5 Simple Steps to Create A New Vision for the New Year

January 5, 2024
Pam Farrel
Marriage, Uncategorized, Word of the Year
0 Comments

Focus! In this very noisy world with competing pressures and priorities, we need to cultivate tools to deliberately and intentionally discern and bravely take the next steps God has for us to live out boldly, passionately and successfully.

Each year of our marriage (now 44 happy years) we have lived out some simple but powerful traditions to gain New Vision each New Year! We want to share these with you to kickstart your New Year!

Tools of Transformation

First, DISCERN

We begin with a what I call a Word of F.O.C.U.S. ( also called word of the year, One Word, One Little Word, Word of Intent). Word of F.O.C.U.S means:

One

Course

Until

Successful

I developed a six question inventory to help others discern their Word of FOCUS: (Download free)

Then the LORD answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it.

Second, DEVELOP

Over the years we have added various elements to help process and live out our Word of Focus.

We add in things like:

Word of Focus: Use your word as a password, get a wooden cut out, buy or have a bracelet or necklace made with your word, make a computer screen saver reflecting your word, or place on your keychain. Try to somehow use your word daily.

Verse of the Year– We look up 52 verses that relate to the word, then pick a favorite to post, memorize and meditate on. I always create memes and posters of our word and favorite. verse.

Quote of the Year– Usually we each hunt up 8 to 12 quotes about that word and pick a favorite to post, use on stationary, make a phone screen saver or office posters.

Motto– I try to capture my word in a catchy sentence, like something that might go on a coffee mug, notebook, t-shirt or bumpersticker.

Song of the Year– We go to You Tube or Spotify and use our word to search lyrics or song titles that include our word (or synonyms)

Scent or Essential Oil of the Year- You can often find a candle, a perfume, a lotion or an essential oil that captures the meaning of your word.

Art or Reminders– Often I find or have an artist on Etsy create a tumbler, mug, t-shirt, or workout tank. I also often create a multimedia art piece, or watercolor, or learn another art form to capture my word.

Journal, Bullet Journal, or notebook– I find one with a motto or the word on the cover. You can also create these on a site like Vista Print, or order on Etsy.

Key Question– The most vital step is to create a clarifying question to ask yourself all along your journey through out the year.

For example, here are a few clarifying questions from the past few years in my life:

Valiant- Will this make me braver or help me equip others to be courageous?

Adventure– Will this help me embrace life as an adventure?

Blessing– Will this help me receive God’s blessing or give a blessing?

Strong– Will this decision make me stronger? My health, marriage, family or business stronger?

Resilient– Will this help me “build back better?”

The clarifying question is vital to stay focused. I like to bowl with my grandkids, so we use bumpers on our lane. This way, if I aim for the center pin, but am a little off, the bumpers re-center the trajectory of the ball and keeps me in the lane making points! The “Clarifying Question” serves the same purpose.

(Download Process Your Word worksheet)

Where there is no vision, the people are out of control, But how blessed is he who keeps the law. (Proverbs 29:18LSB)

Third, Dive In

Let us share our 2024 Words of FOCUS and why we selected them.

Pam: BELIEVE. I worked through my six questions, but as I was doing the worksheet, I realized that for all of December, I had kept one particular Christmas card on my desk that was joyfully and artfully displaying the one word:BELIEVE!

One of the questions I ask myself each year is “What trait, character quality or skill, would help me live the life I picture God calling me to in the coming year.?” This year, there are MANY prayer requests I have been praying on for MANY years. Most of these requests I have NO control over so the only thing I can change is my attitude toward them. When I pray and pray and pray and see little to no change, I can fall into discouragement or disillusionment and the best solution to this is to FOCUS on the person and power of God, then praise Him. This process boosts my mood and my ability to BELIEVE!

My clarifying question this year will be, “Will this improve and increate my ability to BELIEVE?”

There are MANY verses about believe, belief, etc. but my favorite two are:

“If you BELIEVE you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”(Matt 21:22)

“Blessed is she who has BELIEVED that the Lord would fulfil His promises to her! (Luke 1:45)

(Watch my facebook live video as I share a little more on Word of Focus)

Bill: When Bill and I were talking and praying through his vision of 2024, he was in a similar place but his challenges were the numerous tasks and jobs that require intensity to complete. Sometimes when faced with the avalanche of adversities or a cacophony of challenges, one needs infused with some God -fueled COURAGE!

Bill selected a favorite verse:

“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left. that you might be successful wherever you go” (Joshua 1:7)

Forth, DECLARE

Next, as you pray over your year, I like to answer this ONE question from Steven Covey:

What ONE THING if you did it daily, and consistently, would make the biggest positive impact in your life?

I then select one goal in each of seven areas:

Physical

Material

Mental

Emotional

Relational

Spiritual

Professional

Then I pray about a healthy daily/weekly rhythm or life-pattern and I schedule my goals and priorities into my calendar and schedule. Bill does the same and we compare notes so we can dovetail or combine our top priorities and goals.

(Download Priorities Worksheet)

“And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.” (Joel 2:28)

Lastly, DECORATE

It is fun to create a vision board. You can do it old-school by cutting out photos and lettering from magazines or print graphics from the internet. Or you can use our “Vision Board” bullet journal worksheet to doodle out your goals, or try your techie skills with a program like Canva.