promoted keeping one’s destination in view.

To finish the moment, to find the journey’s end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom.  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Orison Swett Marden, known for his philosophies on one’s thoughts influencing  life and circumstances, pointed out the determining factor in the success of focusing on the goal:

We advance on our journey only when we face our goal, when we are confident and believe we are going to win out.  Orison Swett Marden

Instruction on one’s spiritual journey also involves a clear, constant focus on the goals.

This same principle should be added to your daily spiritual life. Do not settle for where you are. There are greater, unknown aspects waiting to be discovered with your spiritual life and communication levels with God. Grow and benefit by setting goals and keeping them in focus. Here are quotes from Scripture instructing you to approach spiritual life and growth like a runner in a race, free from distractions and hindrances, focused on the clear goal:

But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. Phil 3:13-15

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training…Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly…so that I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. 1 Cor. 9:24-27

Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Heb. 12:1

Believe that you will reach your goals – spiritually, financially, relationally, or otherwise. Then keep daily focus on those goals. Rather than feeling overwhelmed by the trip or any apparent lack of progress, you can live effectively and experience greater joy knowing that each day is a day closer to your heart’s desire.

Table of contents for Goals: Where is Your Focus?

1. Is Your Focus on the Goal or the Obstacles? Pt. 1
2. Is Your Focus on the Goal or the Obstacles? Pt. 2

An important principle of success is staying more focused on the goal than the present obstacles or even the steps to reaching it.

I was reminded of this principle while working toward the completion of all the necessary seasonal responsibilities in my garden. I have quite extensive gardens with a large variety of plants, including over 30 antique rose bushes. Though I have always enjoyed gardening, this time of year’s seasonal requirements get very overwhelming as it takes about 3 months to complete due to other life responsibilities. The care and upkeep is probably too extensive for this time in life, but, when we designed and planted it 15 years ago, it was not possible to foresee the changes in career, family responsibilities, and physical energy that would take place in the future. It is a temptation to cause myself continual displeasure by solely viewing all the tasks yet undone rather than staying focused on the end result, or enjoying the present pleasures in my garden during the process of the oiling, fertilizing, pruning, and mulching to reach the goal; my garden will become a healthy, lush one that is a delight to the eyes and a joy to share with friends and family.

Here are some results of staying more focused on the end goal than the present obstacles or process:

1. You will maintain a level emotional state of joy and fulfillment, knowing the end of the process will come; you will live the fulfillment of that goal.

2. A clearer focus of your future goals/objectives allows you to be more effective in your present decisions with regard to the future goal.

3. You will maintain a higher energy level when focused daily on the final goal rather than the overall process to achieve it.

Many realms of practical life prove the benefit of staying focused on the goal or end result.

Life coaches, motivational speakers, and business instructors all tell us to “write out” the goals we want to achieve, write out the plan we envision, even the restoration that we need. Writing develops a clear mental picture of the desired end. In turn, this process enables one to notice relevant, beneficial opportunities related to the goal and make wiser decisions to reach the goal all due to staying daily focused on the end picture. It is the Law of Attraction in action.

The benefits of this principle of focusing on the goal flow into more aspects of one’s life than we are usually aware of – personal goals, financial goals, career changes, restoration – but even in the little things. Remember drivers’ education class? When teaching Interstate driving, they instruct you to focus on where the road meets the horizon; if, instead, you only look at the few cars in front of you or a short distance of the open road in front of you, your driving will be unsteady and erratic. You will weave back and forth unknowingly and overcompensate in decisions. It is the same in every aspect of one’s life. Staying focused on the goal will keep you from being unsteady and erratic, wavering from the desired goal, and overcompensating in decisions.

(This is Part 1 of a two part post.  In Part 2, we will cover quotes from historical figures on goal focus as well as how  focus affects your spiritual goals.)

I recently read a very valuable article which covered many essential aspects of rebuilding your life to be the healthy, effective life that you desire to live. Kim Child’s article featured quotes from 3 life coach experts, footnoted below, to explain how to make lasting changes for a life that you will love. She discovered most effective life makeovers involve starting with (a) small steps, (b) setting boundaries, and (c) reaching out for support. Here are excerpts from the main points in Ms. Child’s article:

First, look at what is already working well in your life.

Even when a person feels like everything in his life must be changed, usually there are some things that are working well which should be noted and appreciated. Life coach Victoria Moran suggests to list 10 things for which you are grateful about in your life each morning before getting out of bed.(1)

Second, take time for prayer, meditation, and/or journaling before the day’s agenda begins.

This is essential to craft a health lifestyle and stay centered [on what is healthful, best, and important] in the midst of change.(1)

Third, it is importance to focus on a daily plan of nutrition and exercise.

Moran refers to this as “taking care of the vehicle,” saying, “Regardless of what you want in life, you have to get it in this physical body…You’re not going to have a very good shot at changing your attitude and thinking positive thoughts if those thoughts have to be filtered through a brain that is living on junk food and doesn’t have enough oxygen because you don’t exercise.(1)

Fourth, once one has begun to make positive changes, he needs to clean up the environment in which the old, self-destructive habits flourished.

Ms. Childs next refers to life coach Cheryl Richardson for input on how people pleasers have to start saying “No” and setting boundaries where boundaries did not exist before. Ms. Richardson says that as people learn to practice taking better care of themselves, former habits in relationships need to change. “In order to live a high-quality life – a life that truly honors your self-care — you have to master the art of disappointing people, making them angry or hurting their feelings.” Avoiding the discomfort of displeasing others results in “living for others, becoming resentful or even sick, and struggling with relationships when resentments build.” Richardson advises people to think ahead of time of a response that is truthful, respectful, but direct enough to communicate that you are saying “No.”(2)  [This is similar to the chapter from Cloud and Townsend's "Boundaries" in which says it is often necessary to hurt people to do what is right and healthy for you; this does not "harm" the person, even though it may hurt their feelings. This realization helps you implement such changes. Click here to read the post, When is Pain Good? ]

Fifth, starting over with re-making one’s life means setting boundaries for yourself, too, by changing areas that are messy, neglected, or out of balance.

Home and work environments need to be de-cluttered to “honor your deepest need for things like joy, beauty, rest, creative expression, and peace.” Investing in these basic needs first will then allow one to focus successfully on areas such as financial debt and poor relationships. An uncluttered home is soul nourishing and an investment in your financial health. With relationships that are “one way streets, you need to focus on telling the truth in your relationships and letting toxic people go.”(2)

Sixth, create a circle of support to practice self-care and stay on track as your true dreams and desires become more apparent.

This is especially necessary when family members or friends do not understand or appreciate one’s new ways. Without support and accountability, old habits will slip back in, causing you to fall short of success. These support groups are essential to keep you from feeling that you have lost your mind when family and friends are lacking in understanding.(2)

Seventh, envision the life that you dream of having.

[As with the Law of Attraction, and even with the scriptural principle of visualization that God gave Abraham for his promised descendants, it is important to be able to visualize where your life needs to go. For more on this, read the post Visualizing Your Dreams.] As described by Bob Doyle in his program “Wealth Beyond Reason,” a person’s thoughts, emotions, and expectations shape their life experiences.”   Doyle also encourages a network of support, making the valid point that “It doesn’t matter how much you know intellectually about a particular thing, there’s always going to be somebody who sees you differently than you are able to see yourself.”(3)

Excerpts from “Fall in Love with Your Life,” Kim Childs, pp. 24-27, Natural Awakenings, February 2009 issue.

(1) Quotes from life coach Victoria Moran’s “Living a Charmed Life: Your Guide to Finding Magic in Every Moment and Meaning in Every Day.”
(2) Quotes from life coach Cheryl Richardson’s “The Art of Extreme Self-Care.”
(3) Quotes from Bob Doyle’s at BoundlessLiving.com

We each want a clear path to our destinies; do you succumb to discouragement and doubt when you are unable to see the full path, or when people and situations keep saying, “It won’t happen!”?

First, it is necessary to be clear about your destiny.

Know your life’s purpose. Along life’s journey to fulfill that destiny, you have a wide variety of needs or goals you desire to reach, such as better health, more successful relationships or communication, freedom from debt, or career changes. These goals are important steps in fulfilling your destiny and the person you are meant to be. To avoid being swayed by doubts or opposition, you must first “know that you know” in your heart what your purpose for being is.

Second, you must determine to believe in your destiny.

No one else can believe it for you – a spouse or a parent – if you are going to withstand disappointments or setbacks. If you believe that this certain path or accomplishment truly is your destiny, then keep in mind during setbacks or opposition that you will get there! It was meant to be; it was destined or planned before you were born.

In the spiritual realm, the truth is similar. In Psalm 139, God says that all of your days (and those of every other person) were planned out and written about before you lived a single day. You have a destiny. And, it is a matter of believing or of “faith” in God’s promises and His power to overcome obstacles or opposition to your destiny, as well as to provide wisdom and opportunities to fulfill the goals along the way. Because you know your destiny is His plan, because you have faith that He keeps His promise to help you, you are unwavering and unmovable in your journey to your destiny. Now back to our opening title.

Here are two illustrations on why you do not let what you see destroy what you believe with regard to your destiny.

Oxygen is necessary for your every breath, but you do not see it at all. You do not go around in a panic every moment of the day, fearing that you are going to suffocate, just because you do not have scientific proof in front of you that there is enough oxygen in the air to sustain your life. You go about your day in “faith” that all the oxygen you need and more is there to sustain you.

In the same way, though you may not see the full path to your destiny or see the results of the promises of God in your life yet, it does not mean that the path to your dreams is a product of your imagination; nor does it mean that the power of God is not working behind the scenes in your behalf just because you do not yet see the proof. Continue to go about your day in “faith,” listening for wisdom and looking for opportunities.

The next illustration is not my own. I read it in the book footnoted below, but it is such an incredible illustration that I wanted to share it with you. He says to picture watching a magician saw his assistant in half. You see the person’s head out one end of the box and her feet out of the other. You see the magician cut her in half and separate the boxes, yet her head and feet are still moving. You did not believe for a moment that she was really cut it half, even though you saw it with your own eyes. It appeared to be reality but you knew it was not. You could not explain it, but you still refused to believe what you saw with your own eyes. (1)

When it appears that you will not reach your destiny, that God has failed you, that He is not keeping His promises to help you — when you are tempted to put your faith in what you see – do not do it! You know your purpose! Be determined to believe in your destiny and refuse to believe your eyes if necessary.

1. Faith to Faith, April 29 post.

We all have areas in our lives where, in the past, we began investing great time and energy.  We stuck with that particular thing through the years out of habit or routine.  The investment of energy became just a part of life.  You can gain greater satisfaction by freeing your life of areas that are a drain on your energy and unprofitable to your overall wellness.  The time or energy invested is truly no longer worth the value you are getting from it.

What types of things can now be unprofitable investments for your life energies?

–Sometimes there are daily or weekly habits that were a part of goals from the past that are no longer worth your energies.  Why?  You change in your desires and maturity as you age.  Certain things that were goals are no longer of importance to you.  Is there anything like that in your life?  Free up that time and energy for new goals that fit with the person you are now.

–There are often projects in which we have been investing time, energy, and finances which are no longer of the same level of interest to you, or will no longer benefit you as you had originally planned. It could be time to let it go and re-invest your time, energy, and money elsewhere.

–Lastly, take a look at relationships. This is not an admonition to thoughtlessly end life-long relationships, such as family or marriage ties.  If a situation like that seems abusive or unjust, get some professional help from a counselor or pastor, someone outside the situation who can be objective; even with that, consider such changes cautiously.  However, here I am emphasizing relationships that have gone on for years that are one-sided; you are always giving, the other person is always taking. It is the type of relationship/friendship you got into as a child or young adult when you were not discerning of different personality types and how they affect you. Some people hang on to bad childhood relationships way into midlife before realizing that the other person never takes it upon him or herself to pour into their lives. Such as person consistently drains your energy physically, emotionally, and maybe even spiritually, as well as using your valuable time which cannot be gotten back, or even expecting repeated financial bailouts for their irresponsibilities.

You only take this path through life once!

Life is too precious to allow your time or energies to be wasted, even in a single day. What habits, goals, projects, or relationships have you hung on to in your daily lifestyle that time has proven not to be the value you once thought they would be?

Let’s end with this illustration.  There is a parable of a farmer sowing seed into a variety of soils with widely varying productivity. It is used to described the productivity of different people’s lives to the receiving of God’s Word; however, the application fits life productivity overall. The type of soil described as thorny, is a person’s whose life is choked of its possible productivity by cares, anxieties, and distractions, making life fruitless (Mk.4:19,20 Amp). There is no need for you, or anyone else, to have that be the commentary on your life. Instead of a fruitless life, the person’s life could have seen productivity of 30, 60, or 100 times greater than the effort put into it.

What in your life is a “fruitless” venture?  What is a distraction from better things and a waste of your life’s energies?

Take some time this week during an afternoon or evening. Free yourself of the things that are fruitless. Begin enjoying renewed focus on projects, people, and goals that bring profitable results you can enjoy from your time and energies.

How are all great works of art recognized? They bear the distinct, unique characteristics of the artist, of the creator. It is also these characteristics of the artist that give the work of art its value. Similarly, we were created to live bearing the unique characteristics of our Creator, of His divine nature. It is these same characteristics that increase the value of our person and enhance our ability to succeed in life.

Consider this daily life example. It is a common principle that the more admirable qualities which exist in a person, the more they are esteemed by society. For example, people desire to enter into business contracts with someone they know is trustworthy. People want to shop at stores with efficient and helpful customer service. We were created to live embodying the very character of God in our own natures or personalities — characteristics which are highly regarded and therefore, increase our “value” in the eyes of society. Just as a piece of art carries out the purpose it was created, as we live life emanating the character of God, we will see greater success because we are living according to our divine purpose; we are like a piece of fine art, bearing the characteristics of the artist!

What type of characteristics should one focus on to incorporate the divine nature into his own nature and increase his success in life?

There is an incredibly interesting passage on success in 2 Peter. In 1:5-8, God advises us,

For this very reason, [referring to the reason of conforming our nature to God's] make every effort to add to your faith — goodness, knowledge [of God], self-control, perseverance, godliness, kindness, and love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive.

What is the measure of success? Being effective and productive! God’s own advice for success in life is for you to continually increase the level in which the above qualities exist in your own personality so you can eliminate failure from your life!  God continues this quote by referring to the alternative. If one does not incorporate these qualities from the divine nature, or, if he has them but does not work at having them in a continually increasing measure in his life, “But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind (1 Pet. 1:9).” The terms “nearsighted and blind” are not referring to physical handicaps, but rather one’s personal perception. If you are nearsighted and blind in your perceptions of people and circumstances, you will greatly decrease your ability for success.

Wouldn’t it be great to never fail?

Most of us can probably see in retrospect, if we ponder the past, that a lack of the divine qualities God referred to are, in some way, related to our various failures. God says the conforming of our natures to His divine nature is the key to success. “For if you do these things [incorporate the above divine characteristics in increasing measure], you will never fail (1 Pet.1:10).” Let’s daily increase in value just like fine art, displaying the characteristics of our Creator, fulfilling the divine purpose for which we were created, and ensuring widespread success in the various avenues of our lives!

I’ve recently come across another blog author whose posts I thoroughly enjoy, Jeff McClung.  He is a quality writer.  This month he put up a post about hearing the “What if…” challenge at a conference session and how it changed the life of his family.  I wanted to share with you some excerpts from Jeff’s post as well as a youtube clip of the conference session by Donald Miller which inspired him. (See footnotes at end of post for links.)

Inspiration for the “What if” Challenge

Jeff was inspired by a conference session with Donald Miller in which he said that screen writers or novelists use this method when they get stuck in their writing.  They begin asking random questions of “What if…” this happened to this or that character. Miller says the same process works to make progress in life and asks people to take the following “What if…” challenge. 

Have the family brainstorm about 25 “What if” questions and write them on a whiteboard or notebook.  There are no right or wrong answers, but some of the questions will still be in the forefront of your mind days later.  These “What if…” questions are the life changers.

Miller did this challenge with the readers on his blog and people began dreaming, began expressing new goals, their desires to overcome hurts or destructive habits.  Miller says,

Some of the questions you will realize you have to live.   You will not be able to not do it, bcause you will realize there is a beautiful story waiting for you that you didn’t know you could live.  And if you choose not to live a beautiful story, it is the same as choosing to die. (1)

 Here are some sample questions from Jeff McClung’s blog to get you started.

What if I do whatever it takes to kick that bad habit so that it’s a distant memory by 2012?

What if I wrote down one thing that I was thankful for every day this year and kept that list as a reminder for the dark days of 2011?

What if I did something to make at least one person smile every day this year?

What if I planned a surprise party for someone?

What if I were more intentional about creating memories with my wife and kids?

What if we become relentless about getting out of debt?

What if we galvanized our family, friends, and/or church to do something more about the homeless living in our city? (2)

I urge you to take the “What if…” challenge and use this innovative idea of to see which questions stay in your mind, change your life, and  help you achieve “living a beautiful story” with your life. 

1. Donald Miller’s youtube video clip from his conference session.
2. Sample “What if…” questions are excerpts from Jeff McClung’s blog post, “How to Make the Most of the New Year.”