A NEW Year provides us all a chance to start over, set new goals and do things afresh; whether it’s to draw closer to God, step out and do something new or just become a better person. Soul Stirrings spoke to four experts in success to get advice on how our readers can achieve their own goals in 2020 – whatever those goals may be…

Bishop Claion B Grandison BA (Theology) is Senior Pastor of Chrisma Christian Centre NTCG, in Woolwich, south London. He shares how people can have a better relationship with God in 2020.

“In Matthew 25:40 Jesus states that whatever is done to the least of these – the poor, refugees, the hospitalised and the imprisoned – is done to the Lord himself. Our relationship with God is greatly improved when we improve our relationships with each other.

“When the great philosopher Martin Buber was asked where was God in a particular tragedy, he responded that ‘God was not in synagogues or sacred spaces but in relationships. He was not just found in people but between them’.”

“Even though 1 Corinthians 6:19 reminds us that our bodies are God’s temple, Matthew 18:20 reassures us that when a group of two or three come together because of Him, God will be present. Wherever relationships are being established or re-established He would be that third person in the unbreakable threefold cord.”

www.ntcgchrisma.org

Pat Reid is founder of PJs Group, a business he runs alongside his wife Claudine Reid. Here’s his advice for those who want to set up or grow a business in 2020.

“My coach said: ‘Sometimes it’s not necessarily a business one needs to start, but to develop additional income streams’. It may not come from a business directly, because some people get terrified with the word business and panic, thinking it’s not for them.

“It could be that they just need to create additional income streams from a business, property, their skills, ideas, digital platforms or investments.

“If you who want to start a business, you need to write out your vision, be focused, have discipline and be prepared to work hard. “If you have a business and want to grow it in 2020 then you need to set goals, create targets, visualise where you should be and work towards getting there.”

www.pjsgroup.co.uk

Do you desire to love yourself, like how you love your neighbour? Check out this advice from Kim Bacchus, a Women’s Empowerment Life Coach and Trainer, and founder of Kim Bacchus Solutions.

“Be comfortable with who you are and live in alignment with your true authentic self, remember you are a work in progress.

“Get to know who you are. How well do you know yourself? Your likes and dislikes? Your goals? Favourite foods? Your good and bad qualities? Don’t just think of answers; write them down.

“On your journey to self-love, work on your mind and the soul too. This is where prayer or time alone comes in. With prayer, you tap into your spiritual self by learning to slow down and pay attention to what’s happening in the present moment.

“You cannot be working on loving yourself better and be surrounded by toxic, negative people. Take action to distance yourself and to protect your mindset. Surround yourself with positive people who will leave you feeling upbeat and energised.

“Self-love means acceptance of who you are and how you are. It’s all about being in alignment with yourself, your thoughts, and emotions without judging yourself.”

www.kim-bacchus.com

Amani Simpson is CEO of Aviard Inspires CIC. Last year he made a short film, Amani, which has been viewed more than two million times. Here’s his advice for those who want to step outside their comfort zones in 2020.

“Stepping out of your comfort zone is never easy but I live by the mantra that ‘most things easily achieved are not worth having’.

“At every stage of my journey success has been on the other side of a major adversity. Whether that was getting stabbed seven times at 21 and then working hard over seven years to develop into the youth activist and positive role model I am today, or even overcoming major obstacles and setbacks creating our short fi lm. We started with no money and an almost impossible timeframe to shoot the film with our actor Joivan Wade.

“By God’s grace and our hard work we were able to raise over £20,000 in five months and release the film to over a million viewers in four days. Therefore, please keep challenging yourself; the lower the valley the better the view at the top of the mountain.”

www.aviard.co.uk