Do you want to have full control in your life as you begin this new year?

If so, I have eight ways that can help you do just that. 

Before delving in, let me say that life, in itself, is bigger than we are. In other words, we may plan, but it does not mean things will happen as we have wanted them to be.

Am I saying that you don’t have to plan for your life?

No, actually, planning your life is the first way to help you have full control in your life.

Plan your life 

The first way to have full control in your life begins with planning your life. This is so vital to your life. So, you’ve got design your life. Here are the benefits of planning your life:

• You will gain a sense of self awareness.
• You gain a sense of direction.
• You will gain a sense of purpose.

One of my previous posts, 4 reasons why you need a personal mission statement, can help you with all that. Check it out here.

Right thinking right action

The second way to have full control in life.

A better life plan has to be based on right thinking. Right action comes out of that.

So, you have to begin thinking right about yourself so that you can think right about life in general.

Good thinking comes from a good mindset. You may think right, but if your mindset isn’t right, your next steps will not allow you to be in control in your life.

In 4 steps to make 2017 your best year ever, one of my recent posts, you will learn about the importance of a good mindset.

What I want to say also is that the way you think shapes who you are in private as well as in public. Your thinking about yourself describes your self image. This also affects your self esteem.

Your life is likely to be close to what you design it to be. And that starts in the way you think. How else would you predict this new year to be? Abraham Lincoln said once: “the best way to predict our future is by designing it.”

Everything you think and say about yourself will shape who you will be in private and public areas of your life. That way, you will have full control in your life.

Design your day

The third way to help you have full control is to design your day.

Lao Tzu said once that “the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”

This is so true to our lives. We all live our lives one day at a time. Before moving into tomorrow, we begin with today. So, tomorrow will likely look as we think of it today.

As a spiritual person (a Christian), you may wonder where God comes into play as you plan your life.

Doesn’t God have my life in His hands? Yes, He does.

Let get your attention to Deuteronomy 30: 15 for a moment.

Here’s my understanding of this scripture and its application to us.

There are two things to consider. First, God has established two paths in life for all humankind: good and life, and evil and death. Second, God has given every human being the ability to choose. Human choices can lead either to life or death.

Life isn’t just physical or spiritual. It is also emotional and intellectual. It is life that affects all areas of your being. It also stands for meaning, purpose, fulfillment and true happiness.

Death doesn’t only have to do with the physical or spiritual too. It also describes pain, misery, stress, imbalance, disorder, sadness, dissatisfaction and confusion.

How you start your day matters.

• Acknowledge that your life and the ability to make it better are a gift for God to you. In the morning, I thank God for life and the freedom to make it how I want it to be.
• Invite God into your day. He wants to walk on this journey with you. I do this through prayer.
• Review the tools you need for the day. In this case, these would be the armor. Paul talks about them in Ephesians 6. They include things such as: faith, hope, Word of God, justice, and more. Read them all here.

While you pray, make sure you look at your calendar for the day. Is there anything for which you need help with?

If so, ask for the appropriate tool. The goal for doing this is for you to be ready for the day as you design it before it begins.

End your day for a more productive tomorrow

The fourth way to help you have full control in your life is to end your day for a more productive tomorrow.

Starting the day right requires you to end it the same way. How you start your day depends on how you end the previous one.

You should relate the start of your day to its end because it’s going to determine how you will live tomorrow.

Ending your day means doing the following:

• Clean up your Todo list.
• Be thankful for what you’ve accomplished.
• Plan for the next day. List a few tasks to be done depending on the different roles you have in life.

If you’re a parent with young kids, put them to bed at the right time. This should be your priority. Kids need enough sleep for their personal development.

Click here to find more on how much sleep your child needs. For your kid to get enough sleep, you need to take care of that important need, which should be your priority.

Making sure your child goes to bed early in the evening doesn’t only help your child, but you too. You find more time to work on one or two things that most matter to you.

• You can read a book.
• You can exercise.
• You can clean up your closet. Or you can do something else you need done, which will not require any distraction.

Positive talking

The fifth way to have full control in your life is positive talking. Words are powerful! They describe your thoughts and life values.

Today, words aren’t just what people hear, but also what we post on our social media.

In one of my previous posts, the way we talk matters, I laid out two important thoughts about how we talk:

• How we talk represents who we truly are.
• How we talk defines how we choose to relate to people. Read more here.

Relate better to people  

The sixth way to have full control in your life is the daily choice about how to best relate to people.

Relationships have changed as a result of the changes in society. Today, meeting a friend does not always have to be done at a restaurant, in school or at a football game.

People now meet online through social media and so forth.

And, yes, technology dictates so much of how relationships can be established today. But, the foundation of what relationships should look like will still remain untouched.

The foundation of how to relate to people is what we know of the golden rule. It is based on Jesus’ words, “whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them.” According to Jesus, doing so means fulfilling the law and prophets.

You don’t relate to people the same way. Do you?

How you relate to others depend on the place these people have in your life. Their place in your life translates your relationship with them into values.

The three primary values in every relationship are: love, care and service.

You express these values in the different roles you play throughout your day:

• Marriage (in case you’re married).
• Family, as a parent, a child or an extended family member.
• Work. You do it as a professional.
• Community. Your role as a member of a specific community.
• Church. As a member, you love, care and serve God through your local church.

Four things to keep in mind when it comes to relating to people:

• Anyone can establish and maintain good and healthy relationships.
• Good and healthy Relationships will make your life better.
• Relationships will help you build character.
• Relationships will allow you to be clear on your personal mission statement.

Manage crisis with grace

The seventh way to have full control in your life is to manage crisis with grace.

The reality with any life here on earth is that crisis will always come our way. That will happen some day in the form of: loss, disappointment, death, illness, etc.

The question is, how will you handle it? There are two ways to do it.

First, live, don’t choose to survive. It is to intentionally claim your life back when you feel it’s about to be taken away from you. What happens to you tends to dictate how you should respond to it. That’s survival if you let it be so.

You should be the one to choose how to respond to what’s happening in your life.

That is why, you’ve got to do the following:

• Identify your priorities.
• Plan your day by deciding how the day should look like.
• Develop habits to help you stay on course. Read more here.

Second, daily tell yourself that you can endure anything in life.

Learn continually

Lastly, learn continually. This is the eighth way to help you have full control in your life.

You cannot grow if you’re not learning. This is important not only for your brain and in terms of intellectual development.

Learning should be about gathering practical information, which provides you with appropriate tools.

Learning should aim at helping you with the following:

• Spirit. Learn how to build a stronger spiritual life. Download my Ebook to learn more.
• Soul. Learn how to grow in loving, caring and serving others. Also, learn more about your passions.
• Mind. Learn about any general issues in life to help you grow as a person.
• Body. Learn how to be as physically healthy as possible.

There are a lot of ways to learn that are out there. Personally, I learn using:

• Books on Kindle. I love Kindle because I can a ton of books with me on my devices and read from anywhere I am.
• Podcasts. Every time I am driving, I have always made it my discipline to learn one or two things from someone else on Podcast.
• Youtube. I search for something I need and watch it on Youtube.
• Newsify is an RSS news reader for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. It helps you read and share your favorite websites and blogs on your devices.
• Udemy is another tool I use for my own learning. Some courses are paid and others are not.

So, there are the eight ways that can help you have control in your life.

I want to hear from you. Is there anything more ways that have helped you have control in your life you may want to share with me and the others?

Do me a favor please to share this post with your family or friends. Someone’s life may be changed just with one click. And you can do it. Thank you so much for doing just that.