It's now fully 2017, and we don't need to talk any more about 2016. We can move on. Onward and upward, right?

By the way, how are you doing on your new goals ... your resolutions? Are you on track, or have you already given up? Either way, there's grace here for you. Whether you set goals or not, whether you're after some new plateau of your life like a tenacious animal or you've already limped away like an injured koala bear who fell off the top branch trying to reach that last leaf, and whether you're expecting big things in the new year or you're resigned to just handling whatever comes your way as best you can—it's all OK.

No judgment here. Enjoy the new year, and I hope 2017 is the best yet for you.

But I've been thinking a lot lately about a phenomenon that happens to far too many leaders—and it often catches them by surprise. In other words, it's a tragedy most of us can only react to—rather than proactively take steps to avoid it altogether. The phenomenon, or tragedy, is burnout. Leaders will at some point in their career reach the point of burnout—and it's a dangerous place to be.

Burnout can lead to health problems, errors and other issues in your business/organization along with a host of other things that can wreck your life and career. I believe, however, that we can avoid burnout—but it takes intentionality. We must be proactive in combating it. And, in 2017, I want to encourage you to take a journey with me to avoid it. Here are 10 ways I've identified to help us avoid burnout in 2017:

1. Know when to say "no." As a leader, many things come your way. Most of them are really good things. And, it can become difficult to say no to them. Especially if you're a high-capacity leader, the idea that we need to say no to something becomes even more difficult. But saying yes to too many things can cause us to fail and enter into the arena of burnout. Narrow your focus, and you will experience health and prosperity in the new year.

2. Take time for you. It can seem selfish to take time for ourselves. We've got a big job to do, a family to take care of and spend time with and other obligations on our plates—so finding time for ourselves can seem like quite the chore. But it's completely necessary. Taking time for yourself can look different for everyone. For me, it's alone-time on Friday mornings with my computer, writing. Find what it means to you and do it.

3. Don't own things you can't control. We face many things in life that are outside of our control. There's absolutely nothing we could have done and nothing we can do to change the outcome. We need to be okay with that. But we also need to find ways not to take ownership when those things happen. In other words, don't take the blame, don't beat yourself up and don't radically change your organization because of something you couldn't and can't control.

4. Give yourself grace. This is a big one for me in 2017. I struggle with being too hard on myself when I make mistakes or when I don't quite meet the expectation I had for myself. My inner dialogue is damaging and detrimental. In 2017, I want to have more grace for myself. I want to have the mindset that when I miss the mark, it's okay. It's not the end of the world. So, I am completely focused on grace—for myself—the hardest person, I've found, to extend grace to.

5. Spend time with peers. This is an important distinction. Peers—not friends, not co-workers, not bosses—peers. These are people who are doing what you're doing in some way. They are folks who can sympathize with your struggles, honestly say they've "been there, done that" and even help you find a way through the difficulties you're going through. Spend time with them, let them encourage you and take time to encourage them.

6. Cling to compliments and dismiss criticism. I tend to dismiss compliments and cling to criticism. Can you relate? I somehow find myself thinking that the compliments aren't as important or aren't true, but the criticisms are truth I need to immediately fix in some way. In 2017, I want to keep thank-you notes and emails and delete/throw away critical ones. I want to internalize the good things people say about me and about my work and quickly let go of the criticisms others hurl my way. Are you with me?

7. Focus on the important more than the urgent. This is one of my biggest day-to-day struggles. I can easily find myself responding to the urgent things in my day to the detriment of the important things. And, far too often, the urgent things are brought to me by others, usually as a by-product of their negligence or lack of organization. This year, I want to be able to focus myself on the important and not let others dictate the use of my time.

8. Set realistic expectations for yourself. One of the hardest things I've seen both in the workplace and in the family is the list of unrealistic expectations. These are either things that are wildly unrealistic or expectations that are just over the line of what can reasonably be accomplished. I don't want to get caught up in the place where I am constantly disappointed because either other people or I didn't meet an expectation that was never going to happen from the beginning.

9. Reward yourself often. How hard is this one? What ways do you regularly reward yourself? Maybe you're good at this. I'm not. But this year, I want to reward myself when there's a win in my life. This can be in tangible ways like purchasing a treat for myself. Or it can be in the form of spending time patting myself on the back in my own mind for the things I accomplish. I can far too quickly move on from a win in my work and family life and begin focusing on the next thing—but I want to intentionally focus on the things I've done well.

10. Use all of your vacation time. This one is not a problem for me at all. But I hear it far too often, and it makes me think it's a major problem. I'm not sure what's at the root—but my guess is that people who don't use all of their vacation time in a year feel as though they can't take the time off because something bad will happen if they're not at work for that time. I would say that regardless of that feeling or reality, your health and sanity are far more important than anything that might happen if you're gone for a week. It's a benefit your organization gives to you as part of your compensation—so, use it!

Tim Parsons is currently the executive pastor at First Assembly Community Ministries in Lafayette, Indiana. Tim is also a gifted teacher, speaker and consultant. You can check out his blog on leadership at and follow him on Twitter.

For the original article, visit pastors.com.

Get Spirit-filled content delivered right to your inbox! Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

Dr. Mark Rutland's

National Institute of Christian Leadership (NICL)

The NICL is one of the top leadership training programs in the U.S. taught by Dr. Mark Rutland. If you're the type of leader that likes to have total control over every aspect of your ministry and your future success, the NICL is right for you!

FREE NICL MINI-COURSE - Enroll for 3-hours of training from Dr. Rutland's full leadership course. Experience the NICL and decide if this training is right for you and your team.

The NICL Online is an option for any leader with time or schedule constraints. It's also for leaders who want to expedite their training to receive advanced standing for Master Level credit hours. Work through Dr. Rutland's full training from the comfort of your home or ministry at your pace. Learn more about NICL Online. Learn more about NICL Online.