2019 is officially under way, and I’ve given some thought to some goals I have for myself as an introvert and as a writer. Here are some of the things I look to do in 2019 in regards to being creative:
Tag: goals
Resistance
Its the new year and many people have new goals, or maybe they are old goals renewed. Many New Year’s Resolutions are about betterment of self. I think the core of a lot of resolutions is this simple question: How can we be better people? Continue reading “Resistance”
31 Day Writing Challenge – Use Your Gift
Around March last year, I decided that I was going to use a gift that God has given me. That gift is writing. Not only did I go to school for it, but I also felt a call to write and publish more intentionally with the goal of encouraging and sharing the hope of Jesus with others.
Rear View Living
We are all familiar with the question, “Why can’t things be like they were in the good old days?” When we ask ourselves that question, we are conjuring up some good memories. Whether it be a hot cocoa on a cold winter day, or gathering around the grill with a group of friends during the summer, those are the types of memories that sometimes lead to that question. Continue reading “Rear View Living”
Idol Goals
Goals are great things. We need goals. We should write our goals down. They can give us direction and something to strive toward. However, there is also a darker side of goals.
Goals can become an obsession.
Over the past few months, I have really struggled with my weight. I set a goal to lose 10 lbs, and for the past year I seem to just be heading the wrong way. I try and watch what I eat (with mixed success) and work out on average 3-4 times a week. Yet, the numbers on the scale don’t cooperate. They don’t seem to be reflecting my effort, and this has deflated me on more than one occasion.
I know my identity isn’t a set of numbers on the scale, but when you have achieved goals in the past it is discouraging to have a harder time achieving them again. It can be easy to hear the voice that says, “Failure!”
This isn’t just true with fitness. I’ve had the same temptation with work, relationships, and writing. If something doesn’t turn out the way I want it, and if my goals go unachieved then I hear the shame filled condemnation. Then, if I pay heed to it, it can become a filter for my interactions with people and with God.
This is when a goal becomes an idol. When the goal becomes the center of who I am and all my actions center around achieving it, then I am a prisoner to what was supposed to be a good thing. You can tell your heading down this road when you do a simple inventory – what would you sacrifice for your goal?
Reaching in Small Goals
Vision is a great thing to have. It is a great thing to have an overarching goal; something to strive for. However, there needs to be little mini goals that work as sign posts along the way. Let me give an example:
This weekend, I am getting ready to stuff envelopes full of invitations for my wedding. The guest list is pretty beefy, and there will be around 200 invitations to send or pass out to people. That is a lot of mail.
I could stack those invitations up and just try and rip the bandaid off. However, I know for a fact that this is discouraging and tiresome. The further down I get in the mail pile, it seems to carry the illusion that it is actually growing. My brain begins to ask, “When will this end?!”
However, if I divide the mailing up into groups of 10 then I am down to something more manageable. 10 invitations seem easier to stuff. To send 100 invitations out, I just need to have 10 groupings. All of the sudden, things do not seem quite as overwhelming.
Add the help of friends on to this, and suddenly invitation stuffing doesn’t seem nearly as intimidating.
This goes with any goal in life. Set a big goal, as you have probably heard before, reach for the stars! Then set smaller goals, develop a plan, and with each goal you achieve you can feel a sense of accomplishment instead of feeling defeated that you aren’t even half way to where you wish you were.
Thank God Its Friday
Too many weeks have ended with me thinking, “Boy am I glad that is over!” With the phrase: “Thank God, its Friday!” that seems to be the popular interpretation. Just like the song says, many of us are working for the weekend.
How can we redefine Fridays? Its good to have a day to look forward to, but when we are wishing time away to get to the end of the week, we aren’t living in the here and now. When we dont live in the here and now we miss opportunities that God places right in our laps. At the end of the week, can I look in the rearview mirror of Monday-Thursday and feel good about it, or do I look in the rear view mirror and see traffic jams and wrecks from running red lights?
We can say, “Thank God, its Friday” and not have it be about celebrating the end of something bad. Everyone is going to have a bad or off week. There is no denying that. However, there have been times for me where the norm became just surviving until Friday. This is not a good thing! After all, Friday is only one day of our week.
So, how can we thank God its Friday in a more positive light? Friday can be a good time of reflection of how the week went, whether it was good, bad, or indifferent. Friday should still be a celebration, but it can be a celebration of the whole week and not just the end of the week.
Some good questions to ask on a Friday:
How was I faithful this week to God, to coworkers, to friends, and to work?
Where was I not as faithful?
How did I care for those God has blessed me with relationships with?
In asking these questions, Friday isnt just a finish line. Friday becomes a celebration of the victories you’ve had this week, and it can also be a day when you ask, “How can I do better?”
I’ve always loved Fridays but not always for a good reason. I want to redefine TGIF. What about you?
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