SUCCESS IN 2017: STEP TWO

While we're still in January, I thought it would be helpful for us all to walk through a life assessment and action plan together. I wrote last week about the five life indicators of health, relationships, vocation, emotions and lifestyle - if you've not read that yet, I'd recommend starting there first.

This week, we're going to dig a bit deeper.

Question 1: which of the life indicators is most important to you?

During last week's exercise, which of the five stood out to you the most? What got you the most excited or frustrated? Which matters the most?

Now, what decisions do you need to make to prioritise that area over the others?

Question 2: what is your thought trajectory?

This may take a while, because I'd like you to think about what you think about. What thoughts do you find yourself thinking most often? When you're thinking about yourself, are your thoughts along the lines of "you should do better", or "you can do it!"? What false or unsubstantiated thoughts do you find yourself thinking the most? What thoughts would you like to think more often - and how could you make that happen?

Question 3: what is your ritual trajectory?

A lot of people don't like the word ritual, but it just means repeated behaviour. What sort of thing do you find yourself doing most often? What takes up your time on your commute, or at weekends? What do you do first thing in the morning and last thing at night?

Now, if you continue with those rituals, where will they lead you? Will they make you a better person? Or are they pointless wastes of time? What could you change about those rituals?

Next steps...

We spent last and this week looking at what could change in our lives, and hopefully by now we all have good, measurable to-do lists that we're starting to tick off...but life isn't as simple as a checklist.

Next week, we're going to pick up on those areas that we can't change, because life is bigger than constant activity!

MAKE THIS YOUR FIRST STEP TO SUCCESS IN 2017

London is a busy place.

I'm not the first person in 2017 to notice that people in London are impatient, walk fast, drive close, demand convenience...and are driven to succeed.

I don't think I've met anyone since moving to London who's said:

Do you know, my life's not perfect, but I'm fine with accepting that.

More often, I encounter:

Life is great...but I still want more!

I believe that there's a big challenge to Londoners to become content with what we have, because the chances are that the challenges you and I face are real first-world problems...but equally, there's nothing wrong with setting ambitious goals and achieving them.

The year is young, and who knows what you might turn it into?

Come with me on a journey of self-discovery and future building. I'm going to post a series of blog entries walking us through some exercises I hope you find helpful.

In this first entry, we're going to dig into the five life indicators:

1 Health

Did you know that often, the most successful people in the world are also really healthy? Getting a good amount of sleep, drinking lots of water and eating healthily will all contribute to your ability to making lasting change.

2 Relationships

Who are your key relationships with? Who would you like better relationships with? Who would you like relationships with that you currently don't have? It's funny that the people with the best friendships tend to just be the friendliest people - we can all learn a lesson and be friendly.

3 Vocation

What takes up the most of your time? Is it a job, or a role in the home, or a role in society? What could you do that would make you feel more fulfilled in that?

4 Emotions

What are the three emotions you feel most of the time? How positive are those words? What could you do that would create more positive emotions?

5 Lifestyle

Where does your time and money go? How satisfied does that answer make you? How could you improve that?

Next steps...

I'd really encourage you to write down your answers to the questions above - it should lead you to a nice to-do list.

But the work's not done yet! Keep your eye on the blog, because the next entry in this series will be appearing in a week.

IS IT WORTH THE WEIGHT?

Great news: a new career option is available to ladies!

A significant change was made recently to the roles available to women in the British Army.  Up until recently, women have been able to make a contribution alongside their male counterparts across various roles in the army, apart from certain frontline combat roles like the infantry and tank units. A number of people believe that having women in these roles is not a good idea, while others have suggested that there should be no restrictions to what women can do in the Armed Forces.

The Government carried out a review of the involvement of women in these frontline combat roles and has come to the conclusion that women should be allowed to serve in these roles if they demonstrate ability to pass the test for entry into these units. As you can imagine, the tests for entry into these units can be very rigorous. I recently looked up the physical test for some of these combat roles. A person would have to carry 25kg of weight and run for 8 miles in military boots. This is no small challenge, even if you are used to carrying a heavy rucksack (or handbag) around. For a lot of people, even running the 8-mile distance in running shoes will be a challenge. If you have carried anything heavy for any distance, you will be familiar with the fact that the same amount of weight starts to feel heavier the longer you carry it.  This is because the weight begins to take its toll on the body and the body's ability to carry the weight diminishes over time….do you reckon you have what it takes to pass the infantry test?

I cannot see a huge influx of women rushing to join the infantry in the wake of this change in government policy. One publication estimates that the proportion of women likely to pass the current test will be less than 5% of those currently in the army. Although there are many reasons why women may not be joining the frontline combat units, the biggest reason is that the army is an organisation that is joined on a voluntary basis; no-one will be compelled to take the test to see whether they have what it takes to join the infantry. It means that most women or men will never know or care to know what it feels like to carry 25kg over 8 miles in military boots.

Having said that, many people will be familiar with the feeling of carrying emotional and psychological weight for many years.

Many people feel guilty about what they have done. Others are suffering from the guilt of what they failed to do. Some are struggling to come to terms with the actions taken by others but which have left them carrying a burden that has been difficult to shake off. Does this describe your situation?You may not be surprised to hear that, like physical weight, the effects of carrying emotional and psychological baggage can become more pronounced over time. For some, it may be the damage it has done or is doing to relationships. For others, it may be the toll that it is taking on one’s physical health or emotional wellbeing. In Psalms 32 and 38, David the psalmist wrote about some of the physical symptoms that guilt was causing including physical weakness and pain. Can you see how emotional and psychological baggage is starting to take its toll on your life?

Are you tired of carrying the weight from your past? Would you welcome some relief? Jesus offers you relief today if you are willing to accept it. He invites you to cast your burdens on him and he will offer you rest (Matthew 11:28). This is an offer that many have taken and can confirm that their burdens have been lifted. The infantry test requires you to go through the full demands of the grueling experience to secure entry into life as an infantry soldier. In contrast, by turning to Jesus with your life and all its burdens, you give yourself a real opportunity to enter into a new life...life in all its fullness!