2011 Challenges

What do you believe will be the biggest challenges you will face in 2011?  None of us have a crystal ball nor can we predict the future with much accuracy, but if there are things brewing in your life, your workplace, your family, or your church you may have a good idea of what challenges the new year will hold.  If you are able to identify some potential challenges, what are you doing now to prepare for them?  Are you reading current material that addresses these challenges and the best ways to respond to them?  Have you looked for a coach to help you through these challenges?  Are you talking to people who may have successfully addressed these challenges before you to learn what they did right and perhaps some of the traps you can avoid?  There are a number of things you can do to prepare yourself for those anticipated challenges.  The worst thing you can do is to pretend those challenges aren't real and do nothing to be prepared for them.

A pastor friend of mine began a new ministry at a church and almost immediately began to hear the name of an individual who had been a thorn in the side of the previous pastor.  This person opposed almost everything the previous pastor tried to do.  The new pastor was wise enough to realize that he should not expect to escape the same problems from this individual, so he invited the individual out to lunch for an honest discussion.  Because this pastor was willing to honestly confront the individual and offer to work together with this individual, I believe he earned that person's respect.  They found they could work together and agree on many issues, and the church benefitted from their relationship.  This pastor knew that it was only a matter of time before this person would probably represent a challenge to his ministry, and rather than waiting for that to happen he decided to be proactive in trying to establish a relationship with this individual based upon mutual respect and a common desire for the success of the church.

Your anticipated challenge may not be church related.  Perhaps your oldest child will be leaving in 2011 for college.  Although it has been several years since my children went off to school I still remember how painful that was.  Maybe it will be your youngest child who is leaving home making you an empty-nester.  I also remember the pain that caused my wife and me.  The house was so silent when we returned from taking our youngest to college.  Planning ahead can help ease that pain.

Maybe your challenge will be retirement.  You will be free to do whatever you want if you only knew what you wanted to do!  I have known people who did not prepare well for retirement and did not know what to do with themselves.  One person I knew took early retirement from his job and hated it almost from day one.  Every time I saw him he complained that it was the worst mistake he ever made.  A few months later he passed away.  I don't think he had a reason to live and just gave up.

Take the month of December and survey the things going on in your life and the things you anticipate will happen in 2011.  If you can identify and prepare yourself for even one or two of the challenges you'll face this coming year you'll be much better prepared to address them when they do happen.  And if they don't happen, you'll still be better off having prepared yourself for them.