I'm a big New Year's resolution kind of person. I know some of you are too, while others are not. I have a friend who is a bit of both. A few years ago, he challenged me to not make specific resolutions, but thematic. "Choose a word," he said, "and have that be the focus of your year. That way, your goals and habits can shift and change and never end." I really liked that and have adopted it ever since. (Although, I still make specific resolutions.)
This year's word (or words) is "Be intentional." I know it is a bit of a buzz phrase that people like to use because it sounds good and looks good, but as I reflected on the past year and spent time considering the coming one, intentionality kept presenting itself. Am i intentional with my conversations? My time with my family? My staff? My emails? Am intentional with my money? My time? My opportunities? Do I make things happen, or respond to the things that do? Am I intentional with my thoughts? My words? Or are they guided by the ideas and influences of others?
If I'm honest, the quick and easy answer is no, not always. And probably not nearly as much as I would like to think or hope which bothers me because that means there is so much wasted time, energy, and opportunities to be better, to do great things, and to have greater impact on the lives of those around me.
This is my recent conviction, and I would never want to impose it upon any of you, so I will simply ask this: are you being intentional with the time and resources and opportunities that have been gifted to you? I know I'm not, and I need to do better.