Sunday, January 1, 2017

Do You Have 2017 Goals? I've Got Five.


I find goals both healthy and frustrating at the same time. They're healthy in that they motivate us to strive after something that we probably wouldn't otherwise. They're frustrating because sometimes unforeseen factors pop up in our lives that keep us from reaching said goals.

Keeping that in mind, I've decided to set five personal goals for the year 2017. I'm only selecting five because that makes it challenging but attainable. Additionally, these five are both personal and quantifiable. In other words, I have quite a bit of control over the outcome since they are generally self-focused and measurable.

I'm writing about these because I want both a constant reminder and accountability (from you).

Here we go (in general order of importance):

1. Read the entire New Testament. I haven't done this in years. This goal will spur me back into the scriptures. I need to soak in the word much more than I have recently. I haven't decided for sure, but I may use the New American Standard Bible. This version was a favorite of mine in seminary, but I've sort of ignored it for the past decade. I'll give it another go.

2. Pass my second college class and get re-certified as a school psychologist. This past fall I took and passed an online college class from ASU. In a week or so I'll be doing the same. Upon passing the second class and obtaining re-certification in Georgia I can apply in the local schools for psychologist positions. This is a job I had years ago and would like to get back into. Please note that I have not made getting the job as a goal because I cannot control much of what those hiring decide to do. Getting the job is a hope, not a goal.

3. Stay healthy. This involves eating correctly and exercising. My specific goals are to get my weight consistently into the 160's, run at least four times per week, and complete this marathon. I also hope to get 100% off soda (I drink too much diet junk right now).

4. Visit some place new. This is a two-pronged goal. First, I desire to visit somewhere in Savannah that I have yet to see. This will be a bit tricky since we've lived here for years, but there is enough cool stuff around that I think I can make it happen (like maybe here). Second, I'd like to visit some place new for me outside of Savannah. I don't know about this one. If I have time to travel in the summer it will likely happen. If not, then I'm not certain. This spot is a day trip possibility (I've wanted to go there for a while).

5. Blog once per week. I think this is a reasonable goal. I could post all sorts of filler, but I don't want to waste our time. Also, I will probably post links to various articles now and again. The once per week refers to specific posts of my own. Many will focus on church life (the good, the bad, and the ugly) or cultural issues.


I'd like to help other people with what they are hoping to accomplish, but I didn't list those here because I'll only have limited control over the outcome. Also, others' goals may not be quantifiable.

What about you? Do you have any goals for 2017? If you do, what are they? If not, what's holding you back?

2 comments:

Kevin said...

We were talking about Cumberland Island last night with friends! If you haven't explored Athens/North Georgia, you have a place to stay with us, though probably only until June when baby #2 is born.

Eric said...

Thanks Kevin!