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It’s that time again—a brand new year and decade.
With the New Year comes a lot of pressure to succeed.
The pressure to flaunt your success or cry at your lack of success.
For some reason, this year feels different.
2020 is carrying a bit of nuance for me. At the risk of going against everything that your favorite guru is saying, I will just spit it out.
This New Year, I am not submitting to the pressure to succeed. There I said it!
Suddenly I feel so much lighter….
Every year, we create vision boards, set goals, and come up with resolutions. I have definitely done a few of these.
These days, I am being a whole more cautious when creating them. Let’s back up a bit.
In 2019, I created this beautiful vision board. I covered family life, business, finances, basically everything.
Now it’s 2020, and looking back, all I have to say is chileeeeee! We will get into more of that later.
Personally, 2019 was a time of preparation, character development, and awakening. The reason I did not accomplish all of my goals is because God was still preparing me.
Rather than allow the fact that I did not accomplish every item on my vision board to cause me to re-evaluate my entire existence, instead, I am making a decision to mark my 2019 by the progress I have made towards those goals.
It’s not about the number of items you check off of some resolutions lists or vision board that determines your success.
It is actually how much you are aligning with the direction that God is taking you in and His calling for your life.
Sometimes that direction is not as glitzy and glamorous. There are times that direction is not post-worthy for social media. Moments when that direction is silent and all about winning those inward wars.
And guess what? That is OK!
Do you want to know how to get to this place of contentment and finally let go of the pressure to succeed? Let me break it down for you.
Redefine Winning
In this social media era, winning is about what the masses can see. If it wasn’t posted on social media, people wonder if it is happening.
It’s kind of sad that many of us have adopted this very same mindset in our personal lives. People tend to think if you cannot see the brand new house, the new car, the degree, or the emergence of that 5-6 figure business; it means you are a failure.
Boo, that’s a lie! For me, winning is about how obedient I have been to God.
I am not simply referencing the big milestone “obedience” but the little ones. Like:
- Am I showing love to those around me?
- How forgiving am I?
- Am I faithful with what God has told me to do?
- Are my motives right?
- Am I continually listening for God’s little nudges and direction?
- How on track am I in terms of what God is leading me to do?
Here’s some truth for you. When you define winning as being obedient to God, God will always make sure that you win in the END. This means that some seasons it won’t feel like you are winning. Yet when it is all said and done, you will win.
Be Sensitive to God and His Timing
Another reason I am on guard this year with the New Year’s hype is because our timing should not be the measure of our successes.
The majority of deadlines that we place on ourselves are self-imposed. I talk a lot about being true to your journey and God’s timing in my book here.
That deadline to open a business by the end of 2019 was set by you. Ask yourself….Did you consult God on His timing? What if God’s plan consisted of you working on that job for another year so that you can actually attain the skills necessary to start that business?
Now you are all depressed over a deadline that was never God’s heart towards your life.
I understand that you have strong desires. I have them too.
Even in that, never forget that God’s timing is perfect. Even amid the pressure to succeed. As long as you are being sensitive to His direction and listening for His voice, He will open doors for you and lead you in HIS SET timing. Not your own.
As a matter of fact, God won’t need a new year to do it. He can do it whenever.
Slow and Steady Wins the Race
The race is not to the swift baby, but to the one that endures to the end. Earlier this year, I created a vision board. It was the first year that I created a visual representation of a year.
It was stunning, at least in my opinion. The problem was that my 2019 vision board consisted of lifetime aspirations.
Like being a best-selling author, a ministry that touches young adults all over the world, and designing products that draw people closer to Christ.
I know in my heart that these are desires and promises that God has birthed in me. It was just not for 2019. Eventually, I will get there.
So what…you did not complete the 100-meter dash in 2019. You were not able to check off every single item on your checklist. That does not mean that you lost the race.
The goal is not to get across the finish line the fastest. It is to cross it …. PeriodT!
God rewards those that endure until the end.
With that being said, Happy New Year, Everyone! My sincere prayer is that this year you will be accelerated and aligned with whatever season God has for you next.
May you experience His favor in every single area of your life in 2020 and beyond. I love you guys to life!
As always,
Be strong, Be Courageous, Serve God Wholeheartedly.
Gilberta Thompson
