Happy New Year!
For the third year in a row, I am choosing to pick a theme for my year instead of making new years resolutions. I suppose it’s just another way of naming the process, but I wrote out my goals for the coming year, across several areas of my life. After looking at all of them, and making some quantifiable plans, I chose a theme that I thought embodied many of my goals for the coming year.
My theme for the coming year, is DEVELOP.
I have found that I work well with challenges. If you’ve read the blog for any length of time, you’ve seen me participate in challenges — couch to 5k, the Bible in 90 Days, a sugar fast, 31 days of Proverbs… to name a few. I find that if I’m doing something for the sake of the “challenge” and I put it out there for all to see, I stick with the plan better. So, this year, I’m planning to set up challenges for myself to help me DEVELOP into the person I want to be over the course of the year.
My plan to develop spans several areas of my life.
Spiritual
My goals:
- Participate in a women’s Bible study (starting next week… so excited!!)
- Read the Bible through. This time, taking it more slowly than the 90 day pace. I’m looking at a YouVersion plan that goes through the Bible in a year, but that spreads reading throughout the Bible, reading some from the Old Testament and some from the New Testament each day.
- Develop a better prayer life. This is an area I feel like I need to work on.
- Finish my way through the Greek Lessons I’ve started but fallen behind on.
- Record 1,000 Gifts.
Action Plan:
- Our Bible study group will meet every other week.
- I will be starting a daily Bible reading plan.
- I will watch and study two Greek Lessons per month until I am caught up.
- I will write down 3 gifts per day that I am blessed with.
- I will begin a study on prayer and apply what I learn. Maybe have some sort of prayer challenge in February. Not sure what that will look like yet.
Personal
My goals:
- Read 20 books on my own. (Not counting read-aloud books for the children’s school)
- Improve my guitar-playing.
- Have a date night with my husband once a month.
- Cultivate and expand my garden.
- Participate in a Photography Challenge.
- Write.
- Be more patient.
- Lead the girls in planned acts of service/kindness.
Action Plan:
- Read an average of 2 books per month.
- Schedule one night a month as date night.
- Dig a second garden bed, plan seed dates, plant dates, etc. and stick to the plan.
- Log 1 hour of guitar practice per week.
- Decide on a photography challenge and begin on it. I’m thinking something with the DSLR since I did Project 366 last year all with my iPhone camera. I’m ready to move back to the heavy duty equipment and expand my knowledge. I’m thinking of doing a once-a-month 12 on the 12th – where I shoot an image each hour for one day every month. Or maybe a self-portrait challenge… I’m not sure, but once I figure it out, I’ll be sure to share.
- Develop some sort of Patience Challenge for the month of May.
- Set writing goals/projects.
- Plan service projects twice a month for the girls.
Health
My Goals:
- Lose 30 lbs.
- Set monthly food goals/challenges
- Run four 5K races in 2012
Action Plan:
- Lose at least 2.5 pounds per month via healthy eating and exercise.
- Drink more water.
- Research and sign up for 5K races – maybe in January, April, July & October.
- Have food challenges, such as “No Sugar”, “No Fast Food”, “No Processed Food”, etc. that last for 1 month each. (January is NO SUGAR).
Home
My Goals:
- Keep up with laundry.
- Develop a chore system that works for the kids. We’ve tried several before that have petered out.
- Be clutter-free.
Action Plan:
- Continue with Project 333, but apply it to other areas of the household besides clothing.
- Work on one room a month.
- Do one load of laundry EVERY weekday.
- Develop a chore system and stick with it. Advice welcome.
- Try to stick with a scheduled daily routine.
Finance
My specific finance goals are personal in nature, but basically involve spending less, saving more, and sticking to the Budget.
Blog
My blogging goals are also personal, but I want to be more regular with my posts, and will be participating again in the 31 Days of October writing challenge. Look for fun things coming your way!
So, that’s it in a nutshell. It’s my year to DEVELOP. Feel free to hold me accountable as I share my challenges with you throughout the year.
~Mama Tutu
Past years’ themes:
2011: The year of Less
2012 : The year to Strive
