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refocus, recalibrate, renew

When it comes to celebrating New Year’s Eve, I tend to follow the example of my dad: the best way to start the new year is with a good night’s sleep.  I don’t believe there is anything magical about turning over a new calendar.

That being said, I do believe that each new year is a great time to refocus, recalibrate, and renew.  In our culture, we rarely set aside time for reflection.  We rush.  We hurry.  The business of introspection gets lost in the busyness of life.

As we approach 2012, will you spend a few moments, minutes, or hours refining your focus?  Life is too short to live aimlessly.  Without a clear sense of purpose, we surrender our effectiveness to the circumstances that surround us.  Is that the best stewardship we can offer God?

Will you also find time to recalibrate?  If you’re like me, you’ve probably recognized a fair amount of drifting in your life.  Are you living in alignment with your mission, vision, and purpose?  Do your actions reflect your values?  Are your words and deeds in harmony with one another?  Drifting often happens incrementally but the danger can be exponential.

At the start of this year, will you set aside time to renew?  For many of us, Thanksgiving through the end of the year feels like a sprint.  When our batteries are low, our abilities are low.  We find ourselves taking shortcuts rather than doing the hard stuff that may be required.  It becomes easier to download someone else’s hard work than to do our own.  Eventually, if we’re not careful, the lack of renewal will lead to burn out.

Whether this happens in late December, early January, or the middle of summer — it doesn’t matter when; it just matters that you do it.