Here is an excerpt from a favorite writer, blogger, encourager… Holley Gerth's new ebook "Do What You Can" Plan, 21 Days to Making Any Area of Your Life Better. It is a great for keeping your New Year’s goal(s) simple and doable. It officially launches at midnight on New Year’s Eve but you can get yours here.
Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well. Ecclesiastes 11:6
Big impact.
Significant results.
Maximum volume.
The phrases leap out at me from one commercial after another as I sigh and shake my head. I realize these are just advertising ploys. Yet I often translate the same attitude to my everyday life. I set lofty goals. I want to achieve great things. I want to do it all or none at all.
Have you ever felt the same way?
It seems God’s perspective is far different. Even the amount of faith we need is described as a mustard seed, which is tiny. If you hold one in the palm of your hand, it’s barely a speck. It’s not the size of our faith but instead the One we’re placing it in that matters. He enables us to do all things. Perhaps it’s time to shrink the change you have in mind down to a more manageable size.
Think about what you want. Pray about it. Talk to your trusted friends. Decide on the minimum you’d like to accomplish in a particular area of your life over the next twenty-one days. Then divide that by about half. Yep, you heard me.
I want you to aim lower. Take it down a notch. Make your goal less lofty.
If you’re feeling a twinge of panic, that’s a good sign. Because although it may feel uncomfortable to think this way, here’s the reality: a small goal that actually happens and can grow is better than the grandest one that remains a fantasy.
Don’t worry—we’re not throwing out the big dreams you have. In fact, this process is going to make them more likely to become reality. We’ll get to that later.
But right now? One small goal. That’s what we’re starting with, my friend.
And just twenty-one days because research has shown that’s how long it takes to make a new habit.
We serve a great God who can grow what we begin into more than we can imagine. But before he can do so, we have to make the first move and start the process. He gave us the ability to take action because he wants us to freely move forward rather than him forcing our steps. He will wait patiently until we choose to begin. Don’t let unrealistic expectations or idealistic ambitions hold you back any longer.
God can handle the big. When you start out, it’s okay for your part to simply be the small.
Consider leaving a comment here and tell us what you would love to do in 21 Days.
No matter what change you’d like to see in your life, you can make progress in just three weeks by taking new steps and overcoming the obstacles that have been getting in your way. Bestselling author and life coach Holley Gerth will be your partner on this journey. Her 21-day "Do What You Can" Plan guides you closer to God’s best for you through encouraging Scriptures, personal stories, and practical action tools.
Holley Gerth is an award-winning writer, licensed counselor, certified life coach, and speaker. She is a cofounder of (in)courage, a popular blogger at Heart to Heart with Holley, and the author of You're Already Amazing: Embracing Who You Are, Becoming All God Created You to Be. She lives in Arkansas with her husband, Mark. Find Holley online at www.holleygerth.com.