2018 Goals and Such

I am THAT person.  You know the one, the person who sits down every year on January 1st, pen in hand, full of hope and determination.  The thought of new beginnings and fresh starts so near that I am giddy with anticipation.  I glance down towards my blank piece of crisp white paper -a steaming cup of coffee by my side (because clearly a day like today is a great excuse for a strong pour over.) With trembling hands (the caffeine obviously) I write the word GOALS across the top, underline it a time or two and so it begins, another year of goal setting.  

I wasn't always a “goal-setting” person.  I remember rolling my eyes in high school every time a teacher would hand out an assignment to “create achievable goals” and would make them as easy as possible so I didn't have to give them a second thought.   Life seemed to  happen more naturally and I was OK with worrying more about the upcoming school dance than which colleges to apply for. As far as I was concerned back then,  goals were for the birds.  

What happened to that girl fast forward 20 years later?  When did I make the switch from goal hating to goal loving? (Or coffee hating to coffee loving for that reason?)  Maybe the more you mature, the more the concept of time slips into focus and suddenly, you realize it’s not only OK to look forward, but often helpful.  

While I don’t always achieve every goal I write for the year, I appreciate the course that it sets me on.  Here are a few of my goals from last year along with a few from this year’s list as well:

2017……

Work out at least 2x a week - (goal met!)

Make Progress on our mortgage- (goal met!)

One on One’s with Kids (Does one time count?)

Memorize Scripture on Treadmill (goal met!)

Drink More tea (sorry tea, coffee clearly won this year)

Develop two new Family Friendships (success!)

Learn to Use Chopsticks (if by" use them" I meant make it through the meal without throwing them across the room, then sure.)

2018……

Dinner with Friends 1x month

Cut back on sugar in January

Blog more Often

Check out Harmony Pizza (yes, this one is very specific and very necessary)

Have a will made (what? We are getting old)

Scroll Facebook less

Attempt a Chore List for the kids

Take the kids on more one on one dates

Along with setting attainable goals each year I have come to embrace the concept of “dreaming”. Dreaming is hard.  It takes time, it  takes quiet (which is more difficult in some seasons of life), and it takes courage.  Asking yourself the “what could be” question isn’t about figuring out how you will get there or all the obstacles along the way, it’s simply allowing the excitement of an idea or vision to exist. My husband I LOVE to dream together- the conversation it produces bring hours of fun and bring us closer together whether the dream develops or not.

Happy Goal Setting (and Happy Dreaming) friends!  May 2018 be your best yet.