The beginning of each new year brings with it a myriad of decisions: What will I do this year to make it better than last year? How do I decide which areas of my life I want to change? Will I actually follow through and make changes for the better? Should I even bother putting in the effort?
Everything that we do in life involves decisions and those decisions often dictate what we do with our lives and where we end up. It is completely up to us what decisions we choose to make.
In a society that has become so focused on instant gratification, making decisions tends to be more selfish in nature. We may find ourselves avoiding situations that force us to make “big” decisions that require a lot of time and energy, whether that be changing majors, pulling up roots and moving for a new job or even simple things like learning something new. It may be that we are afraid that we will not succeed at completing a goal that we set for ourselves because it is too difficult or we are not motivated enough, but God reminds us that He “has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind” (II Timothy 1:7).
Try setting some long-term goals for yourself that require you to work hard and get out of your comfort zone and see what you learn about yourself.
Image credit: Glenn Carstens-Peters