2014 Goals

 

Each year I try to sit down and come up with some goals for the new year.  These are not resolutions but actual, attainable goals that I want to work on.  

This year, I found some helpful questions to ask myself as I set these goals.  Here are the questions:

• What is the single biggest time-waster in your life, and what will you do about it this year? 
• What’s the most important way you will (by God’s grace) try to make this year different from last year?
• What single thing that you plan this year will matter most in 10 years? 
• What area in your life needs simplifying, and what’s one way you can simplify that?
• What habit would you most like to establish this year? 
• What is your most important financial goal this year, and what is the most important step you can take toward achieving it?
• What skill do you most want to learn or improve this year?
• Who do you most want to encourage this year?
• If those who know you best gave you one piece of advice, what would they say? Would they be right? What would you do about it?
• What's one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God? 

As always, I've broken the goals down into different areas where I want to see change.

2014 Goals

Spiritual 
►  Skip one meal a week to fast and pray.
►  Have consistent quiet times each week.

Marriage Relationship
► Encourage my husband through my words and supporting him in ministry
► Have a date night twice per month 

Health & Nutrition
I think I want to worry less about losing weight, though I need to do that, and more about changing some bad habits.

► Some form of exercise at least 5 days per week and at least 30 minutes each time
► Get outside in the fresh air at least 20 minutes each day instead of staying cooped up in the house
► Cut back on fatty foods & sweets
► At least 3 meatless meals per week.
► One salad per day  

Financial 
► Set aside $100 from each paycheck in a separate "emergency fund" account.
► Save $100 each paycheck in general savings.
► Curtail going out to eat or ordering out to twice a month.  We wasted so much money this past year because I was feeling lazy and didn't want to cook or didn't plan ahead when I had an event going on.  I always feel sick inside when I think of how that money could have been better used.
► Work on building up craft & book business 

Household Organization
► Come up with household organization journal
► Deliberate cooking lessons with Emily  
► Garden put in this spring.  There are two large garden beds all set to go here and after no garden last year, I'm looking forward to it!

Ministry
► Pray and figure out what the Lord wants me to do and then be ruthless about not adding to that.  This is a huge mistake I made in our last church.  I took on more and more and all that did was make me feel overwhelmed and burned out and never allowed others to be able to use their gifts.
► Send out cards of encouragement on a regular basis.
► Invite a family over for dinner at least two times per month.

Personal
►  Spend time doing the things I love and am gifted in - crafting, photography, creating, writing.  I struggle so much of the time with a weird sense of guilt assuming responsibilities that aren't mine to assume.  What happens is I run around feeling a bit joyless because I'm not working where I'm gifted.
► Work on living in the moment with my family, and not always stuck behind a computer screen.  In other words, when they are home - engage!  Spend my computer time for the times they aren't around or are busy.
► Work on the next book.  It's in the process. :-) 

There you have it!  They are doable and I can break them down into bite-size pieces.  I'll come back and revisit them every few months to make sure I'm staying on track.