4 Habits to Thrive in 2022

Written by: Josephine Owusu

Imagine 2022 as the year where you actually experience everything that God has intended for you in this season. What would that look like for you? What kind of things would you do? What would you achieve? What would you experience? Who would you impact and how? What would you do differently from the past year? How would you feel?

We are already one month into the new year and time isn’t slowing down anytime soon. One thing I have been reflecting on is how I can set myself up for success so that it can be the greatest year I have experienced in my life so far. We are living in a time where it’s easy to be distracted by social media, money  and material things which in the grand scheme of things bring us little fulfillment. Yet God has called us to live a life of purpose and to be a people of impact in whatever he has graced us to do. If there is one thing we must realise  this year, it’s that we must be intentional in every area of our lives in order to truly embody who God has created us to be. What better time to start than in the New Year.

“To everything there is a season,

A time for every purpose under heaven:” 

Ecclesiastes 3:1

The beginning of a New Year is usually a time when we assess what is and isn’t working in our lives and we attempt to make changes and create new habits. It’s typically a season of reflection and setting goals. As you focus on your standard goals for family, health, finances, career & business I encourage you to lay the foundation and prioritise these four things that I am about to share to transform your year to the most fulfilling yet.

1. Rest 

In a world that glorifies hustle culture, it can be a challenge to prioritise rest especially for those of us who are natural givers or ambitious go getters. I cannot tell you the number of times I have pushed way beyond my capacity in the name of productivity only to realise that it was counterproductive and affected my quality of work. As much as we may hate to admit it, rest helps us to stay productive, it helps to spike our creativity and it helps to still our mind, giving us clarity. 

“And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.”

Genesis 2:2-3 NKJV

God values work, but he values rest so much that he blessed and sanctified the seventh day “because in it He rested from all his work”. Seven in the bible is the number of completion so the fact that God rested on the seventh day is a reminder that rest in itself is part of living a complete life where we have set times to work and set times to rest. If God himself, the creator of the universe, needed to rest, then how much more do we who were made in his “image and likeness” need it? Rest is the final piece in the puzzle. 

I want you to ask yourself if you rest as much as you should or are you always on the go and prioritising everything else over rest? Are you working and looking after everyone you love apart from yourself? I dare you to prioritise rest this year and see the impact it will have on every area of your life.

2. Review relationships

Do you ever take stock of the people in your life and assess which relationships you need to maintain, which ones you need to let go over and which ones you need to develop? 

We have all heard the saying that “you are the average of the five people you spend your time with”, but do we take time out to think about what that actually means when we assess our inner circle? It is very important the people you have around you as you pursue God’s plans for your life because the  people around you can make or break you. 

“Then the king interviewed them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they served before the king”.

Daniel 1:19

Daniel and his friends Hananiah, Mischael and Azariah were not the only children of Israel who were captives in Babylon, yet they stood out from all of the captives and I believe it is because they held each other to a higher standard. We see throughout the book of Daniel how they were unwavering in their faith and I believe it’s because of the support and encouragement they had from each other. 

“And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm.” Daniel 1:20

Daniel was in good company as he found friends who were like minded and in pursuit of excellence and this caught the attention of the King as a result.  There is something powerful about the company you keep and the word of God even shows us that “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” Proverbs 17:17 so we should be intentional about the people we have around us as they can influence the decisions we make  and whether we follow what God has told us to do or lose focus and pursue the very things that have come to distract us. 

If there is one thing you should do this year, it’s to take stock of the people you have in your inner circle. Do they add something good to your life? Do they uplift and encourage you? Can you depend on them through the good and the bad? Do they celebrate, cry, laugh and pray with you? Do they challenge you? Relationships are not easy, but the God ordained ones are certainly worth it. 

Ask the Lord to give you a revelation about all of your relationships and for him to show you the ones that you should end, continue or develop. 

3. Pray always

In a time full of chaos and uncertainty, this is when we need to pursue prayer more than ever. Prayer helps to center us, refocus our attention so that we focus on the Lord instead of our problems. It helps us to stay connected with what the Lord is saying so that we aren’t clouded with confusion by what we are seeing in society.

“And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.” 1 John 5:15

When we rest in the confidence that God hears us and will answer us when we pray it gives us a “peace that surpasses understanding“ Philippians 4;7 and the ability to overcome challenging situations.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 says “Never stop praying”. This should be a reminder always. Pray about everything no matter how big or small it is and pray about it always. That is when God will begin to show you what direction you should take in different areas of your life.

4. Take action

“Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” James 2:17

Whenever we take action it reveals the level of our faith. Inaction in itself highlights our lack of faith as faith without works is dead. If there is one thing we should be doing this year after praying is take action. We are co-labourers with God and so for those of us who like to procrastinate by extending the planning stages in the projects we are working on, this year is the time to relentlessly pursue taking action as that is when we will see change and a true transformation in our lives. 

For those who are dreamers, it’s time to take action “For a dream comes through much activity, And a fool’s voice is known by his many words.” Ecclesiastes 5:3 NKJV

Do you want to be known for your many words or for bringing your dreams to life through the action you have taken?  Whenever we take action we are moving one step closer to living our God ordained life.

As you seek to thrive in 2022 remember to be intentional about Rest, Relationships, Prayer & Action.

Josephine is a Business Strategist with over a decade of experience working with award winning corporate Media companies and thriving startups, managing creative teams & large multi-6 figure production budgets for brands including Cartoon Network & Boomerang. 

She is the founder of The Owusu Collective and works 1:1 with Creatives, CEOs & Visionaries to help them get unstuck. Her framework gives her clients the clarity and confidence that they need to achieve their goals in life and business. Josephine is a Business systems & processes mentor for The Cheerful Business Club, a Cheerfully Given membership and will also be launching her second business Grace Stationery in the near future. 

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1. Social Media handles – @iamjosephineowusu @grace_stationery

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Website: www.theowusucollective.com