Holiday season is behind us, I believe it is imperative to focus our planning and efforts toward the New Year. With the adage that states, “He who fails to plan, plans to fail” in mind, I want to present to you a few simple principles that I believe will greatly assist you in your desire and effort to be productive and successful in this new year. These are proven and time-tested practices and disciplines that will work to your advantage and well-being, if you adhere to them. How do I know they will work? I know because I have tried them over the past fifty years and they have proven to be very instrumental and transformative in my life. No, observing them did not make me perfect in no way. However, they did set me on the right path to perfection, not in essence, but in maturity. Assuredly, I have a long way to go (grow), but at least I am headed in the right direction toward perfection.

Admit When
You Are Wrong
As easy as it might sound, many are where I was years ago. They have a serious problem and struggle to admit when they are wrong. At the root of this refusal is pride and stubbornness. I am not writing this from study, research, or observation, but personal experience as both a carrier and victim of pride and a refusal to admit when I was wrong. It took me quite a few years to overcome these things. Thanks be to God, I finally learned my lesson after many times of failing the test. I knew that I was gaining the mastery over pride and the refusal to admit when I was wrong when I had to eat crow’s meat and bite the bullet and go to one of my neighbor’s house to apologize. Ever since then, I have been growing in my ability to squash my pride when it shows its egotistical and ugly head and admit when I am wrong.

Treat Others Like You Wish to Be Treated
The heading for this section is not only the Golden Rule that was set forth by Jesus Christ in His sermon on the Mount. It is a principle that everyone should embrace and practice in this new year. Just imagine if each of us, regardless of our race, religion, conviction, and other distinctions, would practice this golden rule, the positive and constructive impact it would have on our culture. I believe that there are some things that will turn to your favor when you discipline yourself to practice this preamble to a productive life.

Go from Words to Action
in Fulfilling Your Goals
As important as words and verbal decrees are in the formula for success in any area of life, if your words and decrees never inspire and initiate some action and effort toward the literal fulfillment of your goals and plans, it is tantamount to having a guard dog who has a bark without any bite or dark clouds without rain. When we fail to implement some action and effort toward realizing the fulfillment of our plans and goals, we are guilty of making a lot of noise and fuss without following through and backing up what we are talking about with some serious action and effort to assure that it will come to fruition.

Practice Perseverance
Anyone who aspires to experience success or breakthrough in this new year must embrace and practice persistence. It is absolutely unfeasible for any of us to think or attempt to be successful in any area or aspect of our lives if we are not willing to persevere in our efforts. Every year, so many people fall short of their goals, not because they started out wrong. The problem arises when they fall off of the wagon of perseverance. It is through dogged determination and stick-to-it-ness that people ultimately experience success in any area of achievement. These words of Thomas Edison are very relevant to the point we are making here: “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration”. Admittedly, I may not agree with the ratio of the two ingredients in regard genius or success. Nevertheless, both hard work and persistence are perhaps equal and necessary factors to success.

Be Willing to Change
The final and one of the most important things that you, me, or anyone who desires to be productive in this new year is to be willing to change. This derivative saying from the English theologian, scholar, and philosopher, John Henry Newman, who lived in the 1800’s, is very relevant to the point that I am making here: “To live is to grow and to grow is to change”. It is said that anyone who keeps making the same mistake in any area due to their unwillingness to change is either a fool or a blooming idiot. The adage that says, “
If you keep on doing what you’ve always done, you’re going to keep getting what you’ve always got”. If you have been continuously failing in any area of your life by using the same old methods over and over again, it is time to change your approach.
Again, I stress that only a very stupid or foolish person will continue to utilize a method that always causes them to fail. Be willing to change in this new year by implementing some new and better ways to deal with issues of life.