I hope to achive my 2009 goals.. Once I set them!

Here we are, on the brink of 2009, and if you’re like me, on the brink of some new goal-setting/new year’s resolution making. I’m still playing with my goals for the year… I want to make good ones that I can really achieve.

I am a miserable birthday card sender. (And, on that note, I’m miserable at shipping just about anything from my house on time.) I wish I was calmer and more even-minded when I get irritated. I hate that I so often lack follow-through. I wish I didn’t have so much clutter in my house. I have a few pounds on me that are just plain irritating… I could go on and on with things I would like to change, but that’s not really going to help anybody. And I’m really digressing.

My point for mentioning any of those is this: I cannot take them all on. I cannot make myself perfect. (And isn’t it fantastic that Jesus loves me just the same? Who am I trying to prove myself to anyhow?) Oops. Digressing again.

And my real point: If I don’t narrow down my goals and set realistic goals, then I certainly can’t expect to achieve them.

So how am I gonna do it?

Here’s a plan I hope to follow:

Pray about my goals/ new year’s resolutions. What is it that God would like for me to work on? Where does He want to see me grow?

Once I’ve narrowed it down, I must set realistic and measurable goals. Here are a few examples:

Instead of “spend more time in the Word,” How about “I will read the Bible daily” or even “I will read the Bible 5 days a week.”

Instead of “I will eat healthier,” how about “I will eat 5 servings of fruit or veggies a day.” Or “I will join a healthy eating program to revamp my eating habits.”

Instead of “I will be a better wife/ mom/ friend/ whatever,” instead pick a specific characteristic or two you would like to add or drop.

Next, I’ll figure out how I can achieve those goals. i.e. wake up earlier, cut out a time-wasting activity, assemble a list of healthy-eating options, give myself a time-out when things get heated…. Whatever fits the goal.

Then I’ll put some sort of accountability tool in place. This blog has worked beautifully for me in relation to my Bible reading and SOAP commitment. And I have grown so much since July because of it. (Thanks for reading and commenting!!) A friend (online or in-person) could serve as an accountability partner. You could also just log your results on a calendar or a journal, too. (I’ve even made myself an exercise star chart for accountability.)

Lastly, I’ll pray about it some more. If anything is worth achieving, then it is something God wants me to achieve. And he’ll guide me on that path if I ask Him to do so.

So… what are my goals? Like I mentioned, I’ve got lots of ways I could use improvement. But I’m still praying about the one or two to focus on right now. I hope to set my goals by this Friday. I’ll keep you posted. If you have any of yours you’d like to share, please do.

PS.. If it is one of your goals to read the Bible every day in 2009, I’d love to send you a free bookmark with a Bible in a year reading plan. Just send me an email with your address using the link above.