2011 Goals and Resolutions

It's a new year, a fresh start! Here are my goals for 2011.

1. Spend a consistent, scheduled time in prayer each day and establish a habit of QT daily.
2. Organize our financial picture.
3. Verbally praise my husband more
4. Clear the clutter in my house
5. Lose 20-25 pounds and continue to work-out at least 3 times/week.

For each of these 5, I have created action steps in order to try to accomplish each goal.  I'm almost afraid to share them here, because it will mean that I really have to follow through with the action steps.  Here are a few action steps for each goal.
1.  Spend a consistent, scheduled time in prayer each day and establish a habit of QT daily.

• Use my envelope system for prayer each day.
•  I'm using a Key Bible Character reading plan this year, along with Spurgeon's Morning and Evening Devotional, along with a One Year Chronological Bible.  I've probably given myself too much reading here,  but we'll see how I do.
• I am also reading through the Bible in 90 days through http://www.momstoolbox.com/blog/

2. Organize our financial picture

• Update our living trusts
• Go through all the boxes of paper (bills, tax papers, etc for prior years and winnow them down to the pertinent papers only.  Then when our bank has its spring shredding day, I will be ready to shred all the unnecessary stuff)
• Update our Quicken so all balances are accurate

3. Verbally praise my husband more

• Every day regardless of circumstances, I will find a way to compliment, encourage, and praise him.  His love language is verbal praise; mine is acts of service.  So I think he will know I love him because I have come alongside him by doing things for him.  I could probably work a lot less but praise him more, and he would be happier with me.  He compliments me alot, but it doesn't exactly fill my tank, like it did when he cleaned and dusted the condo last weekend.  That spoke more to me than 100 compliments.  So I hope to ramp my verbal praise (which I'm very poor at), continue with the acts of service, combined with heaps of prayer for our marriage, and see what happens.

4. Clear the clutter in my closets, basement and garage.  I keep the house sufficiently clean; it's the stuff in these trouble spots that's accumulated that I want to pare down

• I am using the Flylady system this year. I've done it in the past or used simlar systems with success.  But over the last 6-8 years, I've accumulated more than I need, mostly inherited. 
• I also want to winnow down my cookbooks and update my recipe book this year.

5. Lose 20-25 pounds and continue to focus on getting healthy.  I started this goal in 2010 and had good success: lost 30 pounds, was told by my doctor that I no longer have high blood pressure (but I'm going to continue to be careful about it), and just generally felt better and more energetic.This is more a continuation of what I did in 2010:

• Cardio for 30-60 minutes 3-4 days/week and strength training 2-3 days/week
• Stay hydrated by drinking water
• Eat breakfast
• Count my calories
• Plan my meals
• Don't eat after 8 pm (evenings are my munching time)

So, briefly, there are my 2011 goals.  Within each of these goals, there is the overriding goal of being aware of what God wants me to be doing, and then acting on what He wants me to do.  For example, getting healthy was one of my 2010 goals and because I had good results, I had a platform on which to encourage and come alongside some of my friends in their own battles to get healthy.  And I was blessed to be able to deepen some friendships because of this.   As God teaches me in each of my goal areas, I hope to be able to find ways to be an encourager, teacher, and helper to my friends and family. 

I don't really have any accountability partners on these goals. (I have one group of friends that I share these goals with each year, but we don't really hold each other accountable in tangible ways).  So, by laying these out here in the world of blog, I do feel some accountability, in case someone out there discovers this little blog. 

Happy New Year!