The Christmas lights have been removed from outside our homes (or are frozen to the ground!), the ornaments have been carefully packed away, other decorations will live to see the light of day in about eleven months, and the tree minus many needles has been hauled away.

The Ball has dropped, the parties are over, and the countless college bowl games have come to end, with the Ohio State Buckeyes winning the National Championship game.

We’re nearly two weeks into the New Year.

For those of us who plan ahead, we may have uttered a well-intentioned resolution or two before the clock struck midnight marking the end of 2014.

For those of us who are late to the table, we may have opted to verbalize or write down our resolutions on the 2015 side of New Year’s Rockin Eve.

In either case, how are those resolutions coming?

You know the ones.

Those resolutions which fall under the banner of out of sight and assuredly out of mind!

Personally, I do not make New Year’s resolutions.

Why bother when I know they most likely are empty words?

In a recent blog post, Michael Hyatt poses the same question I asked myself above.

In a nutshell, resolutions don’t work.

You can check out Michael’s thoughts here and link to some factual information which supports the premise of resolutions not being all they are cracked up to be.

I believe in the value of goal setting.

Establishing and acting upon a concise, written plan allows me to drive down the road of a given year with a destination in mind.

Unfortunately, I must admit I have been lax in this area for quite some time and have been far from intentional about it.

Those days are over!

Given my own personal situation of looking for new employment, as well as many other things which I desire to accomplish, I can no longer afford to put the act of goal setting on the back burner.

It is front and center – it’s time to take much action!

I am currently working on and should complete my goals for this year by the end of this week.

I am running a little behind due to our water situation (which is getting better) and the inconveniences posed as well as dealing with some minor medical issues which had me sidelined most of last week.

I am delayed but not derailed.

The point is I plan to be intentional about this process and have high expectations for a favorable year because of it.

What about you?

How will you set the course to navigate the remainder of the year?

I am using Michael Hyatt’s 5 Days to Your Best Year Ever course to help me with this process.

It’s awesome, practical, and really gets inside the head and the heart.

Unfortunately, I did not get this post completed when I planned as I wanted to share the information with you.

My apologies!

The window has closed for this year on the course’s availability. When it is offered again I will make sure to draw attention to it.

My youngest daughter, Brittany, shared an encouragement with Dear Young Dad which she came across on Facebook.

It’s a new song with a catchy tune and very simple lyrics.  More than anything, its simplicity is profound.

You can make this year your best one yet!

You get to play a role in the unfolding story of your life and what the year might look like for YOU!

In short, you get to decide where you are going.

Check out the official lyric video below. By the way, this gal can sing!

The song is called THIS YEAR by David and JJ Heller.

Before I head over to ITunes to download a copy of my new theme song, I’ll leave you with this.

• Will you look backward to 2014 in regret or forward in 2015 with great expectations?
• Will the past haunt you or will you embrace the future which can be yours?
• Do you plan on being intentional or will you allow the ball to bounce where it might?

You have an invitation on which to act.

When you do your part, God will do His part.  He has you in the palm of His hands. His promises, like the one below, are yours to receive.

“For I know the plans I have for you”, says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

It is January 13, 2015.

You might think you are late to the party and have to wait until the end of the year to get some traction.

Wrong!

Whether the calendar says January 1^st, July 4^th, or October 12^th you can start wherever you find yourself and whenever you are ready.

Your time is NOW!

What’s stopping you?

WILL YOU MAKE THIS YOUR BEST YEAR EVER?

Which path will you take?

What one audacious expectation do you have which can be achieved by making a plan to head in the specific direction which YOU desire?

Photos Courtesy of Leigh-Ana Castillejo