|PIC1|Ah, December. Here we are again at the end of another year. A time to reflect on the highlights of this year - the good, the bad, and the ugly - as we bid an emotional farewell, celebrate survival, and drift happily along, buoyed by the euphoria of the Season.

All too soon, however, it's all over - the celebrations and vigils are done; Christmas lights packed away; restaurants are quiet and the roads are busy again. It's back to the old grind; time to face up to the fallouts of the previous month's excesses and get back to work. And so the cycle begins again.

Or does it? Could 2008 be different? Will you show up for your appointment with destiny and align yourself with your purpose? God made you for a specific purpose. And, we know, the ultimate purpose - the reason we are all still here, is to establish God's kingdom on the earth. However, oftentimes when considering how to build God's kingdom, we give little attention to what is within our power to do right now. The truth of the matter is we all have something that we have absolute power and control over that God gave each of us as a crucial kingdom-building tool - our gifts and talents.

Surprised? You shouldn't be. In the Parable of Talents, Jesus made it clear that each and every one of us have been given at least one gift or talent. The two servants who utilised their talents experienced spectacular success - a hundredfold return - because their specific talents were allocated to them based on their individual abilities (Matthew 25:15). They were so perfectly matched to their gifts that they were virtually guaranteed success. They couldn't fail at it - if only someone had told the other servant who buried his!

So why is success so important to kingdom building, I hear you ask? Well, for one, success begets influence. You cannot have influence in an area where you are not successful; and influence is a crucial kingdom building tool.

Did you know you can build God's kingdom by becoming a man or woman of influence in your chosen field? The Oxford Dictionary defines influence as "the power or ability to affect someone's beliefs or actions." Sounds like evangelism, doesn't it? In the past few years we've seen good examples of this phenomenon where an influential person puts an obscure religion on the map just by associating with it. That's the power of influence. When you have that level of success, you don't have to preach to have people follow or imitate you. So there is, in fact, a clear and direct link between what we achieve in our different fields and building God's kingdom.

An example of influence in action is found in Mark 1:17, where Jesus said to Simon and Andrew, follow me and I will make you fishers of men. I'm sure you'll agree that no ordinary person off the streets could have caused two grown men to effectively quit their jobs with immediate effect and follow them, no questions asked. That would be the equivalent of you or I walking into our local corner-shops and asking the proprietor to lock up, throw away the keys and follow us! Jesus was able to do so because He was a man of influence. A few verses prior to making that bold request, He had been publicly and dramatically endorsed by God during His baptism, and had, no doubt, launched His ministry in the blaze of that publicity - He wasn't a "nobody" anymore, He was someone to be reckoned with.

However way your current year has turned out, there is still time to prepare a plan for entering into 2008 with a sense of purpose, a clear vision and focus. A New Year provides a great and unique opportunity - a new beginning, a blank canvass - a good time to begin to move into the destiny God has for you.

The end of the year is therefore an ideal time to start stirring up the gift of God that is in you (2 Tim 1:6) and get ready to start the next year strongly! The gifts and talents that God gave you are clues to your assignment - what God expects you to accomplish here on earth - and, once you figure it out, your success is virtually guaranteed.

In the Parable of Talents, the first thing the master did on his return was to settle accounts with his servants - no preamble, that was his priority (Matt 25:19). Do you feel like you've buried your talent? Well, here is the new beginning you need. Remember this is one area you have absolute power over.

You can make it happen, and the good news is, all the tools you need are already in you - you just have to stir them up. Proverbs 20:5 (NIV) says the purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out. Your purpose for being here on earth at this particular time is all there on the blueprint that God placed on the inside of you, when He gave you your talent, but you need to understand what it is and determine to draw it out.

Whatever you did or didn't do in 2007 is over and done with. Like the apostle Paul, let us now forget the past and press toward the goal for the prize for which God called us (Phil 3:13-14). It is time to cast your gaze firmly on 2008 and plan to hit the ground running. Determine to go for your dreams full throttle, and lay a strong foundation for the entire year!

Sade Diya, Author of Activate Your Dreams, is a Motivational Speaker, Business Coach and Host of the Strong Start Business Bootcamp. For more information please visit: www.strongstart.info