Tuesday

Resolutions? Goals? Po-tay-to? Po-tah-to?

I mentioned yesterday that I have really balked at setting goals/ resolutions because of our state of transition/ whatever. I have also, always in the past, really steered away from setting hard- and -fast resolutions only to fail and feel crummy about myself.

So. I have goals. Some are 'this-year-specific'. Some not. Some I will share with you to hold myself accountable. Some not (though I do plan to share them with SOMEONE to hold me accountable -- I think that's a great idea).

Other ways I have seen folks go about goal setting recently:

Rob has a very ambitious 101 Things in 1,001 days (almost 3 years) list.

Erin Doland of Unclutterer plans to have monthly goals (but she also plans to plan each day to the hour. Wow.). I have tried a variation of monthly goals before.

Michael Hyatt (I have no idea if he also does New Year's Resolutions on top of this) creates an overall Life Plan, working toward the end result of the person he would like to be. He reviews this each quarter.

I started and created myself a Life Plan, as well. I have always LOVED the word 'intentionality'. If there is someplace you want to end up (being a good parent and spouse, skilled writer/ basket weaver, certain level of fitness, etc.) you need to PLAN to end up there on purpose. It rarely happens on accident. So I have a life plan -- I have a few areas I still need to work toward writing out (blech -- who wants to face a plan for their finances? We just want LOTS of money, right??)

These are a few of the things I am working toward this year (and I think most of these are on my Life Plan):

*Read more books. At least 2 fiction, 1 non-fiction per month. I know for you big readers that isn't a lot, but I just get sucked into blogs and facebook and my own stuff and let it get away from me. I have gotten a running start on this by using the library and the Kindle on my iPhone and my laptop (you can get Kindle software on almost any electronic device now). This page will help you find some good deals on Kindle, but between Amazon 1-click and iTunes, I can drain my bank account $1.29 at a time!

*Complete 2 half-marathons this year. I am already registered for the Dallas Rock -n - Roll in March. So, Lord willin' and barring injury, that will be #1. My 2nd will be in the fall and I'm not sure which that will be. My overall goals for running is to continually better my time (I would almost have to stand still to make it worse than it was last fall!)

*Memorize 52 verses of scripture. I am participating in Beth Moore's Scripture Memory Team which only requires that you memorize 24 (2 per month). I knew that wasn't enough of a challenge for me, considering how much scripture I want to be rolling through my head. 52 is an ambitious goal, no doubt. But I know I can do it. (and you can totally do 24 -- it's not too late to start if you want!)

*Consistently be in the word and in prayer. Because I always have my time in the word first thing in the morning, it's also the first thing to get dropped off when life gets crazy. I have been catching my Bible reading here, and "praying without ceasing", but I miss the structured time. This is one of the reasons I have made myself have monthly goals -- to get back to this.(Y'all, I found this "Bible Reading Plan for Slackers and Shirkers". Can NOT tell you how much I love it!!)

*No Diet Cokes. Again. I was off of Diet Cokes for almost a year because of my migraines and for some crazy reason, started ooching back onto them this summer. When one didn't bother me, I had one or two more. Then a LOT more. However, now that winter has hit, the combination of my migraine preventative and the Diet Cokes keep my fingers and toes miserably cold, and the carbonation affects my running (as in, my breathing). Why do I drink that junk? Because it is yummy. But I will not put one to my lips for 2011. About to take the last of a 12-pack over to a friend's house now.

These are all I can think of right now. What about you? Goals? Plans? Resolutions?

1 comment:

Jana said...

Can I just borrow yours?

These look great, Sarah. I'm doing the Beth Moore/LPM memorization challenge, too.

Other goals for me?
1. Dramatically altering my intake of sugars and processed carbs--as in going almost to zero. I can't tell you how important this goal is to me--a total food addict. I now weigh in on the "morbidly obese" weight chart--although I have to say that I don't think I "look" morbidly obese. The truth is--there's a lot of fat packed in around my organs, and this is the tear that I am finally fed up with my own excuses. This is also the first time I can ever remember making a diet goal that made me feel calm & totally at peace--I usually feel some measure of panic & guilt & self-flagellation as I make my health goals. THis time--just calm determination.

2. Let God speak. I'm so busy gabbing my head off to Him (or ignoring Him entirely) that I have no idea what He has to say to me or what He wants me to do. So this year, I want Him to speak and my job is to listen.

These are not in the right order, by the way. Just the order I typed them.

That's it. I'm married to the guy who has a 101 mega list, and I have two. Hmmmm . . . .

Love you, Sarah. Forge ahead, girl--you're going to have a great year!

Jana A.