Showing posts with label Goal Setting and Achieving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Goal Setting and Achieving. Show all posts

Discipline

Posted by My Heart Song

7/1/2013

Well, 2013 is half over already! Each slips by a little faster than the previous one, it seems. 


It's been a while since I've posted anything about personal goals. I had mentioned that my word for 2013 was "discipline." I knew at the start of the year that discipline was a key area that require focus this year, and it has been the case. 

For the first 3 months of the year, I focused on self-discipline through exercise. Six days a week, for 30 minutes per day, I exercised by fast walking / jogging on the treadmill. I did not necessarily see any physical results of this exercise (weight loss, more energy, etc), but I did feel better emotionally. My self-image became more positive. And eventually, as the exercise routine became routine, I looked forward to the time. I used that time on the treadmill to read my Bible, to pray, to practice my scripture memory verses. It became enjoyable. 

Then in early April, I became pregnant. With a high-risk pregnancy, exercise is not encouraged. So I stopped exercising and began resting more (which is what my doctors and my body said I needed). Now that I'm into my second trimester of pregnancy, exercise is optional - I am encouraged to do whatever little I can do. And I do have more energy, so I'm getting outside more, talking short walks, etc. But overall, the self-disciple of exercise has had to halt for now. 



There is another area, though, that I have continued throughout the year and I'm quite proud of the results - Scripture memory. My friend Leah wanted to hop on board with Ann Voskamp's Romans Project for 2013 and I joined her. I have never memorized large portions of Scripture, just a few verses here and there. The idea of memorizing 3 whole chapters of the Bible is daunting, but I knew it was a challenge worth pursuing. Here we are, months later, having Romans chapter 1 memorized and down pat. We're a little ways into Romans 8. And I'm doing it! I feel like jumping up and down because this is something new to me, something I've never done. Some Christian kids are part of Bible quizzing teams, where they memorize large portions of scripture and compete against each other to see who can recall certain verses the fastest. I never did anything like that. I've never considered myself to be the kind of person who could do that (to which my husband replies: exactly what kind of person do you think it takes to be that kind of person? I don't know!) but God is giving me strength and perseverance. And I love it! 

Just like the smaller passage or verses I've committed to memory before, God brings these new verses to mind at just the right times, applying them to new situations. I'm so thankful for the challenge from Ann Voskamp and from my friend Leah. And so we press on through the rest of Romans 8 and then into Romans 12. 

So, discipline is my word for 2013. There may still be other ways God wants to use discipline in my life this year, but I've highlighted the 2 ways that have been clear so far. 

My life is better, more enjoyable because of discipline. 2013 is proving to be an exciting year of change, for the better!

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Financial Goals Achieved

Posted by My Heart Song

4/23/2013 


I mentioned in this blog post last fall that we set a realistic, but stretching financial goal for paying off a large chunk of school debt. 

Our goal: an extra $5,000 in 10 months put towards debt principle. 

I am overjoyed to report that the 10 months is over and we've surpassed our goal! Slow and steady, we were able to put any extra money we could find towards our goal - Christmas cash and work bonuses included. The bulk of it was the money I earn from our church as the part-time secretary. 

We made our goal even before received our tax refund and were able to put another $1,700 towards paying down debt. 

AND all of that is on top of the "minimum monthly payments" that we kept making but did not count towards this goal. 

It is empowering! It is a great feeling to know that we can do this. 

Our long term goal remains to have our student loan debt paid off by the time my husband turns 40 in 2015. That's 2 years to work our plan and make it happen. The last 10 months have inspired us to sacrifice, to work like crazy and get rid of this once and for all!

Here's what motivates us towards that end! Oh, what a happy day that will be!

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Goals for 2013

Posted by My Heart Song

3/6/2013

I know, it's March. 
And yes, I'm just now listing out a few of my goals for 2013. 


Discipline has already been key in a few areas of life. 

One of my goals for this year is to exercise regularly. That has translated into 30 minutes of exercise 6 days a week since the year began. I'm still at it and have been very faithful with it now that it's become a habit and a regular part of each day. It'd be nice to shed a few extra pounds, but my goal is to simply be healthier (which means to see my cholesterol come back down to a normal level). 

Another goal has been to memorize more Scripture. My friend Leah hopped on board with this and we've set a very large challenge for this year: memorize all of Romans 1, 8 and 15. We're 4 weeks into this challenge and so far so good. My 9-year-old daughter is doing this along with me, so we review and practice daily.  

Discipline. I'm seeing the need for it every day. I'm seeing my lack of it and how it has affected my past. So it's a new year, with new goals. Putting the past behind, I'm pressing on to new things.  

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Looking Back, Looking Forward

Posted by My Heart Song


1/7/2013

I always spend time reflecting on the past year and looking ahead to the new, as I replace one calendar with another.

Last year, as I recounted the events of 2011, the word that seemed to summarize that year was LOSS. We lost my Grandma Nellie, who was very dear to me. We lost our first baby through miscarriage, leaving us completely heart-broken. And we laid down the ministry of foster parenting, realizing that it was not to be at this season of life. LOSS is how I remember that year. 

At the start of 2012, though, the word that came to me over and over was FRUIT. I wrote it down and wondered if that word would summarize our year, when it was all said and done. 

Now 2012 is over and indeed FRUIT was a great word for our year. We took on growing a garden and benefited tremendously from the produce that grew so abundantly. We were pregnant twice, ready to welcome new children into our family as the fruit of my womb. We all grew in ways that are keeping with God's fruit in our lives - growing in patience, in persevering through trials, in love for others. FRUIT was a very appropriate word for 2012 and I can't take credit for it - it was given to me before the year began and I believe it was from God. 

For 2013, I can't say that I feel impressed by any particular word. I wonder about the words GROWTH and DISCIPLINE. I sense a need for more discipline in my life. Life passes quickly and I want to live an intentional, purposeful existence. I want to show my discipline in my routines and grow more, mature more. We'll see how things end up at the end of another 12 months. 

Do you have any words that are challenging you this year?

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Goals for 2012

Posted by My Heart Song


1/10/2012

It's that time of year again, when re-evaluating comes naturally and everyone is talking about self-betterment.

Last year was the first year I set some goals in January and checked in every month to see what progress was being made. It felt really good to aim at something and take steps to get there.

So here I am again, with new goals for a new year.

Health Goal: Maintain a healthier lifestyle by eating healthier (more fruits and veggies, more beans, small portion sizes) and by exercising regularly. Back to the treadmill I will go! I will exercise 4 days a week for 30 minutes. My goal would be to lose at least 10 pounds this year and to continue to lower my cholesterol, getting into a healthy range.

Parenting Goal: To not raise my voice at my children. This is a difficult area for me, but already God is working with me to show more respect to my children. I very much regret the example I've set for my children - of anger, of yelling at others - and I know that it will take consistency on my part to change that example.

Computer Goal: To spend less time on the computer on a daily basis. I am afraid to actually track the time I sit at this computer each day. Minutes add up quickly and I know I'd be surprised at the results. My goal is to check in for 30 minutes in the morning, then for 15 minutes or less around lunch time, 15 minutes or less mid-afternoon and spend 30 minutes or less on the computer in the evening. Blog time is included in there, so this blog may see some cut backs this year too, since I blog as time allows and not out of obligation or guilt. I watch zero TV, so the combined 1 and 1/2 hours of computer time is all of my "screen time" for the day.

So these are three of the areas I'll be focusing on this year. I'm excited! I like to be intentional in making choices. Life doesn't just happen to us. Pounds don't just jump on us - we take them in one bite at a time. And change can happen, one step at a time. I make it happen. You make it happen. Take some intentional steps to your goals today!

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