Making Resolutions a Reality
“A DREAM written down with a date becomes a GOAL. A goal broken down into steps becomes a PLAN. A plan backed by ACTION becomes REALITY.”
Now that we are getting back into the swing of normal life and all the holidays are behind us, I feel like I have had more of a chance to give my New Year’s resolutions a real thought! So, in typical Jen style I’m now ready for the New Year…exactly a week late.
As I was writing out all my resolutions, I found that my list was starting to look more and more like a to-do list and it made me wonder “Is that really what a list of resolutions is? A glorified to-do list?” However, after pondering what my goals were in making this list, I realized it is in fact more than that! A to-do list is simply checking off the day to day chores and tasks while New Year resolutions are goals to achieve that will benefit and add worth to your life. It not only benefits this year, but can form into something that will also be a long term benefit as well! Looking at it this way helped me to determine what belonged on my 2019 resolutions list and what I should save for my list of day to day tasks.
Before I get started, I must say that although there are some new goals that I’m excited to instill in my life, there are some I listed that are on my list each and every year. But I think that’s okay! There are always things that we can continue to improve, so making it a goal every year just challenges me to keep growing, achieving, and focusing on that goal! Also, there is part of me that is nervous to put my hopes and goals out there for anyone to see! But I believe that is part of the excitement of a new year, making new goals, and being brave enough to share those goals with others who will help cheer you on and challenge you! So, with that said, here we go…
My 2019 Resolutions:
- Develop good family habits- Now that we have Tobias in our lives, it’s more important than ever to establish valuable habits that create a lifestyle that we want to model for Tobias and our future children! Not that good habits weren’t important before, but having a little person watch and copy you is a big responsibility and makes me think quite a bit more about what he is learning from watching me go about my life! These habits will improve, grow, and evolve I’m sure, but I want Andrew and me to at least make a start this year and produce the “blueprints” of what that will look like for our family! (i.e. Family prayer time, volunteering, hospitality, Bible studies and memorization, etc.)
- Improve my time management– Ask anyone in my family or close circle of friends and you will find confirmation that using my time wisely and planning ahead are NOT my strong points! It is something I’m aware of and have been working on for a long time. I don’t think it will ever come naturally, but I will continue to try and improve in this area of my life. Examples of how I wish to see this play out are:
-Spending more time with Jesus (see #5)
-Planning for meals better: Evenings sometimes go like this… A: “Jen, are we going to eat dinner?” Me: “Oh uh sure! What do you feel like?” A: “What do we have?” Me: “Hmm, I’m not sure, let me look and think about it.”
-Creating more of a schedule for Tobias’ day: As of right now, we follow a loose schedule and eat, nap, and play depending on whether Tobias is hungry, tired, full of energy, etc. Now, all those activities happen to fall close to the same time each day but that’s not because I planned it that way! It is simply because after eating and playing for a certain amount of time, he naturally gets tired so I put him down for a nap. This method has actually worked really well for us and there have been many times that I’ve been so grateful for the freedom and for a child that can adjust and accommodate to the day’s schedule! But he is getting to an age where I can see the benefit of trying to have a little more structure in our day and quite frankly, I know I would benefit as well!
-Eliminate useless “scroll time” on my phone: I’ll be honest and admit that I can easily get caught in the world of Instagram, Pinterest, Esty, you name it! I have already cut out Facebook almost entirely due to this problem (along with other reasons as well) but no matter what outlet I’m using, I find it easy to get caught scrolling far too long! At this point I don’t want to give up any other social medias, so my plan is to cut back on phone time, and possibly make a time for phone time.
3. Eliminate unnecessary items: This is one that I am surprisingly very excited about! I say “surprisingly” because I am that person who over packs and keeps items “just in case” the right opportunity arises. Despite my tendency to collect, keep, and repeat, it is time for that to change! Two years ago, my husband and I moved into our current home which is much bigger than our previous houses. This has made accumulating junk so much easier and the larger space has been deceptive about how much we have really acquired! There are so many clever methods on how to down size and declutter but I think I’ve decided on a fun challenge that I plan to start in February and will share more about later!
4. Create intentional time for Andrew and me: I was going to say “find time” but the truth is that it will only get harder and harder to find time during the days, weeks, and years to have intentional, quality time together. So I want to start to practice creating that time for us to grow our friendship, keep communication open, enjoy new experiences, make new memories, and engage in favorite hobbies together. (Will definitely include more horse back riding this year Lord willing!!!)
5. More consistency with my quiet time: This is always on my list and I’m always needing to improve on this. Consistency, like time management, has never been something I can boast about, but you don’t summit a mountain with one step, but many steps that draw you closer and closer to your goal! 2018 was a “step” that got me closer to what I hope for and for that I am glad, but on the other hand, I know I could have done better. That is one reason why a new year with a “fresh start” is so liberating! My goal is to be more consistent with daily Bible reading, spend more time in prayer, memorize more scripture, and implement some worship time as well!
These are the main things I will focus on this year! There are plenty of other things I could add, but I kept my list short because I want to make my goals reachable, attainable and also be able to stay focused! As every year previously, I’m sure I won’t achieve them perfectly, but if I improve and take a step toward my end goal, I’ll consider that a success!
*Sigh* Now I feel ready to start 2019! What about you? Have you made any resolutions or goals and are you ready to take them head on? Thanks for sticking around to hear mine!
Jen
