As you look back at the last year, and even the past decade, what are the moments you remember most? What are the moments in your life and ministry that mattered most?

If you’re like me, a handful of moments over the course of the last 10 years changed everything. I think of the birth of my youngest son, the starting of a new church, moving to a new city to take a new ministry role, trips, conversations, and moments that impacted me and those around me in significant ways.

As you look ahead to a new year, what are the moments you will remember in 2020? As we start a new decade, what moments over the next 10 years will mark your life, family and ministry? You might be thinking, How should I know? I can’t see the future!

It’s true that some moments you can’t prepare for, but other moments you can anticipate, prepare for, and make the most of when they come. What if, at the start of this new year, we intentionally prepare for and create the moments that will matter most?

What moments over the next 10 years will mark your life, family and ministry?

A book that impacted me a great deal the last couple of years is The Power of Moments by Chip and Dan Heath. In it, the authors say moment spotting is a skill, and that we must start thinking in moments and identifying occasions when we can create memories. As leaders, we often think in terms of goals, but as the Heaths point out, goals are the things in organizations; moments are the things for people.

Maybe in addition to setting goals this year, you could set moments — and create memories. What if you anticipated and created the moments that will matter in your personal life, your family, and your church or organization?

Instead of just letting moments happen, what if you crafted the moments that matter most this year? Maybe this is the year to take that trip you’ve wanted to take. Maybe you have a teenager you can create a rite-of-passage moment for that neither of you will forget. Perhaps you could pick a conference to attend with your team, where you could learn and grow together. (I know a good one: cmnconference.com.)

This year, don’t just plot your goals. Plot the moments that will make the year a great one.

This article originally appeared in the January/February 2020 edition of Influence magazine.