Why this is the best week of the year... - Learn How To Write A Novel

This is my favorite week of the year. I know you’re thinking…wait…what about Christmas week?

I love that week too. I love the chaos, the puzzling, Christmas Eve service, the anticipation of Christmas morning. I love having my people here.

But after the hustle of Christmas week comes the anticipation hush of the next year.

I’ve been listening to an interesting podcast this year called The Happiness Lab. They talk about all the perceived things that we think make us happy versus the actual things that create happiness. One of those things is actually the anticipation of things to come.

(if you’re like me, just the very word..An-ticipation brings up a song jingle –

(Right?)

We get almost as much enjoyment out of dreaming and looking forward to our future as we do accomplishing it.

Which is why I love this week.

This is the week I take the time to reflect on the last year – all the ways God has shown up, all the things I’ve learned, all the ways I’m grateful.

Then, I build on that and turn toward the next year. I take those lessons and ask: What is God teaching me? What is He already doing I can join him in? What is he leading me to do, in faith?

Today, in my Miracle Morning, I read (paraphrased from Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young), “When problems are weighing heavily on you, your natural tendency is to speed up your pace of living, frantically searching for answers. But what you need at such times is to slow down and seek Jesus’ face. Invite the Spirit to help you as you discuss your difficulties with Him. Then lay your requests before Him and wait in expectation.”

Slow down. Seek. Wait. In EXPECTATION.

Anticipation of what HE will do.

Oh! The possibilities!

Even if you’re not using My Story Matters: The 2020 My Brilliant Writing planner to anticipate your year, I would encourage you to take some time and ask yourself the following questions: (taken in part from a great blog: https://www.simplyfiercely.com/simple-journal-prompts/)

What’s causing you stress right now? What could you let go of to calm your life and ease this stress?
What would you do with an extra hour in your day? Could you rearrange and FIND that hour?
What are you afraid of letting go of, and why?
What are the 3 most important things in your life?
What makes you proud of yourself?
Examine your to-do list. What could you give yourself permission not to do and why?

These questions are a great start to developing values-based planning, where your life is driven by your core values instead of outside forces. We have a great mini-course that comes with our 2020 Planner about values-based planning, if you want to dive in deeper. It’s changed my life–helped me look at the way I live, and how to live in alignment with my core values each day. It’s helped me create priorities, say no to lesser things and prune my activities to the ones that bring me joy as well as financial contentment.

2020 is going to be a fantastic year. But you’re not quite there yet, so take a breath. Brew a cup of coffee, light a fire and open your planner (or journal) and then…

Evaluate. Listen. Seek. And, as God said to Moses in Exodus… “Now you will see what I will do…”

I can’t wait.

If you’re interested in learning more about Values based planning, and how to plan for an exceptional year that aligns your core values and is propelled by joy, join us at 7pm on January 9^th for our Brilliant 2020 webinar.

Click here to sign up for our free class.

Have a great week and prepare to have a brilliant year!