2018 Goals: Becoming the Person I Want to Be

" Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans." Proverbs 16:3

It's New Year's Eve and I have a confession: the arrival of the New Year can be semi-overwhelming for me. I always feel super hopeful about the fresh start, but also reminded of all the ways I've failed miserably over the last 12 months. (Anybody else had the same New Year's resolution for ... I don't know ... three or five years??! Losing weight is always at the top of my list it seems.) I've tried seemingly every goal-setting strategy there is:

• making actual goals;
• picking a word for the year;
• identifying mistakes I don't want to repeat in the New Year; and (more often than not ...)
• doing nothing (!)

Admittedly, I'm in a stage of life that looks very different from year to year. I've been pregnant or nursing (read: tired and emotionally unstable) for the past four years. I've learned to give myself grace for where I am in the moment and not pressure myself to resolve things just because I feel like I should. 

This year, as I slowly emerge from the hazy new baby fog, I was surprised to find that I actually wanted to make goals. Yet, I felt hyper anxious about what those goals should be. The future seems so uncertain as we're praying through some big decisions for our family that feel a little too scary to name just yet. I felt hesitant to resolve anything too specific for fear that everything would change.

So instead of planning goals around all the things I wanted to do in the coming year, I decided to plan goals around the person I wanted to become. I also decided to ground my goals in Scripture, which is always a good idea in my opinion. I looked at my life compared to God's Word and identified a few things that didn't line up namely: 

• frantic busyness
• high stress + anxiety 
• declining physical and mental health 
• compulsive spending
• poor time management 

Obviously, this list is enough to keep me busy for several years, but I figured I could at least try to make some progress in each of these areas over the next 12 months.

Then came the real work of goal-setting. I borrowed Lara Casey's goal setting method because I think she's amazing (we're friends; we just haven't met yet) and she just did a whole blog series on her goal-setting process that's definitely worth a read. What I love most is that there's no pressure to have a full blown action plan created to start planning. Instead, she suggests identifying just a few starting steps you can take towards your goals, which I love! Here's what I'm prioritizing in the New Year:

1. Practice Stillness

“Be still, and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10a

• Why: To better understand God's plan for my life and rest in His power over my anxieties
• Positive Effect this Will Have on Myself + Others: I will spend more time on the things that truly matter and less time on distractions that clutter my schedule and my life.
• How I Will Feel at the End of 2018: More dependent on God + less anxious
• Starting Steps:
  • Memorize Ps. 48.
  • Practice Sabbath.
  • Prioritize quiet time each day. 
  • Start Robert Murray M'Cheyne's Bible reading plan (I'm doing the two-year plan) + DA Carson's "For the Love of God" accompanying devotional
  • Create margin/rest in my schedule. 

2. Cultivate Contentment

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21

• Why: To focus my desires on heavenly treasures and not earthly riches. 
• Positive Effect this Will Have on Myself + Others: Less frustration over what I don't have and more gratitude for God's blessings
• How I Will Feel at the End of 2018: More thankful and less dependent on material things to bring me happiness
• Starting Steps:
  • Create a January 2018 budget
  • Plan a spending fast. 
  • Increase generosity. 

3. Prioritize Health

"You are not your own for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

• Why: To show appreciation for God's gifts by taking care of myself well
• Positive Effect this Will Have on Myself + Others: More energy to give to the people I love most; less sluggishness and fatigue
• How I Will Feel at the End of 2018: Physically and mentally strong!
• Starting Steps:
  • Set a bedtime to get consistent sleep.
  • Create a sustainable workout plan. 
  • Research meal planning strategies. 

4. Plan Well.

"The purpose in a man's heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out." Proverbs 20:6

• Why: Poor planning causes me stress, wastes time and impedes progress. 
• Positive Effect this Will Have on Myself + Others: More productivity on the things I want to accomplish; greater efficiency and decreased stress
• How I Will Feel at the End of 2018: Satisfied that my time was spent where I deliberately invested it 
• Starting Steps:
  • Create a weekly time map.
  • Plan for tomorrow the night before (laying out clothes, packing lunches, etc.)
  • Research books about time management.

I'm going to review and refine these goals in the weeks ahead and then hopefully make a concrete action plan for the year. I'd love to hear whether you're making goals for 2018 and if so, what's on your list. Remember as you're planning (especially for my fellow perfectionists), grace is the new perfect, so give yourself plenty of it :-) 

Happy New Year to you and yours!!!