It's December 30th. We will be leaving shortly to head to the wedding of a dear friend but in the meantime it's one of my favorite times of the year. It's the end of this year and the start of another. A time of reflection and dreaming of the future, making plans, and exploring possibilities. I really like this time. I like looking back in my journal and being reminded of all that has gone on in the past year(s). Not just the "big" stuff - I can remember that without my journal but the little things, the details of the big stuff that might otherwise get forgotten/missed and the personal little things that often develop into something significant in my life. It's a time of celebration of what has happened and looking forward. I strongly believe in journaling but if that terminology intimidates you or just doesn't appeal to you at the very least I would encourage you to do this:
1. Make a list of all the things you can think of that happened this past year that you are thankful for. Don't let the little things slip by - like being home when a friend you haven't seen in years stopped by.
2. Make a list of some goals for 2012. I'd suggest one thing for your physical well being, one thing for your spirit and one that's good for your soul - something to enrich your individual life. Why write them down? Because if you don't you will lose track of them and possibly never accomplish them. After you've written them up, mark your calendar quarterly for the next year. Mark a day to review your goals. (You don't have to take a whole day - just review them on this day) This will help to keep you focused and on the road to accomplishing your goals. Now, does this guarantee that you will accomplish all of your goals? No. I've missed more than I've made but I've gotten alot further for taking the time to figure out where I'm headed and what I need to do to get there. Remember this is a grace-filled life. God's mercies are "new every morning." So if you miss your goal, you just start again!
My husband and I revise our "spending plan" each and every year based on past expenses, known upcoming expenses and our goals for that year. Last year we set it knowing we had some medical bills and we chose to do some work on our house. We achieved our goals of paying off all of those bills. However, in the past 6 months we quit paying close attention to some of the smaller things coming our way, some of the "little details". End result, we have to really buckle down the purse-strings for the next few months. For the time being this canceled our vacation. RATS. Good lesson with very little actual "pain". We are very blessed to be able to pay all of the bills we had and have way more "things" than many, many people. We're fine - in fact we're more than fine. This little bump caused us to talk, again about what is really important to us and re-focus on what we want to do with our life. I share this little piece of our life to encourage you to write down your goals AND to review them on a regular basis. Keep the "main thing the main thing"!
Anybody else want to share a goal setting story, success or failure??
1. Make a list of all the things you can think of that happened this past year that you are thankful for. Don't let the little things slip by - like being home when a friend you haven't seen in years stopped by.
2. Make a list of some goals for 2012. I'd suggest one thing for your physical well being, one thing for your spirit and one that's good for your soul - something to enrich your individual life. Why write them down? Because if you don't you will lose track of them and possibly never accomplish them. After you've written them up, mark your calendar quarterly for the next year. Mark a day to review your goals. (You don't have to take a whole day - just review them on this day) This will help to keep you focused and on the road to accomplishing your goals. Now, does this guarantee that you will accomplish all of your goals? No. I've missed more than I've made but I've gotten alot further for taking the time to figure out where I'm headed and what I need to do to get there. Remember this is a grace-filled life. God's mercies are "new every morning." So if you miss your goal, you just start again!
My husband and I revise our "spending plan" each and every year based on past expenses, known upcoming expenses and our goals for that year. Last year we set it knowing we had some medical bills and we chose to do some work on our house. We achieved our goals of paying off all of those bills. However, in the past 6 months we quit paying close attention to some of the smaller things coming our way, some of the "little details". End result, we have to really buckle down the purse-strings for the next few months. For the time being this canceled our vacation. RATS. Good lesson with very little actual "pain". We are very blessed to be able to pay all of the bills we had and have way more "things" than many, many people. We're fine - in fact we're more than fine. This little bump caused us to talk, again about what is really important to us and re-focus on what we want to do with our life. I share this little piece of our life to encourage you to write down your goals AND to review them on a regular basis. Keep the "main thing the main thing"!
Anybody else want to share a goal setting story, success or failure??
My goals for this year are all going to be under the thought of "less is more" but they aren't specificly worked out yet...
ReplyDeleteAmber