I pretty much borrowed my categories from Crystal at Money Saving Mom, and many of them are the same or similar to last year's goals.
Personal:
- Read through the Bible
- Work on one habit per month
- Lose another 5-10 lbs.
- Read at least 2 books per month
- Read at least 12 nonfiction books this year
- Go through the 30 Day Shred at least 3 times
- Buy a treadmill and begin the Couch to 5K program (OK, this is a long shot, since I don't even have space for a treadmill at the moment, and they are expensive--but I figured I'd put it on here anyway :))
Marriage:
- Go on one date per month
- Continue regular "in-home" dates
- Read several books together
- Make praying together a priority
- Go on one overnight getaway or couple's retreat
Family/Homeschooling:
- Complete 3rd grade with Sam, begin 4th grade (FOURTH GRADE? How is it possible that I have an almost-fourth-grader???)
- Complete 1st grade with Julia, begin 2nd grade
- Begin Kindergarten with Josiah
- Go on several field trips as a family
- Get on a better schedule for school
- Continue with family movie nights and game nights
- Finish reading the Imagination Station series
- Finish reading the Happy Hollister series
- Begin a baking class with Sam
- Spend one-on-one time with each child
- Go on one family vacation
- Go on spontaneous adventures
- Begin teaching Julia sewing basics
- Begin piano lessons with all 3 kids (yikes!)
Homemaking:
- Implement one homemaking habit per month
- Consistently keep kitchen clean
- Eliminate counter clutter (find a solution!!)
- Involve the kids in daily chores
Ministry/Hospitality/Encouragement:
- Look for ways to encourage my friends
- Schedule regular visits/playdates
- Have friends over once a month
- Continue serving in church ministries
Blogging:
- Post 10-20 times per month
- Use the blog as a ministry/encouragement tool
Financial:
- Get a workable budget set up
- Start with a workable grocery budget for the first few months :)
- Continue to tithe 10% of our income
- Give to one or more Christian charities
- Exemplify to our kids a life and philosophy of giving
In addition to setting goals, I've also been thinking about a word or words that I want to focus on this year. There were quite a few different ideas that came to mind, but I decided on two that have really stuck with me after much thought: Worship and Intention.
First of all, I've really been feeling the desire and need to "go deeper" with God. To be honest, I haven't really worked out a plan of what this is going to look like for this year. I know I want to become a woman of prayer and a woman of the Word. My one basic plan is to read through the whole Bible this year (a goal I've set many times before, but never yet accomplished!), but along with that I'd like to do some more in-depth Bible studies to strengthen myself spiritually. I want to spend refreshing time in God's presence every day. I have been challenged and blessed by several specific posts along this line that I'd like to share with you:
- Gina's post on "The One Needful Thing" at Home Joys
- Mrs. A's post "Thoughts for a New Year" at Our Little Corner
- Joy's posts here and here on Refreshing Your Soul (and more to come later this month) at Grace Full Mama
Along with quiet time to grow in God, I also want to remember that everything I do can be an act of worship. I want my mothering, homemaking, and marriage to reflect this. So "Worship" is one of my words for 2013.
The other is "Intention" because this is another area I feel God speaking to me about. I am not very intentional with my use of time . . . how I teach my kids . . . how I manage my home . . . etc. I tend to float along and have a vague idea of things I would like to accomplish "eventually." This year, I want to be intentional with my life. I'd like to be able to look back on 2013 and see ways that God made a difference in and through my life.
How about you? Do you set goals for a new year? What about a word or words? I hope everyone's year is off to a good start!
2 comments:
That's a good list of goals! I have yet to write mine down or blog about them. :) I highly recommend the Kay Arthur inductive Bible studies for "going deeper" in your walk with God. Since they take you straight to Scripture and walk you through studying it, they definitely have helped fulfill my desire for digging in deeper. I like your words for 2013 - I was just thinking today about choosing a word for this year! Your second word "Intentional" reminded me of the blog I've been reading a lot lately (which I've probably told you about): http://michaelhyatt.com/ - his "slogan" (for lack of a better word at the moment) is Intentional Leadership, and he has a lot of good content that's helped me think about living life intentionally. Guess I'd better end my rambling comment now. :)
Wonderful goals! I have not actually chosen a word for the year previously, but had been thinking about doing so for 2013. I had read a short article about choosing a word, and one thing mentioned was not to be afraid to choose a word that might challenge one a bit (or a lot). A word that keeps coming to my mind is "Christlikeness" but I admit I'm highly challenged by that one. The other word I've thought of is "purpose" because one thing I'm trying to keep in mind as I set goals for the year is God's overarching purposes for my life. And I want to live life "on purpose" -- same as intentional, I'd say.
The Kay Arthur studies are indeed excellent and I recommend them too -- in fact, her study on 1 Samuel is the one I'm working through. But I would also encourage you not to be afraid to do a study which will not only help you learn more about the Bible, but more about being a doer of it. As I teach ladies, and as I learn myself, I find that we often know a lot about the Bible, but we are not allowing it to make a noticeable difference in our lives.
I love your thought that everything we do -- everything! -- can be an act of worship when we do it as unto the Lord. Amen!
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