Friday, January 30, 2009

Goals for 2009

Well, here we are at the end of January. Life has returned to 'normal' for our family. We still have the large wreath on the front window and have other projects that are lingering in our busyness. After reading goals set by other ladies, I felt the need to post my own. I have always been a Goal Oriented person. Those who know me well know that if I set it as a goal, I WILL complete it. Maybe not in the time-frame I first imagined, but I won't be able to let it go until it is done. So with determination, I set forth my list for this year.

Books to Read
The Bible
The Case for Christianity - C.S. Lewis
The Great Divorse - C.S. Lewis (finished 1/09)
Science and Grace (need to read again)
Biology Through the Eyes of Faith
Don't Waste Your Life - Piper
Do Hard Things: A teenage rebellion against low expectations - Harris
Pilgrim's Progress
Darwin's Black Box
The Language of God - Collins
The Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis
As For Me and My House
Desiring God - Piper
Laying Down the Rails

Family Goals
Save $100 per week
Finish Master Bathroom remodel
Establish habits of cleanliness and order, especially with kids
Increase fresh produce and whole foods in meal planning
Live within current budget
Visit the beach for a whole week in the summer
Plant and maintain vegetable garden this spring and summer

Personal Goals
Maintain current weight/ eliminate extra body fat
Complete the Mud Run in May
Write in my blog 2 times each month
Finish Human Biology course development by the end of the Spring semester

These seem completely doable, but have not yet happened in our family. Writing them down as goals will definitely help me maintain my focus. In college, I had the opportunity to teach middle and high school students about the power of writing down their goals. Research showed that if you wrote goals, they were significantly more likely to become reality. Not because of the magic of writing them down, but because they were more real. This causes you to start taking steps to make them a reality. So, even though it is almost February, it is never too late to write down and take steps toward the things that are important to you. If you have not made a list of goals, why not start with a short one now?