Are you ready to have your best year?
Whenever people ask me what I think the coming year will bring, I always respond that it’s going to be my best year yet. And I believe it!
Why is this important? Because what we believe has the power to unlock our potential.
Potential is an interesting word. Potential speaks of what you can do, but haven’t done yet. It refers to how far you can go, but haven’t gone yet. We all have potential, but that potential means nothing if you don’t bring it about—it requires action on your part. You were born with natural gifts and tendencies, for example, but without training and practice, you won’t achieve your full potential in those areas.
Potential is future focused, so if you lose sight of it, you will live in the past. I worked for seven years as a paramedic, so I spent a fair amount of time with people who were dying. As death approaches, people stop talking of the future. Instead, they often talk about days of old, when they were raising their family or the way things were when they were young. It’s natural for them to stop dreaming about the future.
Living in past memories may be natural when you’re nearing death, but it’s a big problem if you’re not quickly approaching the end of your life. Yet people do it all the time. Some seem content to focus only on past achievements—that one big deal they made ten years ago or that touchdown they scored in high school. But you can’t camp out on what you did years ago, thinking that you have already achieved your greatest accomplishments. You have much more potential within you that has yet to be realized.
No matter what your situation, you have potential within you yet to be realized. You could live out 2016 as a repeat of 2015, or 2014, or 1984 for that matter. Or, when someone asks you what this year will bring, you could respond by saying “I’m going to create the best year I’ve ever had!”
Today, make the decision to achieve that potential. Rise up, believe, and get a vision for what you can do . . . and go for it!
Leon Fontaine is internationally renowned for his ability to equip leaders with skills for success. He is the CEO of Miracle Channel and senior pastor of Springs, a contemporary church with six campuses across Western Canada. Visit www.leonfontaine.com for more great resources. Email your comments to [email protected].
