Wisdom to Begin a New Year

Welcome to the New Year! Change those calendars. Practice writing "2018"! Make that list of hopes, dreams, and promised efforts we call goals. Yup. It’s that time of year.

To begin this year, I’m presenting to you a gift of wisdom and encouragement via a few of my favorite quotes.

First off, if you are one of those people who are determined to get healthy by working out, here’s the best advice I’ve seen: “World's greatest exercise: the one you will do.” (Wish I knew who first said that!)

And now…plenty of wonderful truths on which to chew:

“To comprehend a man’s life, it is necessary to know not merely what he does, but also what he purposely leaves undone. There is a limit to the work that can be got out of a human body or a human brain, and he is a wise man who wastes no energy on pursuits for which he is not fitted; and he is still wiser who, from among the things that he can do well, chooses and resolutely follows the best." ~William E. Gladstone

“If the Lord be with us, we have no cause of fear. His eye is upon us, His arm is over us, His ear open to our prayer, His grace sufficient, His promise unchangeable.” ~John Newton

Naveen Jain's motto: "Success is not defined by the size of your bank account but by the number of lives you make a positive difference in.” (Jain is co-founder of Moon Express, a Mountain View, CA, company. He also founded Internet companies Infospace and Intelius)

“All men are created equal. At birth and at death all men are the same, all are equal. It is life that is not equal. Life is the time given each one of us from our first breath to the last. To live life all we have to do is to decide what to do with the time given us. Will you live life or let life live you?” ~unknown source

“The graveyard is the richest place on earth, because it is here that you will find all the hopes and dreams that were never fulfilled, the books that were never written, the songs that were never sung, the inventions that were never shared, the cures that were never discovered, all because someone was too afraid to take that first step, keep with the problem, or determined to carry our their dream.” ~ Les Brown, motivational speaker

An excellent resource to read to help you complete your 2018 goals is from bestselling author, Jon Acuff. Jon was a guest on my talk show recently discussing his latest book, Finish! Here’s one of many quotables: “The harder you try to be perfect, the less likely you'll accomplish your goals. This is the first lie that perfectionism tells you about goals: ‘Quit if it isn't perfect.’”

Henry Crowell was the founder of Quaker Oats. His remarkable life is told in a biography titled, Cereal Tycoon. I love his story. And the note that summarized what he valued most: “If my life can always be lived so as to please Him, then I shall be supremely happy.”

In closing, let me share a prayer of blessing for 2018. Often I will post birthday greetings to friends with a favorite Bible verse of mine. “May he grant you your heart's desire and fulfill all your plans!” Ps. 20:4 (ESV)

Happy New Year!

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Let’s Talk with Mark Elfstrand can be heard weekdays from 4-6 PM Central. To listen outside the Chicago area, tune to www.1160hope.com for live streaming or podcasts, or download the AM1160 app.