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Planning actually begins before 2017 hits not on the 1st. I see that happen too often where everything shuts down and people wait till January 1st – like January 1st comes with some major changes or something. But guess what I discovered over the years…
a. The sun will still rise – the same way it rose all through the year;
b. The sun will still set – the same way it set all through the year; and
c. You will still be YOU!
Not a brand new You like you have always promised yourself you will become once the clock strikes 12 on the 1st of each year. Not a different you! Still the same fabulous YOU! SO why must you wait till the 1st to live your dreams or do what you’ve always wanted to do?! As my favorite quote goes…
“You are the You that Makes You the You that You are!”
Besides many people seem to have forgotten that 2017 is just next week! So why waste another minute hoping to change this in the New Year when you can start NOW. AND guess what?! You still have (what today is 23rd right?!) 8 WHOLE DAYS to make things work before the New Year hits!
It has been a really tough year for a lot of us! The economy, the crime rate, the lack of power, the people who have duped you (oh yes – I have been through it at least three times this year – the Wajus, the Oluokuns and the Johns of this world who were paid to do a job but never delivered) BUT despite all, I still somehow, managed to make it work. And we are still trying to make it work! NOW is the time to learn from past mistakes and have a concrete plan (well as concrete as can be) for the New Year.
So how do YOU make a plan for 2017? Well… without sounding like a motivational speaker or anything – that’s not what this is about. I am merely speaking to those who have asked me this particular question relating how to start off something in 2017!
This is what I’m doing so maybe it can work for you!
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1. Start with this: – your desires! As this image says, it shapes your vision.
What do you hope to achieve in the near future?! Not 2017! Think about yourself NOW. What do you wish you were doing? What have you always wanted to do?! Remember, we still have 9 days to make it work! Is it to learn fashion? Is it to start a business? Is it to leave your job or that abusive relationship – be it work, spouse or friend. Be specific!
Because it didn’t happen before now shouldn’t depress you. 2 projects that I was working on that looked so bleak earlier in the Year suddenly all came together in the last week or 2! Imagine if I had told myself “oh nothing happens in December, I’ll wait till 2017”, I would not have made those huge milestones. And 9 days is just a few days short of 2 weeks! Plenty of time to still make things happen!
2. Pick Your Catchphrase for the Year NOW!
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You don’t have to wait till 31st December crossover service or wait till what the church tells you your phrase for the year should be. That’s living in a Fool’s Paradise in my opinion. Those things are too general in nature. Pick yours NOW based on No. 1 and stick to it! I already have mine and I bet you’re dying to know what it is! Haha!
Well, I’ll tell you! Actually, I have 2 (whoever said I had to have 1) but I’ll share just 1!
2017 is my “Year of Praise & Thanksgiving”
It might seem very abstract to you but it makes too much sense to me and it ties in directly into No 1! I already know the exact things I want to achieve so all it takes for me is to work towards it.
And based on that, I did No 3!
3. Changed my phone’s ringtone!
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Haha! What better way to create a “neural pathway” (a la Pastor Poju’s favorite term) of your vision than to listen to it every single time! It gets imprinted in your memory!
Praise comes when you hit a milestone or when you WIN! So based on my specific goals for 2017, I plan to WIN at each of them. Of course, it takes a lot of prayers but I know God has my back so… I just have to do my part.
Truth be told, changing my ringtone happened by accident but that’s just the way God works right?! But remember it all stemmed from 1.
So I went for a wedding, [fab wedding by the way] and the DJ kept playing only the intro of one of my FAVOURITE SONGS of all time – “All I Do is Win” by DJ Khalid & Ludacris
As I was leaving, and I was already at the gate, he played the intro again. Excited, I literally ran back into the hall thinking he would finally play the whole song but alas, he broke my heart. There and then, I had my Eureka moment! Why not make it my ringtone also because it tied perfectly into my upcoming goals!
And that was how I spent 3 PAINFULLY LONG HOURS till like 3am in the morning trying to figure out how to make it my ringtone! I finally aced it!
So now, anytime people call me, it simply reinforces my goal to WIN every single time! And when you win, you have no choice but to praise and give thanks to He who made it happen.
So my advice to you is to find something that will continue to reinforce your own specific catchphrase for the year! It could be a typed one-liner or quote or something someone said that you will have no choice but to see or read wherever you go! It could be a welcome message on your phone or laptop screen or even a typed piece of paper on your ceiling. It will help to reinforce that vision!
4. Use this break to study!
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It’s called research! By now, you should know what exactly you want to achieve so asking the right questions should not really be an issue. Now you need to find out everything you need to know about how to actualize that vision. It doesn’t have to be like some serious jacking or anything or making an “outright effort”. That will bore you out soon enough.
An easy way to do this is to simply take your phone and run a quick search on your specific vision or goal on Google. Click on one or two of those links. What you have just done is store whatever your vision or goal is on your phone. Chances are the next time you visit Facebook or Instagram, a lot of content about what you searched for will jump out at you! They will literally stalk you! And the best part is, most of that content is free!
Also read through… okay actually “scan through” people’s broadcasts and emails that manage to pop into your box. I know it can be annoying but you just might find some hidden gem of information in there somewhere. I always scan through every broadcast I receive and have learnt over time how to sift between the serious ones and the unserious ones. If it is not relevant, I just move on! Besides, some broadcasts even force you to do research and you learn even more from there. You will also find that someone right there on your contact list may have the information you have been searching for for ages!
5. Share Your Vision with Everyone and Don’t be Afraid to Collaborate!
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The whole “what if they steal my idea is sooooooooo old-school”! If you have done No.s 1 – 4, you will eventually discover that people with like minds will suddenly begin to gravitate towards you! That’s just the way it works! It has happened to me several times. I guess that’s what the book, “The Secret” was talking about, though to be honest, I haven’t read it. But I do know what my Bible says in Isaiah 55: 11:
“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth:
it shall not return unto me void,
but it shall accomplish that which I please,
and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it”
When you live, eat and breathe your vision and talk about it every single minute, it reaffirms the vision! And you even begin to believe it, even when the evidence on the outside contradicts your vision! Trust me, you will be shocked when things begin to fall into place.
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And look for partners that can help you achieve that vision – even if it means collaborating with them. Look.. money is tough to come by these days, so if you want to make it work without money stopping you, then find like minds to work with. I am BIG on collaboration! Why be a lone ranger when you can be part of something bigger and greater?! There is strength in numbers so work with people and you all can own part of something than all of nothing!
And I am speaking from my own direct experience. The projects that somehow suddenly tool shape out of nowhere, trust me when I tell you that I had no clue how it was going to materialize. I kept telling people categorically that I would do it without having a clue how it would happen. But now, I can safely say my willingness to collaborate with 2 of my students has moved us from 0% to 65% in just 2 weeks! And there is no stopping us by God’s grace! So don’t feel the need to do it on your own. Put aside your egos and fears and find people to work with. What’s the worst that can happen? It does not work out and everyone goes their separate ways. Dasall!
And FINALLY… I know I said 5 tips but I’ll throw in a freebie!
6. TAKE A LEAP OF FAITH!
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It will never be perfect! You just have to continue tweaking it as you go along! But what is important if of you to just do it! Don’t overplan. A time comes when you just let go and and let God. Call into existence those things which do not exist as though they did (Romans 4: 17b). Remember your words will never return to you void if you truly believe in it. And take action! No matter how little!
Remember, the only thing that’s worse than fear is the REGRET you will feel knowing another year – not even year – another DAY has passed you by, a day you will NEVER get back!
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Right Image: http://www.courtneyluv.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/quotes-about-your-vision.jpeg
SO WHAT’S NEXT YOU ASK?!
Simply start from No 1 and you’ll be fine!
I’ll leave you with this AMAZING Quote from one of my MOST FAVOURITE PEOPLE of all time who wrote a book with one of the best titles a book can ever have ” The Audacity of Hope” – which…oh… I also haven’t read by the way… 😀
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Have a FAB day ahead and enjoy the looooooong weekend ahead!
Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!
Oh PS!
I have not forgotten the audio series or podcasts. Keeping my fingers crossed it goes live sooner than later! It is work in progress!
