So January is almost here.  You’ve got resolutions…so do I.  How do you handle it?  I used to make a list and forget about most of them by March.

Over the last few years, here are some changes I’ve made to how I think about personal change that I thought I’d share.  So far, I’m finding this approach bears more fruit.  Here’s what I’ve been doing:

• Reflect constantly. Self-awareness is key to understanding.  Over the last year, I’ve sought feedback from my wife, my kids, our leadership team, staff, elders, mentors and others.  I’m always seeking to grow and learn.  I also am integrating personal growth into my prayer life.   Keeping a running tab of the issues you are working on can help select a few focal points.  Who do you have in your life that is giving you honest feedback on strengths and weaknesses?
• Start early. Our leadership team did a complete strategic plan for 2010 back in October/November 09.  I’ve been in ‘what can I do differently/better’ mode for a few months now.    It isn’t January first yet.  Take a few days to reflect, pray, consult and identify a few areas.
• Get a system. Life is busy.  I have a lot of inboxes and some days get more messages than I think I can handle.  When that happens, I live out of ‘reactive’ mode.  The urgent always wins out over the important.  As soon as that starts to happen, I start the slow slide to dropping balls. Two weeks ago on a flight (airplanes are great workspace), I completely reprogrammed my Things app, which I use as a project management/to do list.   I organized my life into areas of responsibility and projects, and entered every imaginable task and issue I’m facing into a series of neatly organized, time sensitive task list.  I’m two weeks into this system and love it.  Way fewer dropped balls.  Far ahead of where I would have been without it.  Whatever system you use is up to you.  I just know I need a system.
• Narrow the focus. I can’t get better at everything, but here are five areas I want to make progress in during 2010:
  • Focused Family Time.  Between my lap top and iPhone, I can be working far too much.  I’m going to shut it down more often at night and be fully focused on my family.  Work when I work.  Play when I play.  I thought I was doing better than I was at this, so a change is needed.
  • Clearer Messages. I preach over 35 messages per year and do conferences and other talks on top of that.  The best path to clarity for me is to spend time planning a message weeks or months before I give it.  Clarity is hard work.  I want to be in front of series, talks and messages than I ever have been.
  • Lose the Last 10 Pounds. I joined a gym to kick off 09 and lost 15 pounds this year, but I’m still at least 10-15 pounds above where I need to be.  For me that means diet.  Self control, self control, self control.  (That’s a spiritual discipline, isn’t it?)  This will no doubt be the hardest goal in 2010, because I haven’t been under 200 pounds since I was in college.  Here we go.
  • Become a Better Manager I have no trouble leading an organization and am passionate about casting vision for our mission, but I struggle in management.  I want to stay focused on my strengths, but the reality is I will serve the people I work with much better if I develop stronger follow up and better attention to organizational detail.  Reorganizing my Things app was a first step in the right direction. I’ll be looking for constant improvement and constant feedback on this in 2010.
  • Deepen My Prayer Life. Scripture reading was a major focus for 2009, and the passion in my Bible reading is probably at an all time high.  I want to see a deeper, more intimate prayer life emerge.  Not sure how to accomplish this, but God has a way of partnering with you when you seek Him more deeply.  So I’ll keep at it.
• Keep your goals in sight all year. If you’re only working on a few things (I’ve got five), you can make progress more easily than if you were trying to do 10.  Because there are only five, I can keep them on my dashboard all year long.

Those are thoughts on how I plan for the new year.  How do you do it?  What are some best practices that have helped you?

Talking to a friend of mine last week who shared a blunt observation: every organization faces one of two options – slow death or deep change.

It hit me hard because it was so stark.  But it also hit me hard because it’s so true.

Even successful organizations who are not intentionally going through deep change are headed toward slow death.  Now occassionally we find ourselves part of a movement that is not heading toward slow death, but rapid death.  That’s easy to spot.

But what if every successful, moderately successful or plateaued organization embraced the concept that the two choices facing them were deep change or slow death?  In fact, the more successful you are, the more seriously you need to take this truth. The greatest disincentive to change is success, because people only change with the pain associated with the status quo is greater than the pain associated with change.  No pain, no change.  And if you are successful today, why change?

Slow death…deep change.

Got me thinking into 2010 and beyond.  How are we going to change?  If we (and every church) keep missing the 90% of the population of Central Ontario that don’t go to church, what will we change?

Even got me thinking personally, how am I going to change as a leader?

Slow death or deep change.  Do you agree?  What do you think most needs to be changed?

So we’re gearing up for a December series on hope at Connexus.  Here’s the tension for the series:  Everywhere I turn in the Bible I read about hope, and yet hope seems so absent for so many Christians and those who don’t believe.

I twittered about hope last week and got a surprising number of DMs and even email messages from people who struggle with hope.

I’d love to open the conversation more widely today and hear what you have to say (of course, you can DM or create a pseudonym here on the blog too).

Some questions:

What makes you lose hope?

What makes you hopeful?

How do you remain hopeful in tough circumstances?

How fragile do you feel hope is in your life right now?  What’s making it fragile?

Could you share some stories and thoughts?  I find these real life stories so helpful when writing a series, and – as always, the series will be available to everyone free on www.connexuscommunity.com and on iTunes. 

Love to hear from you – post away.