PLANNING FOR THE YEAR .

2014 is here atlast ..Its a new year and many including myself are beckoned with the daunting task of making resolutions and plans for the year .To many it's one of the most difficult things to say when they are asked the begging question .."What are your resolutions for this year ". Many people find it extremely difficult to plan and a lot more challenging to do as they have planned. so I have decided to dedicate my first post in 2014 to explain how I think you can make your resolution without any" pain in the ass ".

Now I remember being asked many times what my resolutions for the new year were ,which I normally didn't know what to say .I actually hated planning because I thought it was time wasting .However over the years I have realised how important making your new year plans can be .It helped me improve upon many aspects of my life including my character .

I believe planning for the year can be a lot more fun and challenging at the same time (since not all your plans can be achieved within the year ) but in all things just be consistent .

It Boils down to another question " how do you make your new year resolutions ?".Before any attempt to answer this question we must first consider the need to plan .

Take this analogy : A sailor of a boat carrying about 5men and women sets off from one town with no clear destination .They carried with them a lot of goodies and money and as they sajourned ,they stopped at every nice town to party untill all their money was finished .They were now stuck in the middle of the ocean with no where to go and with no money .

A man without any plan for his life is like the sailor with no clear destination ,you end up being blown by every wind and eventually waste your precious life .

To make your resolutions you must first consider who you are , who you want to be and what you want .

WHO YOU ARE
Who you are or who you want to be is very different from what you want to be .If you consider who you are ,you would realise what your strengths and weaknesses are and what you have and don't have . If you realise this (Which of course you will ) , it becomes the key to unlocking your true potentials and the call to plan for your life .. If by any means you already know yourself then we thank God ,you will then realise how Imperfect you are and the need to make adjustment to your life.
Every body needs adjustments in his or her life .If we are able to understand this then making a new year resolution wouldn't be a big deal .

WHO YOU WANT TO BE .
I remember when we were kids ,we all had great ambitions but as we were growing up all vanished .It's amazing now that even children have wonderful dreams and aspirations than many adults ,because of lack of proper planning .
Who you want to be in future (remember future can also be tomorrow ) will determine your plan of action .who you want to be entails your profession ,character , status ,etc .

When you know who you want to be it becomes easy to plan for it .

WHAT YOU WANT .
Normally we use what we have to get what we desire .You May not achieve what you want unless you demand for it..Demand is subtly different from desire .Simply put demand is a desire backed by an action or will power . So back to our subject ,it stands to reason that what YOU WANT in the new year determines your actions and plans .

After analysing and answering these key questions you can now make those resolutions but remember any plan which does not include God would one way or the other lead to a dead end .

CONCLUSION .
like I said making resolutions can a lot more fun especially when it is achieved .
This means you must set achievable goals .To make your work more easy you can also categorize your plans into groups ,say spiritual :Read the bible twice a day ,win 100 souls ,pray more often ...
Academic : Improve upon weak subjects ,Read wide ,do more research ...
Business ,character etc .When you do this it becomes very easy to track any change  or challenge so as to make adjustment.

There is a wonderful feeling at the end of the year when you realise what you have been able to achieve . It's not easy though,sometimes it's very difficult to achieve some goals .What you can do when that happens is to pray , stay motivated and remain steadfast .
I hope you find this very useful . Your comments are welcome ,if you feel I May have omitted some things ..

Best regards
KENNETH BRAY (Author)