Planning for my Successful Future

Luke 14:28, “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it”?

Isabella Barbuto wrote this article on www.poughkeepsiejournal.com which I found quite profound;

As teenagers, we often are not taken seriously by authority. We are held hostage by the assumption we are troublemakers and can do no good.

That is quite a stereotype because teenagers are the next generation. They will be controlling and running the world someday. It might not be in the exact mindset they have right now, but the ideas are all coming from an identical area and viewpoint.

We are experiencing things in our world right now and the exposure to the media and large political leaps where we live are important for us to be aware of, especially for our future. The groundwork for our future is right now.

Teenagers have an important role in society. What we do, what we accomplish, what we are exposed to has every effect on, not only our personal future, but the future of society as a whole. Every generation grows up in a completely distinct world. Depending on when you grew up, there are varied aspects of life that could have had an influence on the development of your future society. When people refer to teenagers with a negative connotation it doesn’t make sense because that person was once a teenager, so they are contradicting themselves.

There are many teens who are risk-takers and are drawn to adventure and danger. These aren’t necessarily bad qualities to obtain because every society needs that. Every society can’t function without the minds that think and work differently, and aren’t afraid to voice opinions and ideas that are unheard of or made out to be classified as “wrong.” This might come off as a bias opinion, but teens are highly intelligent and are regularly solving problems. They have the insight of the future. They are new minds open to wild ideas because they feel they are invincible.

As teenagers, we need to have faith and power within ourselves. We need to have initiative. We are in charge of the future generations. If we don’t make a change ourselves, how will improvements in society occur?

Our parents play a large role in how we see society because they raise us and bring us up to believe certain ways, and when we become teenagers, we begin to think about the world and our role in it. Teens have the right mindset and are excited and motivated for the future of society.

Just because we are young doesn’t mean we are incapable of creating change and improvements in our society.

Isabella Barbuto is a sophomore at Red Hook High School. Contact her at life@poughkeepsiejournal.com

Nearly everyone has goals for today and for the future which some may refer to as having a “life plan”. A life plan can help you achieve your goals and plan for the future. When you think ahead, it will help you make good and healthy decisions regarding areas of your life. As a teenager, you are getting to that point in your life when you have to become a very important part of the world around you. It is a world that would count on your physical, spiritual, mental, emotional and social contribution.

Our Bible text in Luke 14:24 is a poignant education on the significance of planning – planning for a project, planning for your future. The Bible encourages us to plan for the future and how we can approach our planning;

James 4:13-15, “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring.  What is your life?  For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.  Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that".

We assume that we will live and do whatever we have purposed to achieve but we forget that tomorrow may never come.  Therefore, James tells us to take our plans to God.  Why?  Because God knows what is best for us.

At www.wikihow.com, we are provided with steps to take to plan for a successful future. Let’s check out some of them;

Step 1: Think and identify a future for yourself

Proverbs 16:3, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans”.

Ø  Find a place to do your thinking where you will not be disturbed, free from distractions and interruptions.

Ø  Get to know yourself better by asking yourself questions about the kind of future you envisage.

Ø  Don’t dwell on the past but focus on the future. Success is all about moving forward and letting go of the past.

Step 2: Find your passion

Proverbs 16:9, “In their hearts, humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps”.

Ø  A passion will fuel confidence and create excitement on your path to succeed.

Ø  Be proud of your strength areas. It gives you the confidence and enthusiasm you need to succeed.

Step 3: Maintain your motivation

Ø  Put pen to paper. Write down your goals in a journal so you can keep track of your achievement. Habakkuk 2:2, “Then the Lord answered me and said, “Write the vision, and engrave it plainly on [clay] tablets, so that the one who reads it will run with it”.

Ø  Paste your “Life Plan” where you can see it every time as a reminder of work-to-be-done.

Step 4: Prepare an Action Plan

Proverbs 6:6-8 “Go to the ant, O Sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.  Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest”.

Ø  Start saving money for your future needs. It’s time to be disciplined with spending money and your turn to make sacrifices for your own good.

Ø  Examine your lifestyle. You will need to scrutinize your current habits, relationships, activities, etc, and how they will help you succeed in your future plans. Keep the helpful habits and discard the obstructive ones.

Ø  Put your plan into action and build on it and have fun as you work your way toward its achievement.

Conclusion

Psalm 20:4, “May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed”.

This prayer needs a resounding ‘Amen’. Yes, there will be difficulties, distractions, confusion, doubt, delays, outright hostility and attempts at shortcuts on your way to implementing your Life Plan but you can overcome them all.

Proverbs 14:8, “The wise man looks ahead. The fool attempts to fool himself and won’t face facts”.

Pastor Rick Warren, author of the bestseller, The Purpose-Driven Life, encourages us to ask God for help to establish our goals for our future so we’ll be ready to learn how to get to where God wants us to go.