Category: Goals

2014 Goals

~ K ~ Leave a comment

2014

Happy New Year! Since it’s the first of the year, it’s time to post this year’s goals! Here are my goals for 2014:

  1. Keep my child alive somehow after birth (prayer, please!)
  2. Visit New York 4 times during the year to see family
  3. List 3 things that I’m grateful for once a week
  4. Schedule a blog post for each season (minimum 4 times a year)
  5. Use the elliptical trainer on Thursdays or Fridays once a week
  6. Strength train on Thursdays or Fridays once a week after the baby is born (DVD videos)
  7. Complete NaNoWriMo novel before November 1
  8. Attempt NaNoWriMo in November
  9. Completely revise Getting Right with God by December 31
  10. Read 36 books by December 31

The last 4 will pose a challenge but what are goals for if they are all easy?

2013 End-of-Year Goals Check In

~ K ~ Leave a comment

2013

1. Schedule a blog post for each month
FAIL. I didn’t post much in the summer and through the latter part of the year.

2. Go to the gym once a week
FAIL. I quit the gym because I got an elliptical trainer at home.

3. Strength train on Mondays
FAIL. I have not strength trained on Mondays. I will wait until the baby’s born before tackling this again.

4. Read 80 books this year
FAIL. I haven’t been in much of a reading mood. I’ve only read 35 books this year.

5. Craft a new novel from an original idea (not something that I’ve recycled)
SUCCESS! I started writing an original novel for NaNoWriMo. I haven’t finished it yet, but I’d like to.

6. Write a new novel from start to finish in 30 days
FAIL. I had a lot of health setbacks in November that prevented me from completing a novel in 30 days.

7. Write 300 words a day whether it’s a combination of blogging, journaling, article writing, or noveling
FAIL. I haven’t written much this year.

8. Attend the Writer’s Digest conference
SUCCESS! I attended the conference, pitched some agents, and had a mighty good time.

9. Submit query letters to literary agents
SUCCESS! I’ve gotten nothing but rejections, but I’ve submitted query letters.

10. Complete synopsis of Getting Right with God
SUCCESS! In fact, I received a synopsis from an editor that’s even better than the one I wrote.

11. Watch a movie on Saturday evenings with Jason
FAIL. I’ve been bad about doing this. I just haven’t been in a movie-watching mood. 😦

12. Submit a query letter for an article
SUCCESS! I submitted a query letter for Relevant magazine. Never heard anything back, but I did submit something.

13. Develop a routine in the morning
FAIL. I have no routine except to get the heck up.

14. Develop a routine before bed at night
FAIL. I have no routine except to fall into bed.

15. (And oh, why not?) Become a mother
SUCCESS! Fertility treatments have helped me to realize this 2013 goal. I’m due in late February 2014. Exciting!

2013 Mid-Year Goals Check In

~ K ~ Leave a comment

1. Schedule a blog post for each month
SUCCESS! I’ve had a blog post each month so far.

2. Go to the gym once a week
FAIL. I haven’t been to the gym in 2 months. My hope is to go on Sundays.

3. Strength train on Mondays
FAIL. I have not strength trained on Mondays. I don’t know if I will.

4. Read 80 books this year
IN PROGRESS. I doubt I’ll read 80 books this year. I haven’t been in a reading mood lately except for book club books.

5. Craft a new novel from an original idea (not something that I’ve recycled)
FAIL. I was supposed to write the Alpha League of Parapsychology, but I don’t think that’s going to work out.

6. Write a new novel from start to finish in 30 days
IN PROGRESS. November is usually my month to complete a novel.

7. Write 300 words a day whether it’s a combination of blogging, journaling, article writing, or noveling
FAIL. I haven’t been writing much lately.

8. Attend the Writer’s Digest conference
SUCCESS! I attended the conference, pitched some agents, and had a mighty good time.

9. Submit query letters to literary agents
SUCCESS! I’ve gotten nothing but rejections, but I’ve submitted query letters.

10. Complete synopsis of Getting Right with God
SUCCESS! In fact, I received a synopsis from an editor that’s even better than the one I wrote.

11. Watch a movie on Saturday evenings with Jason
FAIL. I’ve been bad about doing this. Need to get back on track.

12. Submit a query letter for an article
SUCCESS! I submitted a query letter for Relevant magazine. Never heard anything back, but I did submit something.

13. Develop a routine in the morning
FAIL. I have no routine except to get the heck up.

14. Develop a routine before bed at night
FAIL. I have no routine except to fall into bed exhausted.

15. (And oh, why not?) Become a mother
IN PROGRESS. I’m undergoing fertility treatments to help me achieve this goal. It’s exciting!

Goals: Starting Off Small in the Hopes of Big Success

~ K ~ 2 Comments

I joined Weight Watchers online and find my points incredibly restrictive and rather tough to stick to. I made the mistake of blowing my daily AND weekly points on one meal. Not even salads are guaranteed to be all right if it’s got protein.

20130109-193036.jpgAnd I guess that’s my problem with Weight Watchers—I feel like I’m sometimes penalized for eating meat. I’m not giving up Weight Watchers because I’ve been on it before and successfully lost 10 pounds on the plan so I hope for a triumphant recurrence of that. Can you believe a Lean Cuisine is 7 points? A Lean Cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and I’ve only got 7 points left over for another Lean Cuisine of 2 snacks. Managing my points is difficult because I have so few. You’d think I don’t have much weight to lose but I’d like to lose a good 40 pounds. (Honestly, I used to shoot for 70 pounds but I don’t think that’s realistic anymore.) I know I won’t be able to keep that kind of weight off without exercise. So my plan is to go to the gym (Planet Fitness) on the weekends and do at least a half-hour of cardio with one strength training session per week (using a Jackie Warner video). This is me starting out small so I don’t get overwhelmed by some impossible goal of attempting to exercise 5 days a week when realistically I’m lucky if I exercise 1 day a week.

I guess that’s one of the important things about goals:

Start off small.

I’m using Health Month to help me make a difference in my physical and spiritual life. I set up “rules” that I must adhere to a certain number of times per week or else I lose points. It’s been a rather effective way of helping me to develop new habits such as exercising one a week, getting to the gym (that I’m paying for) once a week, and reading my Bible and praying at least 4 times a week. It’s free to join and set up 3 rules. More than 3 rules and you’d have to pay a month-to-month or yearly plan.

Weight Watchers Mobile, in combination with My Fitness Pal, is another tool in my arsenal of dieting weapons. It’s a shame that Weight Watchers Mobile is sorely lacking where My Fitness Pal (a free app) shines like gold. My biggest complaint about Weight Watchers Mobile is that the database is only searchable with personal user data and the data Weight Watchers selects. If another user inputs data, that information isn’t searchable by anyone else except that particular user. The great thing about My Fitness Pal is that users from all over the United States put in nutritional information about products and anyone can access that information. It’s a shame My Fitness Pal has this feature for free whereas a premium site like Weight Watchers has kind of put the kibosh on such sharing of information through their database.

20130109-193222.jpg

Another dumb thing about Weight Watchers Mobile is that their bar code scanner is a completely separate application while My Fitness Pal has the bar code scanner built into its app. In My Fitness Pal, the bar code scanner is functional and easy to use. Why am I on Weight Watchers, you might ask, since I seem to be pissing and moaning about the plan and its mobile apps?

The plan works. It has worked for me in the past. I have yet to lose any weight using My Fitness Pal. (In fact, I’ve gained weight!)

YouVersion is my go-to app for all things spiritual. It has a variety of Bible reading plans I can choose from, but I choose to go at my own pace, which is slower than reading the Bible in a year. I love the fact that certain translations are downloadable for offline use so that even when I don’t have an Internet connection (or possess a crappy one), that no longer hampers my ability to read the Bible anywhere. I most frequently use the English Standard Version (ESV) with the New American Standard Bible (NASB) coming up as a close second.

So Health Month, Weight Watchers Mobile, My Fitness Pal, and YouVersion are a few tools that I am using to stay on track physically and spiritually.

2013 Goals

~ K ~ 2 Comments

2013

Happy New Year! Since it’s the first of the year, it’s time to post this year’s goals! Here are my goals for 2013 (not in any order):

1. Schedule a blog post for each month
2. Go to the gym once a week
3. Strength train on Mondays
4. Read 80 books this year
5. Craft a new novel from an original idea (not something that I’ve recycled)
6. Write a new novel from start to finish in 30 days
7. Write 300 words a day whether it’s a combination of blogging, journaling, article writing, or noveling
8. Attend the Writer’s Digest conference
9. Submit query letters to literary agents
10. Complete synopsis of Getting Right with God
11. Watch a movie on Saturday evenings with Jason
12. Submit a query letter for an article
13. Develop a routine in the morning
14. Develop a routine before bed at night
15. (And oh, why not?) Become a mother

Developing a Routine

~ K ~ Leave a comment

My primary doctor has charged me with developing a routine. I am not a fan of routines as I feel that it ruins the variety of life. But for the sake of wanting to have children, they would need a routine that (I guess) I’d try to gently nudge them into. (When do children ever easily comply with routines?)

The other reason I need to develop a routine is that it would help to regulate my sleep, chronic mono, and bipolar disorder. So here’s my tentative plan for 2013:

  • Go to bed at midnight
  • Get up at 7 am
  • Drink coffee first thing in the morning
  • Take my Virastop, Prozac, and iron pill
  • Do devotions
    • Bible reading
    • Prayer
  • Write blog posts (shoot for a minimum of 300 words)
  • Exercise at the gym for 15–30 minutes
  • Read 10 pages in a book
  • Do the laundry
  • Brainstorm story ideas

Both Michael Hyatt and Steve Pavlina have good tips on attempting to become a morning person. Steve Pavlina’s post has helped me in the past to consistently wake up at 5:30 in the morning. (I also had help from Lamictal, which somehow managed to regulate my circadian rhythm.) I hope that I can once again recapture the former glory I once had.

—

I’m having trouble meeting my 300-word minimum requirement so I’ll just end my post here.

2012 End-of-Year Goals Check In

~ K ~ 1 Comment

1. Schedule a blog post for each week Schedule a blog post for each month.
FAIL. I totally blew off November.

2. Go to the gym on Tuesdays for at least 15 minutes Go to the gym on Sundays for at least 15 minutes
FAIL. I have simply been too lazy and too tired to make it to the gym on Sundays.

3. Strength train Mondays and Thursdays a week for at least 15 minutes Strength train on Mondays
FAIL. I have not strength trained at all in the past 2 or 3 months.

4. Put aside $25 per paycheck ($50/month) for website redesign in March 2012 (before website expiration in April)
SUCCESS! My website has been redesigned.

5. Combat discontent by listing 3 things every day that I’m grateful for I will list 3 things every night in my journal
FAIL. I’ve failed to do this regularly.

6. Relax 2 times a month on the Sabbath (a day off, not necessarily Sunday) by reading, listening to music, dancing, napping, meditating, watching a movie (something fun) for most of the day
SUCCESS! I’ve been relaxing more.

7. Read a book for at least 15 minutes 3 times a week
SUCCESS! I am ahead of my reading.

8. Read 36 books (3 books a month) by December 31
SUCCESS! I have surpassed this goal.

9. Complete half of manuscript rewrite by June 2012 (Work on 10 pages once a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, or Saturdays for 2 hours)
SUCCESS! My manuscript is complete.

10. Complete rewrite of manuscript by December 2012
SUCCESS! See previous point.

11. Edit for 1 new client this year
SUCCESS! I scored a new client this year.

2012 Mid-Year Goals Check In

~ K ~ Leave a comment

1. Schedule a blog post for each week
FAIL. I forgot about this. It’ll be more realistic for me to schedule a blog post for each month.

2. Go to the gym on Tuesdays for at least 15 minutes
FAIL. We are down to one car making it almost impossible for me to go to the gym during weekdays. This goal will be revised to go to the gym on Sundays for at least 15 minutes.

3. Strength train Mondays and Thursdays a week for at least 15 minutes
FAIL. I’ve forgotten about my strength training goals. This goal will be revised to strength train on Mondays.

4. Put aside $25 per paycheck ($50/month) for website redesign in March 2012 (before website expiration in April)
SUCCESS! My website has been redesigned.

5. Combat discontent by listing 3 things every day that I’m grateful for
FAIL. I’ve fallen off the wagon with that as well. I will list 3 things every night in my journal.

6. Relax 2 times a month on the Sabbath (a day off, not necessarily Sunday) by reading, listening to music, dancing, napping, meditating, watching a movie (something fun) for most of the day
SUCCESS! I’ve been relaxing more.

7. Read a book for at least 15 minutes 3 times a week
SUCCESS! I am ahead of my reading.

8. Read 36 books (3 books a month) by December 31
SUCCESS! I am on track to surpass this goal.

9. Complete half of manuscript rewrite by June 2012 (Work on 10 pages once a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, or Saturdays for 2 hours)
SUCCESS! My manuscript is complete.

10. Complete rewrite of manuscript by December 2012
SUCCESS! See previous point.

11. Edit for 1 new client this year
IN PROCESS. I haven’t had a new client yet but the year isn’t over…

2012 Goals

~ K ~ 3 Comments

Happy New Year! Since it’s the first of the year, it’s time to post this year’s goals! I’ve set reminders so that I can do a mid-year and end-of-year check-in. Nothing special here; just a straightforward list of my goals.

1. Schedule a blog post for each week
2. Go to the gym on Tuesdays for at least 15 minutes
3. Strength train Mondays and Thursdays a week for at least 15 minutes
4. Put aside $25 per paycheck ($50/month) for website redesign in March 2012 (before website expiration in April)
5. Combat discontent by listing 3 things every day that I’m grateful for
6. Relax 2 times a month on the Sabbath (a day off, not necessarily Sunday) by reading, listening to music, dancing, napping, meditating, watching a movie (something fun) for most of the day
7. Read a book for at least 15 minutes 3 times a week
8. Read 36 books (3 books a month) by December 31
9. Complete half of manuscript rewrite by June 2012 (Work on 10 pages once a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, or Saturdays for 2 hours)
10. Complete rewrite of manuscript by December 2012
11. Edit for 1 new client this year

Helpful tools assisting me this year:

Blogging: WordPress

Gym of choice: Planet Fitness

Strength training guru: Personal Training with Jackie Warner: Power Circuit Training

Saving money: PNC’s Virtual Wallet

Tracking habits-in-the-making: Health Month

Reading books: Goodreads

Organizing novel structure: Scrivener

Tracking time, cost, and billing of clients: Time Master + Billing

2011 Resolutions… Goals… Targets… Year’s End Evaluation

~ K ~ 2 Comments

It’s December 4, and this is my final evaluation of my 2011 resolutions. You can read my original 2011 resolutions here and my mid-year resolution evaluation here.

The problem with New Year’s resolutions is often that people think of them as fixed goals. People are more likely to succeed when they think of their goals as fluid, having the ability to change based on circumstances. For example, a person with a broken leg for the first half of the year probably isn’t going to be able to run a marathon in April. It’s not a failed goal; it just needs to be changed to later in the year. Then it can become a successful, attainable goal.

You might have heard this mnemonic before, but I’ll introduce it anyway. All set goals need to be SMART. Let’s continue with the broken leg example.

Specific: Answers who (you), what (the goal), why (are you doing this?), where (if applicable as in Philadelphia for a marathon), and which problems (current leg injury).
Measurable: Answers how (how much will you train? how many miles will you run? how will you know if you’ve met your time goal?)
Attainable: Is this goal doable? What specific practices do you need to implement in order to meet the goal?
Realistic: Can you realistically do this? Are there any/will there be any constraints that will keep you from meeting your goal?
Time-bound: Answers when (the goal must be met). Break down the when into smaller increments (eg, training every day but Sunday for the next 12 weeks). Again, evaluate whether this is realistic.

—

The following is the year-end evaluation of my goals revised in June:

2011 Goals

  1. Land an agent for my young adult novel. Build up clientele for book editing. I haven’t had a chance to tackle this yet due to financial and time constraints, but I do have a plan to implement this that will likely launch in 2012. And it won’t be just book editing. I also need to evaluate how I’m going to measure this goal, eg, “Obtain 2 clients for editing work by September.”
  2. Exercise for at least 15 minutes 4 times a week. Exercise for at least 20 minutes 2 times a week. Exercise is my biggest challenge. I haven’t been able to even keep to this schedule. A more realistic goal would simply be to go to the gym once a week and exercise for 15 minutes.
  3. Lose 25 lbs. Lose and keep off 10 lbs. I’ve actually gained 10 lbs rather than lost in the past year. I have joined Weight Watchers to rectify that.
  4. Eat more salads and vegetables. As a result of joining Weight Watchers, it has forced me to eat more salads, fruits, and vegetables. A better defined goal would have been, “Eat salads, fruits, and vegetables at least twice a day five times a week.”
  5. Complete the reading of 80 books. I have read less than 60 books this year because my life was so busy. Next year, 60 books is a more reasonable goal.
  6. Relax on the Sabbath (Sunday). This is still a difficult one for me as I don’t know how to simply settle down and relax. It’ll continue to be a goal for 2012, however, I need to make it more specific as to how I can evaluate how I’ve successfully met this goal. It’s currently too broad.
  7. Attend CCEF’s October conference in Louisville. I attended four weddings in New York and Florida this year prior to the conference. I wasn’t expecting that when I set this goal. As a result, I was tapped out for spending money.
  8. Learn to be content with what I have and who I am. This is an ongoing process that God is still working on me. This goal needs to be more specific in how I can measure what it means for me to be content.
  9. Spend more time Focus on building discipline with God through prayer and Bible reading. This also is an ongoing process. My husband and I have been good about prayer at night recently but I’ve failed at personal prayer and Bible reading. I need to make this goal a bit more measurable.
  10. Attend morning church services at my home church at least twice a month. This is a goal that I’ve managed to attain ever since I began attending another church—praise God!
  11. Write a post (nearly) every day once a week on different aspects of enjoying something that God is teaching/has taught me. I haven’t kept to this goal, mostly because I forgot about it or I just didn’t know what to write about. It was a good goal to reach for but in the end, my memory failed me.
  12. Cut down on sweets aka be less addicted to sugar. Designate specific days for dessert and stick to it. I’ve failed at this and miserably. However, this goal will disappear thanks to Weight Watchers.
  13. Read through three of the seven books in Chronicles of Narnia. Fail. I haven’t touched the Narnia books this year.
  14. Hold scheduled write-ins at the library through the month of November for NaNoWriMo. Complete the rewrite of my novel before December 31. Fail. I hope to just begin working on the rewrite again before year’s end.

Resolutions, goals, target, etc. aren’t bad things to set at the beginning of the year, and they are not necessarily recipes for disaster or failure. It’s possible to create successful New Year’s resolutions, as long as they are:

  • SMART
  • Seen regularly (post them up on a wall with regular visibility)
  • Evaluated periodically (revise biannually or quarterly)

I have a funny feeling 2012 is going to be a more successful year in regard to my goals.

25 Time Management Strategies

~ K ~ 2 Comments

In January and February 2011, I attended a two-part session on time management by Heartwork Organizing. Here’s a list of 25 strategies I obtained from that session with the ones I am working on in bold. Let me know three of the 25 strategies you think you could use.

  1. Keep a weekly (not daily) to-do list.
  2. Note 3 top priorities/projects/tasks to complete each day.
  3. Using the 80/20 rule (only 20% of your tasks are most important), ensure the tasks in your 20% are the first ones you tackle.
  4. Carry your planner everywhere, even to church, gym, and dates/appointments.
  5. Be aware when you are making a commitment to yourself and others.
  6. Make written appointments with yourself, and keep them as routinely as you would with your hairdresser.
  7. Separate making your to-do list from accomplishing your to-do list.
  8. Separate projects from tasks.
  9. Schedule time on your calendar to work on projects.
  10. Never check your email before __(insert customized time here)__.
  11. When working on projects at your computer, don’t leave your email and browser programs open.
  12. Use a sheet of paper as a “time container” and only write until full.
  13. Use “sticky notes” as disposable containers, not permanent records.
  14. Use “Prince/Princess time management” because you are a Son/Daughter of the King.
  15. Keep your calendar free enough to entertain angels.
  16. Beware of the latest electronic gadget as a time waster.
  17. When spinning, ask “What is the next thing I have to do?” and do it.
  18. Build in rewards for your efforts (e.g, I will get a snack after I finish this proposal).
  19. Remove technical issues when they exist.
  20. Ensure written goals are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-bound.
  21. Practice conscious breathing. Schedule it if necessary.
  22. Decide if your tasks pass the five-year test. (What’s going to be important five years from now?)
  23. Use a time to chunk out unpleasant/large tasks 15 minutes at a time.
  24. Learn how to use your cell phone or microwave timer.
  25. Prioritize people over things.

Not all of these are practical tips for me. For example, I wouldn’t check my email before 5:30 in the morning because I’m likely sleeping, but if I don’t check it before noon, I’m at work where I really can’t view it. It’s also the primary means of contacting me during the day.

Continue reading “25 Time Management Strategies” →

The Story I’m Telling Myself vs. The True Story

~ K ~ 5 Comments
Image from barbarahaleannex.com

Inspired by Michael Hyatt’s post:  http://michaelhyatt.com/change-your-story-change-your-life.html

The Story I’m Telling Myself
  • I’m too young.
  • I’ve failed before. I’ll fail again.
  • I’ll never be as successful as other people.
  • I am not a business person.
  • I don’t have a business mindset.
  • Getting these clients is a fluke; I won’t get any more.
  • I don’t have enough experience against other people who have been doing this for decades.
  • I’m a newbie; no one will want to use my services.
The True Story
  • I am young and new at this, and I may stumble along the way, but I can view my failures as a learning experience and overcome them.
  • I can think of new ways to market myself and focus on professional customer service.
  • God has given me two clients to show me that He trusts me with this work.
  • I cannot measure my success as competing with other people but by gaining steady work.
  • I have one fully edited book behind me which shows I can get work done. I can finish what I start.
  • I will read and learn how to conduct a business and charge competitive rates to lure new clients.
Now, I just have to believe what’s true. Believing it is more difficult than writing it.

2011 Resolutions… Goals… Targets… Likely Misses… (Revisited)

~ K ~ 5 Comments

On January 4, I promised to revisit my 2011 resolutions to see how I was doing. Most people have forgotten about their resolutions by now but I’ve mark it on my calendar to revisit these goals on June 4 (okay, I’m a day late) and December 4. Here they are in all their uncompleted glory:

2011 Resolutions/Goals

  1. Land an agent for my young adult novel. Postponed as I edit a book and revise my novel to make it even better.
  2. Exercise for at least 15 minutes 4 times a week. More like exercise for 10 minutes once every two weeks.
  3. Lose 25 lbs. Hah!
  4. Eat more salads and vegetables. I am eating more greens so I guess I’m on track so far…
  5. Read 75 (or more) books. According to Goodreads.com, I’m 10% behind my goal. I’ve only read 26 so far.
  6. Relax on the Sabbath (Sunday). [This one, by far, will be the most difficult one for me to do.] Fail. So far.
  7. Attend a writer’s conference. Done! Completed in January!
  8. Attend CCEF’s October conference in Louisville. I received a slew of invitations to weddings this year. This, unfortunately, may be an unrealized goal.
  9. Learn to be content with what I have and who I am. Working on this. It’s not easy.
  10. Spend more time with God through prayer and Bible reading. I’m on the wagon and then I’m off. Ongoing process.
  11. Attend morning church services at my home church at least twice a month. I’m a little less married to attending services at my home church than I am about getting to church twice a month.
  12. Write a post (nearly) every day on different aspects of enjoying God. I was really good with this for a while. I suppose I should start this back up. What haven’t I already said?
  13. Cut down on sweets aka be less addicted to sugar. I’ve cut back from 5-6 packets of Splenda to 2.5-3 packets—woot!
  14. Read through the Chronicles of Narnia. Oof, I haven’t even started yet.
  15. Hold scheduled write-ins at the library through the month of November for NaNoWriMo. I’ll see if this is possible. For right now, though, I can’t even think about November!

I’m not opposed to creating new goals and resolutions and dropping others as the year goes along. Upon today’s reevaluation of these resolutions from January, here are my goals are for December:

2011 Goals

  1. Land an agent for my young adult novel.  Build up clientele for book editing.
  2. Exercise for at least 15 minutes 4 times a week. Exercise for at least 20 minutes 2 times a week.
  3. Lose 25 lbs. Lose and keep off 10 lbs.
  4. Eat more salads and vegetables. 
  5. Complete the reading of 80 books. 
  6. Relax on the Sabbath (Sunday).
  7. Attend CCEF’s October conference in Louisville.
  8. Learn to be content with what I have and who I am. 
  9. Spend more time Focus on building discipline with God through prayer and Bible reading. 
  10. Attend morning church services at my home church at least twice a month.
  11. Write a post (nearly) every day once a week on different aspects of enjoying something that God is teaching/has taught me. 
  12. Cut down on sweets aka be less addicted to sugar. Designate specific days for dessert and stick to it.
  13. Read through three of the seven books in Chronicles of Narnia. 
  14. Hold scheduled write-ins at the library through the month of November for NaNoWriMo. Complete the rewrite of my novel before December 31.

In six months, I completed one of my goals. Many of these are attainable; others I don’t expect to actually complete as they are ongoing processes that will be on my annual list year after year (exercise and losing weight). But in the future, I hope that spotty church attendance becomes less of an issue.

Living Life Intentionally

~ K ~ Leave a comment

This weekend I tried (although did a rather lousy job) of taking a personal retreat in which I spent time alone, focusing on developing a full life plan, which resulted in an outline of my priorities and goals in life. As a result of completing this, I had to say no to many of the things I was considering pursuing.

Image from michaelhyatt.com/life-plan

The idea of a personal retreat comes from Michael Hyatt, former CEO (and current Chairman) at Thomas Nelson. He developed a free e-book called Creating Your Personal Life Plan, adapted from Building Champions, in which he discusses the following:

  1. The Outcome of Your Life (how you want to be remembered)
  2. The Priorities in Your Life (what is important to me?)
  3. The Action Plan for Each Priority (outlining where you are and where you want to be)
    1. Purpose Statement (your purpose with each priority)
    2. Envisioned Future (how you ideally see yourself with interacting with each priority)
    3. Supporting Verse (if applicable, or perhaps a quote that motivates and inspires you)
    4. Current Reality (how does what is happening now stack up to your envisioned future?)
    5. Specific Commitments (developing a practical plan to move from current reality to envisioned future)

Hyatt recommends reviewing your life plan quarterly but following up on your specific commitments weekly to make sure that you are accomplishing what you need to accomplish toward your envisioned future.

When I think of Jesus, I think of a man who lived his life on earth intentionally and with a purpose. He didn’t do things haphazardly or “nilly willy.” If this is the example that Jesus has set for his followers, why do we as Christians simply bumble along in life simply trying to survive?

Changing the Road Map to Match the Ground

~ K ~ 1 Comment
Image from maps.google.com

Since August 2009, I put my life on hold, hoping that our family would have expanded by now. As of February 2011, it hasn’t. And as of February 2011, I realized that I keep putting my life on hold for something that isn’t here and is nowhere close. So I’m moving forward with my life, come what may.

The more I try to plan my life, the more God messes with my plans. I had my life figured out at 18: get married at 25 and children at 30. I got married at 23, but I guess I’m on track for children at 30.

I’ve said before that I don’t adapt well to change. I also don’t really like for God to screw with my plans. (I know, it’s like a 5-year-old telling the 45-year-old, “My way or the highway!” It just doesn’t work.)

So for once, I’m going to try to go along with “the road map on the ground,” as Elizabeth Edwards liked to say. I had a planned road map but it didn’t match the ground so my ideal map needs to change to reflect reality.

I’m contemplating pursuing a Master’s in Library Science, specifically in the field of digital libraries. I enjoy my job at the library immensely and hope this is something I can continue to do at 65 or 75 when I’m old and grumpy. I’m going to take my GRE, apply for scholarships, and hope that I can start a Master’s in the Spring of 2012.

I’ll also plow ahead on my novel. I will rewrite it and revise it this year and begin submitting queries to agents by the end of the year. Just in time before I become swamped with fifteen credits of classes for nearly 2 years.

I am moving forward, adapting my map to match the ground, and open to God screwing with whatever’s in my head. (He does anyway; I’m just going to make a more concerted attempt to not resist Him anymore.)