A Peek at My Goals for 2018

I recently wrote about some categories worth considering as you set goals for the New Year.  Well I thought it might be a good idea to share with you a few goals of my own!  

Sometimes I think it can help us to see the goals and objectives of others, not because ours should be the same, but because it helps us understand that nobody, and I mean nobody, has it all together or feels like they don’t have things in their lives that need work.

Your goal list may look nothing like mine.  And that’s fine!   And, believe me, this is not a comprehensive list.  There are far more things I need to work on than this!  But here are just a few of the areas I know I really need to work on in 2018.

 

• I need to work on my prayer life.

It’s time for a little confession, right? 

I pray, yes, but sufficient time for conversation with God is too easily crowded out by all the responsibilities inside of the home and all the obligations outside of it.  I love to read and study my Bible, which is great, but I know sometimes I neglect prayer and opt for Bible reading because I find it easier.  I know a good balance of both is more important than I sometimes make it.

 

• I need to get back to reading.  

This has been an especially chaotic year, and my reading has really suffered for it.  I am a MOM, so I can’t say I get to read a lot, but I usually try to keep a few books going, even if the going is slow.  

This year I’m a little embarrassed how few books I’ve actually finished reading.  Sadly, I’ve been midway through about five books for a few months now and the fact I haven’t finished them is making me CRAZY!  When I’m reading more I find my writing is better, I’m happier, and I’m learning things.  I need to get back to it!

 

• I need to get more sleep.

Seriously, if there is any area of my health where I have developed some terrible habits, it’s here.  I’ve been blessed with the ability to function on very little sleep, but I’m not as young as I used to be and the lack of sleep does begin to take its toll on me much faster than it once did.  So while I truly wish somebody would invent a way to stretch 24-hour days into 36-hour ones, I’m going to have to learn to discipline myself to STOP everything and go to bed at a decent hour more often.

 

• I need to cut more sugar out of my diet.  

We went through some major life craziness for well over a year — long story — and some of my cooking and eating habits suffered for it.  I’ve already done a lot toward getting things back on track, but I still have a ways to go!  

For one thing, I’ve been drinking way too much soda.  I really don’t want to cute it out completely, but it’s a lot better if I make sodas a treat to enjoy occasionally while we are out, rather than keep them at home.  Especially through the busyness of the holidays it has become too convenient, (and too commonplace,) for us to stop and pick up some 2-liters at the store.  I have to get back to making sweet tea and lemonade every day.  (The way I make both, they contain far less sugar than soda, in case you’re wondering.)  

I also need to get back to bread making.  Do you have any idea how much sugar is in most store-bought breads?!  It is used not only as a sweetener, but as a preservative.  I used to make homemade bread pretty regularly, but I’ve gotten out of the habit.  And as much as this family loves bread, it’s time I get back to it!  

 

• I need to get back to exercising.

I am NOT joining a gym and I am NOT investing in tons of workout equipment.  (Though a treadmill would be nice!)  But there are workouts I can do easily at home and I feel better when I’m doing them.  Unfortunately, I’ve allowed myself to get out of the habit.

 

• I need to finish unpacking.

We moved into this house 9 months ago and I’m still not fully unpacked.

Now, I can say I have looked through every remaining box.  (There are quite a few of them… don’t judge me!) but I have set them aside because I either, A. Didn’t know what to do with the stuff inside, or I, B. Wasn’t ready to deal with it.  Obviously none of it is stuff I have to have at the moment, but I’m not sure I’m ready to get rid of it all either.  We still plan to finish out our basement and some of it may be useful to me then.  Regardless, I need to get that stuff sorted.

 

• I need to do some house reorganization.  

We moved in.  We found places for things. 

But now we’ve been here long enough to figure out that we didn’t place everything as perfectly as we might have!  My kitchen is the main trouble spot — it’s set up so differently from my old house and some things aren’t working where I put them — but my closet and our laundry room need a lot of work, too.  It’s going to have to be a project I work on a little at a time, but I’ve already started!  

 

• I want to start growing fruit!

My daughter has been asking for YEARS if she could grow apple trees.  We finally have the space to do it, and so planting a couple of apple trees is on the agenda for this year.  

But I have another fruit project in mind that I won’t disclose here.  I hope to share more about it later, so stay tuned.

 

• I have some personal goals!

This is where I get even more cryptic and don’t give you any details.  But it’s personal.  And if I told you all about it, then it wouldn’t be so personal anymore, now would it? 

So have you finished your goal list for the New Year?  Remember it’s never too late to get started!