Is 2017 sneaking up on you? I know the feeling. I felt that way as 2015 was winding down. I wanted to accomplish a great deal in 2016, but wasn’t quite sure how I was going to do it. That’s when I discovered that a little bit of preparation would lead to amazing results.

I started thinking ahead earlier than I ever had before. And that’s all it really was: thinking. I thought about what I wanted to accomplish. I jotted a few of those thoughts down. Then I sat back and hoped for amazing results. Those results didn’t just happen by thinking about them. But that was the start of meeting and accomplishing goals like I never had before.

So I think the secret to making this new year count is simply taking a few moments to prepare for it. That’s why I love this (free!) PDF download. In it, 30+ well known influencers all share the most important thing they do to set themselves up for a banner year.

It’s a who’s who of successful people — Tony Robbins, John Maxwell, Dave Ramsey, Chalene Johnson, and Andy Andrews, plus more than 20 leaders. These are the people that you look up to, respect, and admire. They’re the ones that set the standard for getting things done. They’re the ones who set goals and accomplish them.

When you see what they’ve done it’ll be much easier for you to do it yourself. Give yourself a head start to 2017 by learning from the experts.

Access to their answers is all yours (at no cost) here. Check it out! It’ll get you on the path of thinking through what you want to accomplish in 2017. I’m sure it will be amazing.

P.S. This free PDF is a wealth of wisdom to kickstart 2017. If you’ve felt stuck for a while, don’t miss it.

What goals do you want to accomplish in 2017?

After a very busy early fall, my wife, Tammy, and I had a little opportunity to get away. The holidays and a brand new grandchild are just on the horizon. So we thought we’d better take the opportunity to get away for just a few days. One of the benefits of living in Florida is having world-class vacation destinations and an incredible sunset within close driving distance.

So we went to Anna Maria Island. It’s a place famous for its sunsets. People gather on the beach most every evening to see the sun dip down into the water and finally disappear beyond the horizon. The sunset on Anna Maria is a beautiful sight filled with pinks, oranges, reds, and purples.

The beach was just steps from our door. So we checked the time of the sunset. We walked over to the beach about ten minutes before it set. Then we stood there waiting to watch the day’s finale.

It happens everyday. But we rarely pay attention to it. The sun rises in the east. Then it sets in the west. When you watch, you can’t help but be a bit pensive and reflective.

Here are three thoughts I had (and you might, too) when watching the sunset:

1. Time slips by quickly. I probably don’t need to tell you this. But watching a sunset at the beach really drives this home. When the sun first touches the horizon you think it’ll take a while for it to disappear. But before you know it the sun plunges into the water. It’s such a vivid and stark reminder that time passes by so very quickly. Use it wisely. Take advantage of it. Don’t let it slip away.
2. Life is filled with colors of all kinds. When the sun sets the colors in the sky are almost indescribable. They change. They blend from one into another. They dance in front of your eyes. In light of recent events, we’re all too aware of the stark differences there area amongst people in our country. At the risk of being too simplistic, our diversity is our strength. The variety of people, interests, skills, gifts, talents, and, yes, colors makes life interesting. Yes, it sometimes makes it frustrating, too. But if we were all the same there would be nothing but monotony.
3. There is light even after the sunset. If you watch the sunset at the beach you will notice that it’s still light even after the sun sets. The afterglow is beautiful to watch. You recognize that daylight doesn’t go away, it simply moves to another part of the world. The lesson is that even when life seems dark — or darkest — light is still shining somewhere. It may not be evident. But it’s there. The daylight will dawn again.

Value time. Appreciate diversity. Daylight will dawn.

What does a sunset teach you?

I have watched, with fascination, and not a little bit of trepidation, the results of the 2016 presidential election. Needless to say, these are tense and trying times for our country. Social media and electronic media have, no doubt, fueled our collective response to what has happened in this election.

Here are the top 10 responses I’ve seen to the results of the 2016 presidential election:

1. Stunned silence.
2. Laughter.
3. Crying.
4. Rejoicing.
5. Sadness.
6. Despair.
7. Protests.
8. Ignorance.
9. Hopefulness.
10. Satisfaction.

The thing about most all of these reactions is that they put their hope in human beings rather than in something higher. Much Higher.

An old story is told about a missionary. He lives amongst a tribe that has no written language. He wants to translate the Bible so that they can actually have it written down; so that they can read it and write it.

So he goes about beginning to translate the Bible into their language, little by little. This tribe has no abstract words, so it’s very difficult to translate words like “faith.”

One day the missionary travels with the tribe to a local village where they can pick up some supplies. They come to a very deep ravine with a rickety bridge from one side to the other. All the tribe members have no problem pouncing on the bridge and making their way easily to the other side.

But the missionary isn’t so sure. He doesn’t trust the bridge. Meanwhile, the tribe is calling him from the other side using a word he’s never heard before. Finally, they coax him onto the bridge and he sheepishly makes it to the other side.

When he gets there he asks them what that word is they were using to coax him to use the bridge. They tell him the word, and they explain that it means: “You can put your full weight on it.” He now has his word for “faith.”

In this presidential election, it seems to me that far too many people put their full weight on the results. When we put our full weight on the results of a human institution, we can easily end up falling into the deep ravine.

But when we put our full weight on that which is Higher, namely Jesus Christ and Him crucified, we have a hope that can never be disappointed.

What is it upon which you put your full weight?

This week was one of those weeks. I’m sure you’ve had them, too. There were car problems, inconveniences, appointments that went awry, and the home team losing (twice). Everything was just a little…off. It felt like I was under a cloud that was following me around. But as a new week started, someone made my day, probably without even knowing he did so.

As a pastor I take very seriously the “metrics” of my congregation. I know it’s not all about the numbers. It’s not all about attendance, and meeting the budget, and volunteer hours. But as a human being I can’t help but view those things as a reflection of my own effort, passion, and faithfulness. When those numbers turn downward, even a little bit, I can feel a bit discouraged.

So today, as I was ending a not-so-good week, and reflecting on some human metrics, I heard words that made my day. There was a guest at church today. He was there to bring news from one of the ministries our congregation supports. So he joined us for worship and stuck around to talk afterward.

What he said had nothing to do with metrics or numbers. He said, “This congregation is really alive. I felt so welcome. You all are more supportive of our ministry than any other church in the area. And I really enjoyed your sermon.” Day made.

So here’s how to instantly make someones day: Pay a specific compliment. It doesn’t even have to be directly about the person to whom you are giving the compliment. Sometimes it means even more to compliment the things with which they are intimately involved:

• Compliment the teacher on the behavior of her class
• Tell the dentist how much you enjoy his staff
• Make a point to tell a store manager how much you appreciate the store itself (Can you imagine what it would mean in the midst of all the complaints they get?)
• Ask your waiter to tell the chef how great you think the food is in the restaurant

I’m going to start my new and better week glowing about the congregation I am privileged to serve. They are a people “alive.” People feel welcome in their presence. They provide outstanding support for people outside their own walls.

Pay a compliment to someone about the things with which they are intimately involved. 

You will make a day. 

Maybe even a week.

What does it take for someone to make your day? 

I write this blog every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Every once in a while I feel like I should just quit. I wonder if people are reading. Sometimes I think my writing isn’t improving. Other times I feel as though maybe I could pick up another hobby. But then something happens that convinces me not to quit.

A couple of weeks ago I was reminded of one of the reasons why I keep going. I got a random email from the editor of our church’s national publication. To quote the email:

Observing from Facebook that you are quite the writer, I’m writing to see if you are interested in contributing to the next three issues of [our magazine]! In particular, I’m wondering if you’re open to authoring the most-read page of the entire magazine: the Bible study entitled “Searching Scripture.”

This was just one reason for me to keep going. I kept putting my work out into the world and someone noticed. Now I get to use my writing to bless and uplift others. If I had quit writing long ago this may have never happened.

So here are three reasons for you to keep going, whatever your pursuit may be:

1. It’s good for you. The more you create your art (art is something that changes both the recipient and the one who creates it), the better you get at creating it. A writer writes better sentences. A painter paints better paintings. An engineer creates better drawings. A teacher makes better connections with students. Consistency in creating content creates better artists. So don’t quit.
2. It’s good for those who receive it. When you consistently produce something and ship it out into the world it has an impact. Your art (writing, painting, engineering, teaching, or whatever) touches hearts and lives. It can’t do that unless you see to it that it you are producing something worth consuming. And sometimes people won’t pay attention unless you are producing something on a regular basis. So don’t quit.
3. It brings opportunity. As I showed above, the consistency in my writing produced a paid opportunity to do something that would be beneficial to people and bring a wider audience to my writing. If you don’t ship your art on a consistent basis it will be difficult for people to take notice or find it. So don’t quit.

What is it that keeps you from quitting?

Today I got a request to sign ten copies of my new book, Fully and Creatively Alive. The request came from a friend who read it and wanted to share it with many of his family and friends. An author can’t ask for more than that: someone who likes your book and wants to share it. So he sent me the names and descriptions of the people for whom he wanted me to sign. It is, to say the least, an inspirational list.

Here is some of what my friend said about his favorite people to whom he wanted to give a personal gift (edited for clarity and to protect anonymity):

• For my inspirational pastor who a creative thinker and preacher. He has the heart of 10 men and always looks for ways to reach people and grow them up.
• For my other inspirational pastor. He is creative and gifted in music and fine arts. He and his wife have served several years on a national youth leadership team.
• For our 24 year old son, who graduated from college with an engineering degree. He works for a large corporation in Fort Collins, CO and is learning how to work really, really hard. He has thought about studying for the ministry, but I hope he stays in the industry for a while and really learns lots about life. Love that kid!
• For our 22 year old daughter. She will graduate from college this December with an engineering degree. She would love to work for Disney, but has failed to get any attention so far. She is creative and loves theatre. She is on the hunt for a job, and excited to be finishing soon. Love that kid!
• For a former co-worker, and frankly the real reason I went to work at the organization. She is on fire, dynamic, passionate with a background in journalism and worked for Warner Brothers, ABC, and who knows, before coming to our organization. She left a year and half ago to launch her own creative, marketing, and production company. Lord, she hit it out of the park. Actually, she already sold her company. However, they retained her and her whole team. She is also charged with developing tools for missional churches. Tom, she is really amazing.
• For a  friend that I’m helping write his first book. He has a business mind that is second to none. He is an evangelist in his business world. I think he will be a consultant one day, and conference speaker. He could really be a blessing, and has 2 or 3 books in him.
• For a writer friend who lost her job. She is thinking about launching a web presence that helps to support young moms. Just an amazingly positive and uplifting person.

I wrote my friend back and told him I’d like to meet and/or work with every single one of these people. They are inspirational in so many varying and different ways. I’m so happy that I might have the opportunity, through my book, to be just a small inspiration to each and every one of them.

In fact, the way my friend writes about each of these people makes him an inspiration to me. He’s a person that inspires others. He’s a person others want to be around. I’m certain that he’s an inspiration to the ten people he’s gifting with books.

What if you had to write down the ten most inspirational people in your life right now? Who would they be? Why would they fit in that category? Why don’t you tell them? Maybe even share a little gift, like a book, with them?

Why don’t you take a moment right now to write down the ten most inspirational people in your life at this very moment?