So the New Year is officially well under way. Wow! So, how are your resolutions going? I can honestly say that I haven't broken a single one. Yep. Scout's honor even. Do you want to know my secret? Are you ready?
I don't make any resolutions.
Surprised? In case you might be wondering why I don't, it's pretty simple. They don't work. Not for me. Not for most people actually. Instead, I make goals. Maybe you're thinking that since it's already the second week of January, it's too late. But I finally figured out something profound. I don't have to wait for a new year, new month, new week, or even a new day. I can have a fresh start anytime. Even at 11:43 am on the second Tuesday of the month.
Last month I shared my first set of goals that I want to complete by the end of 2017. These aren't necessarily the only goals I have for the year, but if I work on too many at once, I get overwhelmed. I have 7 so far but am only focusing on 3 right now. As I complete some, I will add in others. I also realize that some may need to be changed as time passes and am open to that as well. Life has a funny way of causing us to make lots of adjustments to our original plans.
So, what part do goals even play in living out a joyful second half? Cuz I'm going to be very real and say, that for me anyway, some of the things I have to do to meet those goals aren't exactly enjoyable (at least not initially). But one thing I've learned in living for 52 years is that joy isn't always automatic. Sometimes you have to be intentional and focused to change things in order to experience a better life. Though I do realize the importance of contentment and choosing joy no matter what, I also believe God gave us passions, desires, and callings to live out His purpose for our lives, and that's not going to happen to the fullest without some deliberate action on our part.
So, today I'm revisiting my goals, sharing which ones I'm actively pursuing right now, which ones I've tweaked, my struggles, my victories, and the steps I'm taking toward fulfilling them. Here goes!
My first goal is to read through 1 Timothy 50 times before the end of the year. This is a great book with a lot of truth and practical application in it, and I really want to get it solidly within my mind and heart. I've plotted out which days I will need to read a chapter in order to get through it that many times. So far, I've stayed on track and have read through it once. (It's only 6 chapters long, so it's not overwhelming. I won't even need to read every day to finish.) It helps that I now have a morning routine and have put my Timothy reading into the same spot of that routine every day. I read it right after writing in my gratitude journal and right before my prayer time. Basically, I'm turning it into a habit. I'm learning that making certain things habits goes a long way toward accomplishing goals.
The next few goals are to finish reading 3 books that I've started. Instead of trying to read them all at once, here a little, there a little, I decided to focus on one at a time. For right now, that's Passion Pursuit by Linda Dillow and Juli Slattery. It's a book for Christian women about the sexual part of marriage, and so far I think it's pretty good. I don't necessarily agree 100% with every tiny detail (but I rarely do in ANY non fiction book) and I still have some questions about some issues that they haven't touched on, but I'm not done with the book yet, so they might address those things later. With very few exceptions, I've stuck to the process of reading one daily section every day. Again, it's part of my morning routine, so it's becoming a habit. I don't wait til I have time to read. I MAKE time. And it just takes a few minutes, so it's not like I have to let other stuff go in order to do my reading.
My third current focus has been on exercise. My original goal was 15 minutes EVERY day. I didn't find this doable for me right now, which was setting myself up for failure. I needed to tweak it so I could miss a day here and there and still be successful. But 15 minutes just a few times a week probably wouldn't make much difference in helping me lose weight. So I upped it to 30 minutes and am going for 5 days a week. True confession, I'm not getting the 5 days in, but I'm working toward that. Last week I only did one day, but I was having a period from hell with heavy bleeding and a lot of cramping. (Oh the joys of going through perimenopause. No period at all for 6 months. Then 2 exactly 4 weeks apart like they used to be. UGGGGHHHHH! My body can't seem to make up its mind.) But I exercised yesterday and am planning to do so again today. Part of the problem is that the exercise bike is in the basement where my 20 year old son sleeps, and I like to exercise in the morning because after 30 minutes of pushing those pedals as a morbidly obese, not exactly fit as a fiddle, middle aged woman, I sweat like a horse running through a sauna, so I must shower afterward and would prefer to only shower once a day, but Cory sleeps in most mornings. So, as much as I don't particularly like what an exercise bike in the living room does to the decor, I think I might have to sacrifice aesthetics for health, at least temporarily. But when I am able to exercise, it's because I've included it in my morning routine.
So for me, I think the key toward moving forward in accomplishing my goals, is to have a morning routine that includes the habits necessary for making progress. What about you? What helps you? What are your struggles with meeting your goals? What victories have you had in progressing toward accomplishment?
My latest daily bliss was watching a movie on Netflix with some of my family over the weekend. The movie itself wasn't anything particularly great, but it was fun. Honey I Blew up the Kid. While we do pay a monthly subscription fee for Netflix, the movie didn't cost us any extra beyond what we pay for the service, so we didn't have to spend extra to have fun. I used to try to get everyone in the family to watch a movie together, but these days it's so hard to find a movie we all want to see, so rather than driving myself crazy and STILL listening to complaining I just figured we can each take a turn to pick out a movie every so often and whoever else wants to watch can. Yes, it would be wonderful to have the entire family do every family activity together, but it's honestly not worth trying to force it to happen. I'd rather just do something by myself or with one or some of the family and have all who are participating enjoying themselves, keeping the atmosphere pleasant and joyful.
Wishing everyone a joyful 2017!
