2017 Goals Update

My goals with my dinner, because they looked a little more interesting that way. ;)

       I don't think I ever shared my goals for 2017. Each year I try to choose a couple different areas to focus on, and I usually try to be fairly specific. I don't always complete everything, but it is motivating to have some things to focus on, and I always figure that progress is a reward in and of itself.

    I have done some big time "adulting" lately: I scheduled a dentist's appointment (We changed insurances, so it was a lot more complicated than just calling for a date.), we bought a new mattress (I bravely purchased one online. It is due to be delivered new week, we are very excited to see if our leap of faith is rewarded!), I have been doing some serious de-cluttering as part of my Lent discipline, and of course, all the usual every day things that accompany being a stay-at-home wife and homeschooling mom!

    But anyway, I decided that I was proud of myself for the progress that I am making, and my 2017 goal progress is part of it! So, here are my goals (Don't make fun of them!) and where I am at:

1. Decrease sugary drinks, and the amount of sugar in drinks. This one I wasn't hugely specific writing it down, but I had some certain things in mind. I love my afternoon coffee, and I had moved away from measuring the amount of sweetened creamer I used, and I had also been drinking soda almost every day. I have been recording the days that I have not had soda, and that is really helping. Actually, as of today, I haven't had any soda in a week! I have cut the amount of creamer I am using at home in half, too. Also, I have gone back to ordering a small size if I am drinking coffee out, which is definitely decreasing my sugared drink intake. This goal won't be accomplished if I don't maintain it, so that is really my focus now.

2. Learn to use eye shadow. Zero progress on this one. Just being honest. The only thing I have done is tell my youngest sister she has to help me. Hoping to mark this one off this summer, I should probably start by actually buying some eye shadow!

3. Finish T & T book. My kids are in Awana, and my husband and I volunteer. I, personally, though, have never done any of the books. They changed the 3rd-6th grade program this year and all the students are doing the same book. I decided that would be a good point for me to jump in, so I am working through the book with my kids.Memorizing Bible verses is an area I really needed to work on. I am a little behind right now, but I found a really cool app called "Verses" that I am using now, and it has made a huge difference! I should be done with this goal by May, if I manage to get back on track. It would be fantastic if I finished up at the same time as my kids! Carson has been a huge encouragement to me in this area, and I am so proud of myself. I have learned over twenty new verses since September!

4. Read twelve books I already own. I have finished three, and I am fairly sure that I should be able to accomplish this, as I tend to read more over the summer. I am working on a fourth, but I am tackling some of the classics, and they tend to be more "slog" than "skim"! I wanted to read books I owned versus borrowing them, as I kind of tend to buy a book then stick it on a shelf while I try to get through books I have borrowed from family or the library. (I may have cheated a tiny bit by buying "The Handmaid's Tale" but I figured once I purchased it, it qualified as a book I owned! And I'm making the rules, anyway. It was totally worth it, by the way, if you like dystopian novels!)

5. Finish three photo books. I made big time progress on that this weekend! I had a "free" book code, so I got to work. I was doing really well, then I got a second code! I had to hustle, but I finished with 30 minutes left before the code expired. Pretty proud that I knocked two out of three off! However, the last minute crunch was a good thing in that it motivated me to get the next few months of photos uploaded and organize a ton of others. I am hoping now to finish 2014 in the next few months. I usually put 2-3 months in each book, and yes, I am definitely behind, but I also started using Chatbooks, so I have printed photos starting in January 2015, so I will get caught up eventually! I've made so much headway in this area since I began, I am confident that some day I won't have years worth of un-printed photos looming over my head. Someday.

     I don't have a hard-and-fast rule about only making goals at the beginning of the year, although I do enjoy the freshness of January 1st. I made a goal in February to finish a specific workout program, and I will do that next week, Lord willing! So where are you with your goals?

2015 Goals in Retrospect

      I am my own worst critic. You may think really nasty things about me on the other side of your computer screen-you may just read my blog so you can feel better about yourself. But nothing that you say probably comes close to the horrid things I tell myself about myself. That isn’t very productive, though, and while it is a hard habit to break, I am working to try to remember that I have value as a person, and I do actually make goals and accomplish them. Part of the problem, though, is that I don’t keep very good track of what I have done, and my frail memory fails me. But I know that I did things I set out to do in 2015, and by golly, I am going to write them down for posterity (or just old age!)

In 2015 I:

1. Read out loud more. I read the kids all the “Chronicles of Narnia” books, after finishing a biography of C.S. Lewis. We also read “Dangerous Journey”, and a biography of John Bunyan. We read a bunch more, but I am glad that we got those pairings down.

2. Completed T-25. I am a sucker for a Shaun T workout, and finishing T-25 (several times) is something I am proud of, even if it isn’t the hardest one I’ve ever done.

3. Blogged for 30 consecutive days. And it was all about gratitude! I am pretty pleased with that one.

4. Started therapy. It is a long story, and one I am not comfortable sharing yet. I struggle with anxiety and lots of other things, and I have wanted/needed to get some help for a while. I finally took the plunge, and it was terrifying. I am looking forward to hopefully seeing some results in 2016.

5. Took a weekend trip away with Joel. We went to Seattle for his birthday in July and it was really wonderful.

6. Put more art in my house. I have always longed to have more unique pieces. Mass produced has its place, but I wanted a little more personal touch. I bought a piece I love this summer, and a friend of my sister’s made me another really cool piece. And my niece made me an awesome original for Christmas that I am so excited about!

7. Bought more red for my wardrobe. Weird, right? But for years I have had a dearth of this color in my closet. And I worked to remedy that this year, and I have been really pleased with the results!

8. Planned and executed a community service project. With my sister, Katy’s, help (she was really the catalyst) we put together a gift-making workshop for kids at a transitional living facility. It was so great to have that opportunity.

9. Kept a plant alive! For a whole year! Buoyed by my success I was emboldened to purchase a *second* plant and I am happy to say my basil is thriving beautifully alongside the original Norfolk pine. I even re-planted the pine with success. Woohoo!

10. Finished reading the Bible in a different translation. I have probably read the Bible through 10 times or more, but it has always been in NIV. I find that varying translations stimulates my thinking, so this year I did NKJV. It brought back my childhood!

11. Replaced our futon. It was a long year without a sofa, and I have been appreciating our new one. So. Much.

12. Started Jocelyn in dance lessons. I put this on *my* list because it falls into the category of “adulting” that I hate the most. But I did it anyway.

13. Tried more new restaurants. I probably tried more new/local places in the last year than I have in my whole life. And I have loved it.

14. Learned some more creative hairstyles. I’ve never been one to be happy with wearing my hair the same way every day, but this year I really expanded my repertoire.

15. Started recycling. I was very excited to discover that we had recycling containers onsite in our complex. It has been a little bit of extra work, but I am glad we can do it.

     I think I will stop there, since it is “2015”. If I have time this week, I may share some of my hopes and plans for 2016. I don’t do “resolutions” since I don’t like to make promises that I am not certain I can keep, but I do definitely have goals, and I would love to put them out there for some accountability and also to see what I have accomplished next December! What are some of the things you are pleased to have done this year?

Achieving Godly Goals

All Scriptures from the New International Version

        I don't share much about health or fitness on my blog. While I definitely see the importance in those things, they aren't my area of expertise. I have a sweet friend who has been a great encouragement to me, and keeps me involved in various Facebook groups that help me stay on track when it comes to eating right and staying active. A group that I am part of right now challenged each participant to create a "vision board". I tend to roll my eyes at those type of buzzwords. I am not inspired by models in swimwear or cliched quotes. I'm too "hip" for that stuff. (Or something!)

    So, I dragged my feet, feeling like a kid with a dreaded homework assignment. Until I realized that I could do a board with what never fails to motivate and inspire me: Scripture! Using my fav (FREE!) program, Picmonkey, I put together the collage above. I don't make "resolutions", but I do always have areas of my life that I am striving to improve. And none of those areas function in isolation. Each choice that I make should be filtered through the most important goal of all: honoring Christ with all that I say and do. Everything must pass the test: Does it bring me closer to Him? Does it help me accomplish His will?

    These Scriptures, some of them as familiar as John 3:16, others less well known, will all help to keep me on track, not just with eating and exercise, but with Scripture study, mothering, marriage, church, friends, and anything else that will come up this year. I wanted to share my "board" with you, because it will help keep me accountable. And maybe, it will inspire you.

    What challenges are coming this year that you need to find a verse to help face? What goals do you feel the Lord leading you towards? Perhaps, you can find just one passage that is especially meaningful, or maybe you can make an entire collage as well. Either way, don't move ahead with any goal or resolution that you haven't tested through prayer, Bible study and the Holy Spirit. If you have made goals, do a keyword search through a site like Biblegateway to see if you can find a verse that will encourage you. Or maybe you should spend time in the Word and prayer and then set your goals. Perhaps I should have added Proverbs 19:21

"Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails." 

Linked up:
"Motivation Monday" at A Life in Balance
"Hearth and Soul" at April J. Harris
"Thrifty Thursday" at Living Well, Spending Less