My encouragement to you for day 2, 3 and 4 of a New Year
My New Year Encouragement to you in 3 words: Clear, Focus, & Fill. Here’s how.
A group of novice climbers was preparing to tackle Mount Everest. They had spent months training, learning the ropes, and buying the best gear money could buy. But as they started their ascent, they quickly realized that they were in way over their heads. The altitude was taking a toll, their oxygen tanks seemed heavier than ever, and they were moving slower than snails in a blizzard.
The Sherpas, who had been carrying far heavier loads and expertly navigating the treacherous slopes, noticed the group’s struggles. One Sherpa, Tenzing, decided to approach them with a little humor.
"Hey, guys," he said, "how's the climb going? Having fun?"
One of the climbers, gasping for breath, replied, "I think I’m going to pass out any minute now."
His Sherpa smiled and said, "You know, I carry all of your gear, including your food and your tents, and I don’t even need oxygen. In fact, I was born at 18,000 feet. I think I’m going to set a world record for the highest-ever snack break!"
The climbers looked at him, dumbfounded, and said, "Wait, you were born on Everest?"
The Sherpa winked. "No, but after carrying all this gear for 10 years, I might as well have been!"
The climbers laughed, a little embarrassed by how much they had underestimated the climb. But the Sherpas didn’t stop there. At the next rest stop, one of them pulled out a massive thermos, poured himself a cup of tea, and offered it to the group.
"Would you like some?" he asked casually. "It’s fresh from the base camp."
The climbers looked at each other, still struggling to catch their breath, and one of them weakly said, "How are you not even breaking a sweat?"
He shrugged. "I guess I'm just built different. But don’t worry, I’ve got a motto: If you can’t go up, at least sip up!"
And with that, he walked off, leaving the group shaking their heads and trying to figure out how they'd ever keep up.
This story reminds me of a realization and a question:
Realization: Sherpas keep things light for those they are leading on the climb.
Question: Who keeps things light for the Sherpa?
This realization and question are at my core after Christmas services at my church as we had over 18,500 attend and almost a thousand first time guests identify themselves at our One Place. And this even doesn’t account for around 10,000 who attended Christmas services online.
Needless to say, I need to start the year clear, focused and filled. Three practices I begin every year with have served me well and I think they will keep you from “breaking a sweat” as we lead Christmas guests toward the Summit in January.
Here they are…
Clear Your Inbox
An empty inbox is a breath of fresh air. I clear mine out in a matter of minutes in this way by day 2 of the year:
Select all emails at the top of each page.
Deselect any emails you want to respond on your first day back at the office. Resist reading any of them. If your unsure about which ones to deselect, do not deselect anything older than one month.
Select “Archive” in any email platform you use, button. This will keep all the emails for any future reference, but they will disappear from your inbox.
Do this for every page of emails until they are all archived, with only those that from the last 30 days that you selected left to respond to.
This practice not only clears your but it clears you mind, enhancing productivity by eliminating distractions. It also makes you feel the “fresh start” that 2025 truly is for you.
When i first begin this practice, I had thousands of read and some unread emails in my inbox and boy was it a relief to see all that disappear. I did this already for the new year and I just went from 285 emails (74 of them unread) to 29 emails, 20 unread. Those unread ones I need to respond to in some way, though some of them just requiring a quick read and no response on Day 2 of 2025.
Focus on your “One Thing”
By Day 3 of 2025, can you identify your One Thing this year? Some people define they “one thing” by coming up with a word like “endurance”, “community” or “Hope”. Some prayerfully chose a scripture that becomes their focus, pursuing anything that furthers it’s promise for an entire year, saying no to anything that might take away from it.
The key to having one focus is listening to God enough when you define it that you feel confident in it as a decision making filter for an entire year. That means saying yes to projects, opportunities and pursuits that honor that focus and no to anything that doesn’t.
Truth in advertising: I actually have 5 focuses every year: 3 professional, 2 personal. That takes things up a level and is even more comprehensive if you want to get extra credit on this one. Read my favorite book on the topic, 18 Minutes (see part 2 of the book) to learn how to do that in a simple and practical way.
There is also a way to bring the focus of one thing into your daily life. At the beginning of each day, ask yourself the question, “What one thing could I do today that if I do it, all other task today will become easier or even unnecessary”. Then do that thing. Read The One Thing to get good at that skill this year.
Taking time on day 3 to establish focus for the next 362 days of the year will reap benefits like energy, clarity, accomplishment and confidence.
Here’s the last practice.
Fill Your Heart with replenishing moments
Day 4 this year is a Saturday which should give you an easy moment with your calendar to plan enriching experiences throughout the year. Schedule an activity on your day off next week that will nourish your spirit. It could be a beach day to soak in the sun (my personal favorite), a mountain hike to connect with nature, a quiet day at home to recharge, or time spent with a friend who uplifts you.
Schedule these “cup filling” moments for the first quarter of the year so you always know you have something to look forward to coming just around the corner. Here are a few examples:
Week 1: Beach day
Week 2: Book club meeting
Week 3: Nature walk
Week 4: Art class
Week 5: Movie night with friends
Week 6: Date with spouse
Week 7: Cooking workshop
Week 8: Weekend getaway
Week 9: Meditation retreat
Week 10: Hobby day
Week 11: Game night
Week 12: Personal reflection day
Continue this pattern for all 4 quarters of 2025, ensuring each week contains at least one activity that fills your heart and soul and grants a Sherpa like you the relief you need. It can be the same thing every week if you have such an activity, making it easier to plan and establish a routine of replenishing activity for yourself.
By clearing your inbox, focusing on one thing, and filling your calendar with meaningful experiences, you will have a hopeful readiness for this new year.
Join me in embracing the climb ahead with clarity, focus, and joy!
PS-Want more encouragement? Listen to the “Dear Christianity” podcast I recently did with my friend Dale Westervelt whose focus is unburdening Christ followers and leaders from unhealthy beliefs about their spiritual growth and sanctification and embracing the gospel in its fullness. There was a lot of hope here for you to enjoy along with me.
PSS-Coming in January: my next post will share an absolute breakthrough I have experienced in placing new people at your church on ministry team through your One Program. Stay tuned…
