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Stuck in a Quagmire of Hope
by Bill Allison
 Have
you ever made the exact same New Year’s resolution… in two
different years?
Me too.
Would you like 2007 to be different? If so, let me ask you another question…
Do You REALLY Want to Make a Difference in 2007?
As I stand before a group of about a hundred people, I ask them, "How
many of you want to make a difference in this world for Jesus Christ?"
Everyone raises a hand and people look at me as if to say, "Duh,
that's why we came to your training workshop today you knuckle head!"
While everyone still has a hand raised, I ask, "How many of you
have a plan?”
About ten hands stay raised. I ask the ten, “How may of you have
a written plan?”
All but three hands fall.
Then I dare to ask the group, "What does this say about us?"
Why don’t YOU think about it? What does it say about us—that
we all say we really want to make a difference, but ninety-seven percent
of us don’t have a written plan?
“I Feel Good!”
So many of us feel great about ourselves simply because we HOPE to make
a difference in the world for Jesus Christ. Our self-esteem rises a notch
simply because we HOPE to have a closer walk with God this coming year.
We tend to be a little overly impressed with ourselves simply because
we honestly HOPE to have a better marriage this year. We tend to feel
wonderful simply because we HOPE that talking about our New Year’s
resolution to diet will give us more self-control. We HOPE and HOPE and
HOPE... but nothing really changes because we substitute HOPE for ACTION.
And something strange happens: We get stuck in a quagmire of hope.
Eventually, if we’re honest with ourselves, we start to realize
that while hoping may make us feel good about ourselves, being hopeful
by itself doesn’t bring about the change and growth we honestly
know we need and want. In other words, hope is NOT a strategy.
Discretion Is Advised
Let me quit being diplomatic just for one sentence and say it directly
to you so you won’t miss it: Hoping one's life away shows
a lack of discretion. Indeed, God and the Bible are big
on the idea of living life with discretion. Interestingly, one of the
reasons the book of Proverbs was written was to give "discretion"
to people (Proverbs 1:4). OK, what’s discretion? According to the
NET Bible, discretion is "wise planning; the ability to make plans
or formulate the best course of action for attaining a goal; knowledge
of how to form and carry out a morally wise plan for life." That
definition is worth a second read.
So how's your DQ (discretion quotient—not Dairy Queen) these days?
Are you simply hoping for a great life to find you... or are you in the
three percent of people who have a written plan and are busy experiencing
a great life? Great living doesn’t happen by accident. That's
why you need God's "discretion"—the ability to make plans
and formulate the best course of action for attaining your goal.
 Does
Your Plan Really Need To Be Written?
Yes, you really need a written plan. In February 2003, USA Today featured
an article on New Year’s resolutions. A year earlier the newspaper
interviewed people about their resolutions for 2002. Interestingly, it
divided the respondents into two categories: 1) those who wrote down their
resolutions, and, 2) those who made mental resolutions. One year later,
only four percent of those who made mental resolutions had made any changes.
However, forty-six percent of those who dared to write their resolutions
followed through on them. You may be thinking, “Forty-six percent
isn’t that good,” but I say, “Au contraire.” Think
about it. The rate of success and achievement for the group who wrote
down their goals was 1,100 percent higher than those who did not write
them. When you engage in the simple act of writing down your goals
for 2007, you exponentially increase your chance for success and achievement.
So, what are you waiting for? Do you really want to get unstuck from
a quagmire of hope in 2007? Hmmm, I wonder what might be a good first
step for you? Why not grab a pen, pencil, or a computer keyboard and start
right now?
 Tell
your friends about this issue!
A FREE Online Resource You Can
Use to Get Unstuck
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For some great, FREE online help to get yourself
beyond New Year’s resolutions—to some great help for
getting unstuck in 2007, GO
HERE!
* Note: Available only through January 18, 2007.
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A Special MP3 Audio Download To Help
You Get Unstuck in 2007
A Planning Tool To Help You Get Unstuck
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Seventy percent of us don't finish
the race of life well. Starting well is beneficial. Staying the
course is critical. But it's the way we finish that becomes our
legacy. No matter what age or season of life you are in right now,
finishing this life well is something to which you should give some
careful thought and intentional planning. The
Challenge of Finishing Well is a twenty-eight
page interactive workbook that is designed to help you wrestle with
what it means for you to finish well in God's eyes. It's ideal for
small groups or for use as a personal half or full day retreat.
For more info or to order:
Order
Online / More Info
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by January 28, 2007. |
To check out all kinds of resources that can help you get unstuck in 2007,
CLICK
HERE!
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