Resolutions Update

The first week of January has flown by and there have been 7 days this year for us to work towards our goals and resolutions. How have your resolutions been going? The first week is full of motivation and then history has demonstrated motivation usually tapers as January goes on. Resolutions are usually kept through planning and dedication to continue these changes. How are you planning to keep your resolutions going? 

My resolutions are health, organization, and education. I have been focusing on the health aspect of my resolution since this resolution needs more planning and requires daily input to achieve. I am increasing the days I exercise at least 30 minutes. Last week I exercised at least 30 minutes 3 days and this week my goal is to increase that number to 5 days. I have returned to meal planning and prepping my lunches to decrease the frequently I eat out during the work week. Meal planning has helped me keep on track and eat better throughout the week. This week I added more fruits and vegetables to my lunch menu. I also downloaded a calorie tracker so I can be mindful of how many calories I am consuming each day. 

While I downloaded the calorie tracker app, I am not concerned about tracking my calories or limiting myself specicifcially. My resolution is to get healthy and to live a healthier lifestyle. I am not interested in a diet or limiting myself. I want to be able to enjoy life. The calorie tracking app is just a way for me to be mindful about the calories I consume so I’m not overindulging daily. 

This was a shorter update than I imagined writing going into this week. My graduate classes started up again and my available time has been cut drastically. Being busy is probably a good thing because it keeps me from thinking about the hardships I am facing, however it also means less frequent posts to Lessons. My goal is to try to post at least once a week. 

Let me know how your resolutions are going in a comment. 

Goals Not Resolutions

Today is the first day of the new year. Last night people were celebrating with loved ones and remembering their favorite moments of 2018. 2018 ended in a snowball of bad news and it was difficult to think of anything good last night. So instead I thought about resolutions. I don’t make resolutions. Resolutions are just good thoughts that tend to disappear as the new year progresses. So instead this year I made 3 goals. You might think that goals are similar to resolutions and I suppose in many ways they are, but goals are different in one major way: they have steps. You start with a goal and then under the goal are the little steps that it will take to get there. These little steps are manageable, but they lead to a big accomplishment at the end.

There are plenty of goals I would like to achieve by this time next year, but I also don’t know what tomorrow is going to look like and it would be unrealistic, even impossible, for me to plan out each day for the next year. So instead, I chose three goals to work on this year. Goals can be added as other goals are completed. My goals:

1) Get healthy
2) Get organized
3) Obtain my masters degree

These goals might seem vague, but each goal has several steps underneath it. For example, get healthy includes eating 5 servings of fruit and vegetables each day, along with drinking more water each day. The trick is to have specific steps that are measurable and obtainable. You don’t want to say lose weight, but have a target goal like 20 pounds. Start with something that is manageable, but not achievable in a day. You need to strive for it, but you shouldn’t struggle for an excessive amount of time to reach the step.

I will explore each of these goals further in future posts and talk about the Bible verses that support these goals. For now, I am going to reflect on the new year and get ready to return to work tomorrow. What are your goals for the new year?