2017 was my best year ever and 2018 is outpacing last year in many areas of my life. The following are some of things which happened in my life last year:
- My wife and I became empty nesters as our daughter graduated from high school and went off to Liberty U.
- I was fortunate enough to help more churches and more people than in any year previously.
- 2017 was the best year of sales I ever had.
- I began teaching leadership to an increasing number of church, non-profit and educational teams.
- I read 54 books cover-to-cover
- I finished five years as an elder at my church where I also chaired a $15 million capital campaign.
- This site had its most readers in a calendar year.
- I was privileged enough to give more money to ministry than any year in my life.
- And oh yes, I event wrote my second book Timeless: 10 Enduring Practices Of Apex Leaders.
It was some year to say the least. But it did not happen by accident. The following are 10 Things You Can Do To Have Your Best Year Ever!
- Put God First In Your Life – I realigned my schedule (more on that later) and made sure I spent at least 30 minutes with God in prayer and Bible study at the start of each day. Accomplishing much in your life is important. However, you cannot accomplish anything of eternal value apart from God.
- Put Your Spouse Second In Your Life – My wife Sonya and I started planning for empty nesting when Anna was a junior in high school. We are each other’s best friends and we wanted to ensure we were not one of those marriages that crumbles when the kids leave home.
- Rest – There are numerous studies on the value of sleep. I was very disciplined to be in bed by 10:00 PM and awake at 6:00 AM. This gave me increased energy and allowed me to start everyday earlier, making me more productive. I hear leaders periodically tell me they only need 4-5 hours of sleep. I always think the same thing. You may only need 4-5 hours of sleep but your team needs you to get 8 hours. Trust me.
- Increase Your Capacity Using A Self-Management Tool – For many years I maintained a personal self-management tool to help me judge my personal daily performance. To sum it up for you, I attempt to get four points per day. In 2017, I increased my number to five points per day to have my best year ever.
- Manage Your Calendar – In an effort to maximize my time and not waste it, every moment of my day was scheduled. For instance, I did all of my administrative tasks during non-contact hours with churches.
- Leaders Are Readers – I developed a reading strategy. I regularly had three books going at all times – sports, theology, and business/military. If you are going to have your best year ever, you must get smarter. Books are the best way to do this.
- Develop A Plan – Your best year ever will not happen by accident. You must be intentional. Points 1-6 listed above formed a plan to increase my capacity and have my best year ever.
- Eliminate Waste And Distractions – A leaders is defined more by what they say “No” to than what they say “Yes” to. To have your best year ever you must eliminate those things which do not help you achieve your goals.
- Build A Skilled And Encouraging Team – There is only so much you can humanly do. You must have people around you who want to help you and can help you. In addition, your best year ever will be exhausting. You need encouragers in your life.
- Have Boundaries – God is worthy of the time. My wife and daughter are worthy of my time. My job compensates me and there are many people who count on me to have a great year. My career is worthy of my time. My health requires me to have times of rest, exercise and recreation. My church is worthy of my time. The only way to not shortchange any of these is to have clear boundaries in my life and schedule. At least for one year in my life, I did pretty good here.
Now hear are some things I did not do well:
- My number of friends did not increase.
- My relationships with my neighbors did not grow deeper.
- My heart did not grow softer for the poor, widowed and under-resourced.
- My health did not improve. I did not lose any weight.
- Worst of all, I did reach one person for Christ outside of my platform ministry.
So even though I had my best year ever, I am not nearly the leader I need to be. There is still so much more to do.
I hope this list helps you to have your best year ever. If you are accomplishing more than you ever have before, please email me and tell your story. I will share them on this site from time to time.
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