2008 Personal Goals Update 2
Continuing on with updating my 2008 goals . . .
1. Become active in church again. This is the goal on which I am failing miserably. Yesterday, it was the excuse that my gas tank was riding on empty and I didn’t want to drive any more than necessary. But my actions belied the excuse. I have my DVR set up to record my church’s service, and yet I haven’t watched it. I long to be there and to be a part of the greater spiritual community, yet when Sunday morning rolls around, I have no desire to go. I know I need to stop depending on motivation and just make myself get back in the habit of going, and before long I’ll start looking forward to going again. But for now, it continues to be a huge struggle.
2. Become a better housekeeper. This is one of the reasons why I’ve been feeling like I’m cycling down into depression recently . . . because the amount of organizing I need to do in my house has become somewhat overwhelming. So I’m setting aside half an hour a night to do some kind of organizational activity. Because I have very little storage space in my house, I need to make sure I’m making the best use of space . . . and I need to get rid of stuff I either don’t need or don’t use. I know in the beginning it won’t feel like I’m making any headway, but if I can stick with thirty minutes a day, eventually my tendency to just pile stuff up will be under control.
3. Become more hospitable with inviting people over. Last time I had someone over was in March—and that was only because it snowed and the roads were too bad for Ruth to drive all the way home to Murfreesboro after we went to the movies. I was somewhat embarrassed to have her over because the house was such a mess. Which is why this one is so closely tied to #2.
4. Lose weight. The goal I set for myself was to try to lose ten pounds a month, or 80–90 pounds by the ACFW conference in September. Well, I started exercising three to four times a week after work with a coworker, and I tried doing it on my own, but by March, I’d only lost 10 pounds. So we joined Weight Watchers. As of my weigh-in last Tuesday, I’ve lost a total of 22.7 pounds since January! I’m fitting into clothes that have been boxed up in my closet for three or four years—in fact, most of my pants are now too big on me.
5. Buy no new clothing this year. Well, this one has fallen to the wayside, but for good reason. I needed some way to celebrate the success of losing weight. Even though I am fitting back into the majority of clothes I already own, it’s been wonderfully affirming to be able to go to the store and buy clothes in a size down from what I’d been buying. And if I can lose one more size between now and August, I’ll be buying a new outfit to wear to the ACFW awards ceremony during the conference.
6. Set a budget and live by it. Still haven’t done this. Good project for this week.
7. Spend my time wisely. Man, I’ve been really bad on all of these goals! Which is why I’m updating them. This is a huge downfall area for me, because I’m lazy and I’m a procrastinator. So this is my challenge for the week. I have a schedule I worked out a long time ago, which divides up my evening into small chunks—for housekeeping, dinner, TV, critiquing, writing, and reading; and when I’ve stuck to it, it’s been some of the most productive times I’ve ever experienced. So I’m challenging myself this week to see if I can stick to that schedule and be productive this week.
How are you doing on your personal goals this year?
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KayeDacus.com 
Hmmm. I don’t make personal goals, per se. Some while back I decided to eat healthier, and ramp up my own exercise program. I’ve stuck to both fairly well (the exercise more than the eating… I do have a sweet tooth!). But I have a strong motivator. I’ve survived cancer once, but because of the long term treatment side effects, I’m at high risk for another type of cancer, as well as leukemia. Knowing this, I plan to keep myself in as good a physical condition as possible (without obsessing over it), so that when and if the battle comes, I can go out to meet it with all guns blazing. 🙂
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You and I are kindred spirits in some way. Organization is always a challenge, although I can tell you that you just have to get ruthless about it. Losing everything we owned except what we could carry helped break the hoard/save mentality for me.
Weight losss? Yeah right. Gained back everything I lost last year plus a couple. Struggling desperately. I always hated Weight Watchers because I didn’t like doing points and stuff like that but maybe it’s worth a try.
Spend my time wisely. I’m constantly on myself about this one. I too procrastinate and later hate that I did. I’m getting better but like eating right, it takes more than a notion. More like a constant, assertive thought process.
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Congratulations! 22 pounds is amazing!
I think you’re right about #5. You deserve it, and what’s the point of losing weight if you’re swimming in your sweaters?
I made a goal for May to write everything I spent, and what I spent it on, in in an Excel document. Failed miserably. Because I forgot.
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Congrats on your weight loss! Keep it up girl. You can do it.
I have the same house-keeping issue as you, it would seem. Too many hours at writing and not enough in the bucket and organizing. Will try to do better.
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Re: #2 & #3 – absolutely NO reason to be embarrassed. I was so relieved to be ALIVE and not in a wreck, I wouldn’t have cared if your place WAS a mess…and I don’t recall it being one at any rate. So there. 😛
Congrats on the 22 lb loss, that is AWESOME! I am just holding my own I’m afraid…but I am glad to be maintaining as it were.
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You and I are SERIOUSLY alike on these. We’re struggling with #1 right now because we want to find a church that has active kids’ programs. Well, I loathe searching for new churches, always have, so it becomes the excuse of the week. I’m right there with you on #4 too! We’ve discussed that one at length. And oy–#3–hospitality is SOO not my gift. I struggle with this one quite often, and have made little headway over the years. Sheesh, it’s not even on my list, so you’re one step ahead of me 🙂 Someday, oh someday.
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23 lbs! (I’m rounding up! 🙂 ) is such a great accomplishment. All your hard work is paying off.
I hope your birthday was happy, and that your goals fall before your determination!
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Major congrats on #4. That’s gotta feel great.
The last two are the only ones I’d say really apply to me. I mean, maybe #2, technically, but not if we’re counting things I personally care about. I DID clean my bathroom for the first time in… longer that it should’ve been, so I guess that’s progress, right? Oh, the bachelor life.
I need to write more. I’ve had writer’s block for like a week now and it’s driving me nuts. I know where I’m going with it, I just need to get this stupid scene out of the way so I can get a move on.
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