December: Finish the Race, Look Back, and Look Forward
The year-end finish line is fast approaching. The year ends in a little over thirty days. Are you ready?
To take inventory, take a few hours and do an audit to increase situational awareness. Do a SWOT Analysis. The letters in SWOT stand for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Once in hand, identify the steps needed to finish the race, look back, and look forward.
Finish the Race
December is when individuals and businesses put in a final push. Have goals? Accomplish them. It may mean putting in more time and energy. Do the work, and complete the tasks. Set out to tie up all the loose ends and end the year confidently.
Look Back
Review all that has happened so far this past year. For example, list the first eleven months of the year on one side a piece of paper, and write the major accomplishments next to each month. The list of successes will fuel enthusiasm for the next thirty days. Perhaps you have already taken the Thanksgiving holiday to reflect. As the list of achievements add up, take a moment to pray thanking God for his provision.
Look Forward
This is the time to consider New Year’s resolutions. It is also at time for strategic personal and business goal setting. Use the previous year’s scribbled notes, or if you had a more formal business plan, lay out the strategies and expectation for the next several months. Like looking back, write the months of the year on one side of a sheet of paper. Then pencil in all the hopes, dreams, and goals for next year.
Turn this December into a time of reflection and planning. Of course, the holidays will be a big part of December. Yet, when New Year’s Day arrives this year, you will have finished the race, looked back, and be ready to accomplish big things next year.
Tell me what you think below and please join me every day as we pray for wisdom by taking part in the Wisdom Prayer Challenge.
