When I was in
school, my teachers would almost always check the box on my report card that
said, "Makes wise use of time." These many years later, it still
makes me crazy to waste time.
Over the past
couple of weeks I did some goal setting for 2017. I want to look back and see
some accomplishments so I know I made wise use of my time. I am intentional
about living a life of purpose - to tell a meaningful story with my life.
In January 2016 a few goals I had written were:
- Clean cupboards, closets, clothes, bookshelves, and give things away to Goodwill.
- Have coffee dates with long-lost friends.
- Lose Weight
- Finish an online course I had started, then put aside.
- Publish my health journal book.
I listed
specific goals for each area - exactly which cupboards and closets I wanted to
clean, which friends I needed to reconnect with, how much weight I was going to
lose (and specifically how I was going to do it), when I would finish the
course, and set a deadline for publishing my book.
Results? My
closets, cupboards, drawers and bookshelves have been pared down by around 60%
(and I still look for things to get rid of), I reconnected with 5 long-lost
friends, I lost 28.4 pounds and discovered which foods I need to avoid, I
finished the course and published my book!
I heard a stat
that only 8% of new year resolutions make it to the end of January. That means
by the time you read this, if you've made resolutions you're already
struggling.
Pastor MarkPettus (Church of the Highlands, Alabama) said, "Resolutions depend on me
to fix a problem I caused," and that's not a good idea. He said we need
more than willpower, we need a Higher Power - Jesus!
Our
resolutions are meaningless if we don't depend on Jesus to change us. I also
believe we need to pray and be intentional about the changes we're going to
make.
"Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth." Isaiah 43:19 [NASB]
For the past
couple of years I've read James Clear's Annual Review on his blog. He looks
back over his year and discusses the good, the bad, failures, improvements and
where he can use those lessons going into the new year. I love his
overview-style and it has helped me consider my year and where I'm going.
I also
recently read a great article from Chris Guillebeau, "How to Conduct Your Own Annual Review." He's more specific in his review style using a
step-by-step process, listing distinct areas, what the summary theme is for
each, which 3 or 4 specific action steps it will require, and checking in with
yourself each quarter to see how you're doing.
Even though
we're already into January, I encourage you to take some time to look over your
past year. This may not be a quick process; it may even take a few days, but
that's ok so you can put a good plan together. What are your wins? What are
your losses? What did you learn from them? Where do you want to go in 2017?
What will it take to get there?
Even if you
don't meet all your goals (I didn't in 2016), at least you've got something to
aim for. You'll have a story of accomplishment to tell on December 31, 2017.
You'll be excited and proud of living a story of purpose.
"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars." Mary Kay Ash
A few of my
goals for 2017 are to be consistent in daily time with God, walk at least 5000
steps per day, connect with 4 or 5 long-lost friends (the ones I didn't make it
to last year), read 6-10 books, attend the Tribe Writers Conference in
September.
Check out
James Clear and Chris Guillebeau and let me know if you create a plan for 2017.
Just say no to resolutions and yes to goals!
Happy New
Year, Sweet Friends! Thank you for being on this journey with me.
And let's
check in with each other on January 1 so we can see how well we did!
