Jan 27, 2023
Today, Kelly Williams Hale shares tips on how to create your vision for 2023.
There is something so fresh and exciting about starting a new year. There’s a sense that God is doing a new thing (Isaiah 43:19) – particularly if we have resolutions or goals we’d like to accomplish this year. The Bible says a man without vision will perish (Proverbs 29:18).
May we all begin 2023 with the vision God gives us so we can be excited about what’s to come!
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Hi there, and welcome to the Women World Leaders Podcast.
My name is Kelly Williams Hale and I'm your host today on Celebrating God's Grace.
I'm an author, speaker and coach leading women through inner healing and intimacy work.
I teach women how to get past proving their worth and step into the purpose and plan God has for them.
Hi there, and welcome to Women world leaders podcast celebrating God's grace.
It is a brand new year. And I don't know about you. But there is something so fresh and exciting about starting a new year, it just feels like it's full of possibilities.
The last few months of 2022, God was really putting on my heart that he is doing a new thing.
It seemed like everywhere I turned, I saw that scripture about God doing something new.
And so I went to His word.
Isaiah 43:19 says:
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
I felt like God was speaking to me… it was time to let go of certain things I had been doing in my life and in my coaching business. God was making a way.
I believe he was preparing my heart for what is coming this year! Isn’t that exciting?
Now, the challenge is God doesn't always let us know what's coming!
But he will give us that nudge – that quickening that is the Holy Spirit.
I was hearing that still small voice that something new is coming.
And so today, I want to talk about vision.
The Bible tells us in Proverbs 29 that a man without vision will perish.
The definition of vision is the ability to think about or plan the future with imagination or wisdom.
I just love that: imagination and wisdom.
As we begin a new year, I think it’s important to begin planning for the year – our future – using our imagination and wisdom.
Before I dive into that, are you one of those people that chooses a word for the year? I never used to be but a few years ago I decided to try it. It’s been interesting – and fun – to pick a pick. I’ve had Focus, Consistent. Obedience.
Last year, the word I selected was love.
I started the year so excited, with God telling me this was the year to just love… unconditional love, even when people hurt your feelings. You love them. Even when people disappoint you. Love. For me, being mindful of my word helped me navigate the year with the intention of loving – in all situations.
In Matthew 22, the Pharisees and the Sadducees as Jesus which of the commandments is the greatest, he responds (in Matthew 22:37):
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind…the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
Jesus tells us to love our enemies and those who persecute us… to simply love them. I think we all know how difficult that can be!!
But if we are called to be ambassadors for Christ, we must love people. Like Jesus did.
Without judgment, just love them where they're at, and that through our love, they will know who God is.
It’s sometimes not the easiest thing to do, but our job is obedience, and we let God do the rest.
And so I just spent 2022, operating from that word, love.
This year - for 2023 - My word is trust. I am going to trust God. Trust myself. Trust the process.
As I mentioned earlier, the Scripture about God doing a new thing has really stuck with me
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.
And Paul tells us to Forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead, pressing on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
If we lean into God and trust Him - which for me, means digging deep in the word, really believing what he says. And trusting that through it all, the good, the bad and the ugly…
he's going to work things out for my good.
Now a lot of us all start the year with resolutions or specific goals. A vision for the year.
As I was preparing for this podcast, I got curious how many people actually keep those resolutions. This is what I found:
- 38.5% of US adults set New Year’s resolutions every year.
- 59% of young adults (18-34) have New Year’s resolutions, which makes it the largest demographic that sets these goals.
- 48% want to exercise more, making it the most popular New Year’s resolution. The top 3 are all health-related.
- 23% quit in the first week, and only 36% make it past the first month.
- 9% successfully keep their New Year’s resolutions.
36% make it past the first month!
And only 9% make it to the end of year – successfully keeping (or meeting) their goals.
That’s 91% who fail… fail at meeting goals they set 12 months ago.
But sister, I have some encouragement – I've learned that there really is no failure. There's no failure, just lessons.
This is where we can truly celebrate God’s grace.
How many of us grew up with parents that were disappointed if we brought home a C or D on our report card. We were graded for our performance. Our value was closely tied to our grades or how we did on a test. Failing was not an option.
Which set us up to honestly, be afraid to try new things. For fear of failing. That’s another topic for another podcast.
God in his infinite wisdom allowed me to become a mom again at the age of 44. My son Austin joined his siblings, who were 24 and 13 when I had him. Have you ever wished you could go back in time and reteach your children some of the valuable lessons you’ve learned along the way? I know I have! Thankfully, as our children become adults they begin to realize that mom and dad did the best they could!
So now I have an 11-year-old and he's getting the benefit of my wisdom at 55 years old.
I actually encourage him to fail because I believe that that's one of the ways we learn.
when we make mistakes, we learn what not to do. And how to make a better decision next time.
failing forward is really the goal.
So if you have already fallen off the wagon, so to speak, by not keeping your resolutions, I don't want you to beat yourself up.
His mercies are new, every day, Praise God for his grace.
And we can always start fresh tomorrow.
My husband likes to say today is the first day of the rest of our life. And it’s true!
Every morning we have an opportunity to start fresh. Be intentional
And if we have a vision - if we have goals or resolutions, things we want to accomplish. If we want our relationships to be stronger… if we want to start a business, if we just want to love other people better… be a better wife, be a better employee, be a better sister, a better friend.
That takes intentionality.
And when we define what we want and make a plan, I believe we’ll be more successful in keeping those resolutions.
I love this quote:
A dream written down with a date becomes a goal, a goal broken down into steps becomes a plan, a plan backed by action makes your dreams a reality
And so I invite you to think about your vision, where do you see yourself at the end of this 2023?
And a lot of times, it's helpful to go back and look at last year – not dwelling in the past - but where we’ve been can give us some clues on habits or patterns that may need to be tweaked. Or things we could have handled or done differently, again, those failures that we get to reframe into lessons.
Looking back on 2022 – identify the things you did well, the times you made progress, the goals you met. And celebrate them.
If you journal, this is the time to document those moments.
Start writing down a year end review of what 2022 looked like. Hindsight, if you will.
Hindsight is 2020 because we can see clearly – on the other side – the lessons that certain situations or circumstances taught us.
Sort of visit last year and then plan your vision for this year. If you have a goal to get healthier, consistently exercise. Spend more time with your kids, maybe you’d like to start a little side business…
Once we clearly define our vision, we can create the goals and then the actions needed to see that vision materialize. We’ll have a target to hit.
Then… when you experience those circumstances that are going to be challenging, because we're all going to face them, life happens. And you’re in a position to make a choice. Do I do this? Or that? You’ll can intentionally make the decision that supports your vision.
Say you’re invited to a girls weekend away, but your dream is to get your book started. You planned on writing a couple of chapters over that same weekend. You can make the decision NOT to go with your girlfriends, because you want to meet your goal.
As the year progresses, the choices you make are going to be better informed.
It's like that target I mentioned. You vision is the bull’s eye. You want to hit that. You don't want your arrows to go all willy nilly with the wind.
Say your dream is to run a marathon this year. And so when your friends are inviting you go out for dinner… or have ice cream… and you know tomorrow is a training day… you have to make a choice.
You've got this consistent routine of running every morning and you're invited to go have coffee with an old friend. Maybe you can reschedule to an afternoon because you want stay consistent with your running habit.
The goal… the vision… the target - helps us make choices that support what we want.
Here’s a great tip that will keep your vision top of mind during the year. Have you ever heard of a vision board? I encourage my clients to create a vision board at the beginning of each year, We do it the old fashioned way: get a posterboard from the dollar store, grab your scissors, a glue stick and some old magazines…It’s just cutting out pictures that represent your vision. Photos and word and ideas that support how you want your year to look like… it could include pictures of the beach if your goal is to go to Hawaii this year.
Anything that visually reminds you of your goals. For me, I see myself speaking at women’s event more, so I would find a picture of someone on stage. Maybe you want to be more involved with your kids, so your images will be something that shows activities and fun.
Or maybe you want to save up for you know, a new washer and dryer. If you're like me and spend a lot of time doing laundry Lol maybe one of your goals is to really save up and get a new washer and dryer or a new refrigerator or a new car or vacation or you want to take your kids on special weekends away.
Those kinds of things
Put that on your vision board so that you have a visual representation of what it is you're aiming for… what it is you desire. what it is that you want to achieve this year.
Then put your vision board somewhere you can see it every day.
Maybe you want to spend more quiet time with God, journaling and reading your Bible. You can find a picture of a quiet area in a home where, when you look at your vision board, you'll see the sofa with the blanket and the candles and the notebook so that it'll remind you to journal every day or spend time with the Lord in prayer.
Maybe you cut out pictures of nature, because you want to get outdoors more. Your vsion board is a great visual to remind you of your goals.
So again, the choices you’re faced with this year, will be made to intentionally support that vision.
And so, I just want to leave you with this scripture as we close out. And it's the scripture that women world leaders is founded on Ephesians 3:20. This is the Passion Translation, which I love so much:
Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you.
And I just pray that God will bless you abundantly, exceedingly more than you can imagine this year!
Dear Heavenly Father, I just pray for every woman listening, Lord, that You would provide them clarity as they determine their goals and vision for 2023. I pray that you would give them the time to seek your will and what it is that you would have for them, I pray that we would all trust you, Lord, trust you in the process. Trust that when our plans align with your will for us, God, you will work it all out. You tell us that if we delight in you, you will give us the desires of our heart. And so God I just asked for blessing over each woman that's listening. I pray that you would guide them this year, and that we would all just reflect your glory in everything that we do. In Jesus name, Amen.
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