Today, I am going to just tell you basic steps I take when determining what goals I would like to pursue for the year. This is a month to think about change; changing habits for you and helping others around you in changing habits.
My first step when considering goals is to ask myself a series of questions.
- What do I want to accomplish? Is this a realistic goal?
- Who will this affect?
- What is the timeline I am determining for this particular goal?
- Will I need/want/get support with this goal?
- What are the first steps to get started?
Some of my family knows that I make lists on post it notes. LOTS OF LISTS! LOTS OF NOTES!!
The lists are probably more of a nemesis than helpful, but at least I am willing to admit that and move forward.
Today's goal focus is going to be on Me, Myself, and I only. Helping others is a great thing to think about, but this is my chance to be selfish. I want everything to be attainable, so I would like first and foremost to determine how many goals to focus on that will be able to be accomplished in the next year. 4. I can take care of 4 goal categories this year.
Goal 1: God
Goal 2: Self
Goal 3: Spouse
Goal 4: Family
Now, let's go through my thought process with this.
God... What do I want to accomplish? I would like to be closer to God this year by living more in His Word. Is this realistic? Yes, IF I set it to be a very specific goal. Who will this affect? While this is a very personal goal, if I am truly in The Word as I desire to be, it should affect every one I am around. Timeline? The entire year. Support? We always need support when working on our walk. I would like to find a Christian friend that would want to work on accountability to make sure that I am doing what I have set to do. First steps? Determining exactly what I would like to achieve through this goal.
Through this goal, I would like to find myself in The Word every single day, but I must be realistic knowing that I tend to say that and then move away from it. I am going to make this a goal that is achieved over a series of months before getting fully into what I am doing. Let's break it down into what I can start and develop a routine that can be added to throughout the year.
January - I will sit down 3-4 days of the week and spend 15 quiet, devoted minutes in The Word in either a Bible study or just in reading and reviewing the sermon from that particular week.
February - I will sit down 4-5 days of the week and spend 15 quiet, devoted minutes in The Word in either a Bible study or just in reading and reviewing the sermon from that particular week. I will also listen to a podcast twice this month that will move me one step further in direction with The Lord.
March - I will sit down 5-6 days of the week and spend 15 quiet, devoted minutes in The Word in either a Bible study or just in reading and reviewing the sermon from that particular week. I will also listen to a podcast three times this month that will move me one step further in the direction with The Lord.
April - December - I will sit down 6-7 days of the week and spend 15+ quiet, devoted minutes in The Word in either a Bible study or just in reading and reviewing the sermon from that particular week. I will also listen to a podcast once a week each month that will move me one step further in the direction with The Lord.
I feel a little more stable in that goal now, but I feel like with this one, I cannot just state any old Bible study or review or podcast and get away with it. Otherwise, I will specifically end up sitting for those 15 minutes trying to figure out what I want to read. So, I decided that I wanted to go ahead and look at some options. I am going to be specific for January at this time, but each month, I am going to go ahead at the end of each month and determine what is best for the next month. For this month, I am going to use the app, First 5 which is going to cover the book of Exodus. This is done for me and let's me be lazy. In addition, I am going to do a daily reading from Proverbs 31 (again done for me) and a study offered on my Bible app called 31 Days of Building Your Family's Values. All of these started on January 1, so I have a plan of catch up on these since I am starting after the weekend.
So Goal 1 is official. I will be spending more time in The Word starting off with Exodus, Proverbs 31, and Family Values. I will increase my time each day and adjust what I am reading about each month to prevent boredom and make sure that I am covering different topics that I feel strongly about for the time. I will also select a time that fits best for my schedule and consistently make sure that is listed and prioritized properly.
The process takes time. I KNOW. But it has been most effective for me in the past. I am excited to start this first goal and to move forward with my other 4 goal categories.
I won't bore you with going through every single one, but I will share all of my official goals in tomorrow's post. In the meantime, use the comments section below to tell me all about your goals. What are you wanting to work on? Are you specific or broad with your goals? How has this worked for you in the past? Are you doing something different this year?
I look forward to hearing your thoughts as we continue this journey together! 
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