Lessons from 2013

A blog written but not published 12 years ago. Hope it helps any end of year reflections

2013 has been a challenging year to say the least for so many people that I know. As I reflect on the year I asked myself what if anything I had learned. So here’s 6 things that I’ve learned or am learning.

1.      Prayer works

Although I am not always consistent, I have seen a benefit during the year when I’ve made the effort to spend quiet time in prayer. There have been answers to prayer but perhaps more importantly, time in prayer has an effect on me. I am a calmer and more productive person when I have spent time in prayer.  I am prepared for the day ahead and I know that whatever challenges the day brings, I am able to meet them head on because God is with me

2.      Persistence and longevity matter

One verse from the Bible that has travelled with us in the last few months is ‘do not grow weary in doing good.’ In our working lives and in our churches we, who are by nature tortoises, often see the hares racing past us doing great things. The efforts of the hare are often unsustainable. The colleague who is lauded one minute for teaching outstanding lessons is off sick or moved on shortly. Yet if we are to genuinely make a difference to others we have to be there for the long haul. There is a lot to be admired about the ‘solidity’ of the tortoise even if it lacks the ‘sexiness’ of the hare.

3.      Preserve your energy

Doing good and working hard are tiring. It is important to keep an eye on your energy levels. Teaching, leading, communicating are all activities that can drain energy. Being able to step away for a few hours and do something that replenishes your stock of energy such as reading, watching a film or going out with friends is invaluable and in the long term will do more good than trying to keep going. Think of it as refuelling the car for the next stage of the journey

4.      Positive mindset

Probably the best book I’ve read this year is Mindsets by Carol Dweck. It’s is a well-argued psychological case for something that I’ve always generally believed in – the importance of positive thinking. However, there are areas of my life where I have lost positivity. Dweck argues that one of the dangers of a fixed mindset is the tendency to give up or blame others when things go wrong or the going gets tough – guilty as charged!  The best response is to seek to learn from the situation, work hard and keep focused on the future. Whatever may have happened to us – our response is something that is within our control. The insights of this book have proved to be excellent advice in various situations this year.

5.      Prioritise learning

As with prayer this is something that is a work in progress. It is important that we leave space in our lives to grow and learn. This is a real challenge for those of us who are busy but given the pace that the world moves at, any day that we are not learning and growing is a day slipping backwards. If we do not learn or grow we tend to follow familiar patterns and do what we’ve always done. And if we do what we’ve always done – we will get what we’ve always got. It could be making space in your week to read things that challenge you, listening to speakers that inspire you, following people online who post relevant material. However we do it, it’s important to keep learning.

6.      People

In the end, it’s all about people. Churches never were about buildings or styles or worship; education is not about data, and leadership isn’t about forcing a reluctant compliance. It’s all about people and how we connect with them. Yes, people are unpredictable and capable of the stupidest and wickedest things – there have been occasions when I could have cheerfully strangled some individuals this year! But above all people have inspired and encouraged me this year. People can do extraordinary things when they put their minds to it. If you can connect to, motivate and mobilise enough people you really can begin to change the world. It really is all about people

Hope these thoughts help as we move into 2014*

*or 2026