New Year/New Start

I personally don't like making New Year's Resolutions. Some people are driven by goals. I am not. I've realized I'm more like a snail. I'll eventually get there, but it'll take me a little while. One woman in our church once told me that she makes one goal a year. Her goals are to make real, habitual changes in her life, not general goals like joining a gym or eating healthy. Habitual changes take time because you are changing who you are. A few examples might be eating only one sweet food a week or a month, stop drinking soft drinks completely, exercising once a week or more, eating one vegetable a day, eating only fruit for breakfast, spending 5-10 minutes every morning reading the Bible, waking up and going to bed early. This way, after five years, you have changed five lasting things about yourself in a healthy, progressive direction. I like that. I think it's wisdom. Of course this doesn't mean that you can only make one, but it's a great start.

This past year was rough for me. It marked the one year anniversary of my dad's death, my first child starting school, I finally got pregnant, Aaron transitioned jobs from full-time ministry to a full-time career, and we officially decided we are going to move to The Covenant House in Florida. I do like the idea of a new start because those changes were great but challenging. This year we will encounter many more changes. Having a new baby and moving to Florida are going to contain a slue of changes in our family and in many people's lives.

So here are a few of my personal goals for 2011. One of my "marriage goals" for this year is to have a consistent breakfast/lunch date with Aaron instead of the typical dinner dates. I'm too tired at night now and I really enjoy breakfast foods and visiting new places for lunch. I think this will work well for us but it will take time to plan and transition our way of thinking.

Eventually I want to be focused on investing spiritually into my boys, but for this year a major "mom goal" for me is to exemplify a positive attitude, patience, and not reacting out of frustration towards my boys. Over the past four months I have changed in this area, but I still have a ways to go. I want them to remember me as a person who had a great attitude and was fun to be around. This will probably take me the whole year, but I know it's possible.

A "spiritual goal" I have is to continue reading my daily Bible reading. Maybe this year I will finish the whole thing!

I've recently been going through The Purpose Driven Life on CD and I love it. I have recently learned a lot about living in community, being vulnerable to others, and consistently investing in important relationships. Last year I didn't understand the investment aspect and I can see that I missed out on the depth of relationships that we all need and desire. A "ministry goal" I have this year is to invest a lot of time with the girls on our leadership team. I used to assume they didn't need me or if they did they would come talk to me, but that wasn't true. I know we all need someone we look up to who cares about our lives. So whether they need me or not, I will be there, getting to know them more, and helping to guide their lives.

A "financial goal" I have this year is to stick to our budget. I have not taken this seriously. I have not been out of control and I can say that I have let go of a lot of material "needs" in my life that most people think they have to have, but I have not been proactive, living a self-denial lifestyle financially. Aaron has some very specific financial goals to get us in the best position possible for our move to Florida and I want both of us to work toward that goal together. I will take one month at a time, but it will definitely have to be a change in my mindset, not just a lack of spending.

Growth and change are a part of life, so this year don't be like most people and make random goals that you probably won't keep. Focus on making habitual changes in your spirituality, attitudes, character, relationships, and health that will last. Happy New Year and happy changing!!