Let 2017 be the year that makes a great difference in your life

January 17 is the magic date. No, it is not my birthday.

By this day, January 17, 90 per cent of the people who made the so-called New Year resolutions will have forgotten everything they promised to do and moved on to the next hash tag away from #newyearresolutionstingz.

After all the hullabaloo, declarations, and proclamations that come with the euphoria of a new year, soon life goes back to business as usual and the year flies by and comes to an end and we are trapped in this vicious cycle.

The calendar changes but our lives remain the same save for the additional digit to our age.

We need to move from declarations and resolutions to action and execution.

We can make 2017 our year — we could all do with a great year.

Here are a few suggestions that have the potential to make 2017 your greatest year yet.

Number one: put commitment to your commitments.

The next time you eat bacon and egg, know that the difference between the two is that the chicken was involved but the pig was committed; he gave his all (clap once if you get it).

When you set a goal, give it your tears, blood, and sweat.

Do not be a holdout, doing things half-heartedly. Go all in or stay all out.

We need to move from wanting to deciding, and then committing.

Case in point: there are many people in the world who want to be billionaires, but there only a few who become billionaires.

Wanting alone is not enough; we have got to decide that we will pursue those goals as though our lives depends on it and commit to the course no matter how treacherous it may be.

Greatness is the recompense for those who keep going even when it is logical to stop and call it quits: that is commitment.

Number two: fortify your discipline.

Discipline is the commitment to do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, whether you like it or not.

Not all things you set out to do in the year 2017 will be fun. As a matter of fact, most of them will not be.

You will dislike waking up an hour earlier, reading that extra book, going to the gym, eating more vegetables, but your dislike for those things is not the basis upon which you decide whether to do them or not.

Instead the question should be “should it be done?” If yes, then do it no matter what.

The difference between successful people and failures is that successful people do the things that failures do not like to do.

They do not necessarily like to do them but their dislike is subordinated to the strength of their purpose.

Number three: do, then feel.

Do not wait for inspiration to get in on the action and inspiration will catch up later.

Many of us wait until we “feel like” doing something.

The problem with this approach is that the “feel like” feeling is elusive.

You might wait for it for the rest of your life and it might never show up.

Instead, just get started and the feeling will join in later.

Feelings follow action, not the other way round, and that is how it should be.

Do not run your life on feelings; this is not sustainable. Run it on action.

Number four: evaluate.

If you study the account of creation as chronicled in scripture, there is one statement that comes after every day of creation: “And God saw that it was good”.

In other words, God had His goals for the day and after He had done what needed to be done, He would evaluate it and conclude that it was good and He was happy that He had achieved the goal He had in mind.

If God did it, surely you and I ought to do it.

Periodically pause and look at your progress and see if the trajectory you are taking is leading you nearer to your goals.

If it is not, then identify the point of departure and adjust accordingly.

This does not just apply to goals but relationships as well.

You need to periodically evaluate your relationships.

If he has been courting you for seven years and has not put a ring on it, run girl, run!

Do these four things and let us evaluate your achievements at the end of 2017. Happy New Year.

Mr Mureithi is an author, executional speaker, and personal development consultant. [email protected]