Here's to a truth-telling, risk-taking, memory-making year. Here's to a year full of love, of hurdles, and of uncomfortable leaps. Here's to writing more, complaining less, and trusting exponentially. Full of pictures. Full of laughter. And full of new experiences.
I think everybody loves that feeling of a fresh start. January just does it for me (and most everybody I think). It is a time to make new habits, do things that you have always wanted to do, beginning again.
Jesus offers a new beginning every day, every hour, every second. Not just in January. And above all, I want to focus this year on that. I just want to know Jesus more than I did yesterday. From that, if I am able to share something along the way that pours out and leads others to know Christ better, wonderful.
I talked the other day about areas of growth that I want to focus on with my Goals with Grace in 2015. These areas of growth are things that have been heavy on my heart for years. Things that I think about in the stillness of the day, on the way to work, or in a coffee shop, or at the gym, that will not go away. Desires that God has buried into my heart knowing that it would be this year that I would actually put motion to them.
For January, I am going to focus on "Investing". Investing in the future. With my relationship with the Lord. With my health and body. With my money. With my job. I want to wake up on January 31st and have created a habit that allows me to think about my day differently automatically. I want it to be natural to ask myself "how am I investing into today? how am I making today meaningful, purposeful, and an enhancement to my story, God's story? what do I plan on doing today to ensure that it does not slip by?"
It sounds super intimidating. It probably will be a bit. I would assume that any habit-forming process is a little uncomfortable and intimidating. But with any goals, if you make them SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely), they are much easier to accomplish ::
- Read the Bible and journal everyday.
- Develop 10 healthy lunches (to save money & eat better during the workweek).
- Organize our family's 2015 financial goals.
- Network, network, network.
- Work on my branding (for my HR life, my photography life, and my blogging life).
- Read "Eat, Move, Sleep" by Tom Rath
Okay, so some of these are not as necessarily as specific as SMART goals should be. I know that. But if I work on each of these over the next month...I will have worked on "Investing" in my future in the ways that I want to. I think that each of these have a purposeful meaning to what God is wanting me to do overall. And I am praying that some of these will help me get to know Him better and make some other things in my life a bit more clear.
What are some of your goals for 2015? Or just January?
photo credit :: hello monday design
Great goals! Love the idea of investing. It definitely makes me think of the long term and being purposeful instead of just checking off a list. I was looking through your blog and thinking the design seemed so familiar. Then I realized my sister at Nudge Media designed the template! Small world:)
Laurie! It is such a small world! Thanks for sharing!