Goals

I have been thinking a lot about this lately and have decided that I need to have a list of short-term and long-term goals. I have them floating around in my head, but I really need to write them down. Goals seem so fluid in my head but I think they can be much more concrete in written form.

Short-term Goals (now through the end of the year):

• Start a new family devotion.
• Read the Bible EVERY DAY. I don't know why this one is so tough for me, but it is.
• Lose 20 lbs. This one may seem unattainable but over the summer I managed to lose 15 lbs in just under a month. With my thyroid issues, I seem to be able to lose weight easily but it comes right back on very quickly. We'll see how this goes with Thanksgiving right around the corner.
• Walk at least 5 times a week. My goals in the past have been to walk EVERY day, but it never seems to work no matter how hard I try. Something always comes up at least once a week and there are always days where going for a walk just isn't feasible due to scheduling or illness. It's so disappointing when those days arise but if I give myself a little wiggle room, it might be less disappointing. I'll always aim for 7 days but know that if I can't make it every day, I'm still accomplishing my goal.
• Make up a weekly cleaning schedule and stick to it.
• Try a new meal at least twice a week.
• Make at least 3 new card designs a week to sell on my Etsy shop.

Long-term Goals:

• Continue our family devotion routine. We have never been very good at keeping this in our routine due to my husband's crazy work schedule, however, now that he is only working one job and is usually home at a decent time, there is no reason why we can't get this one done.
• Be more encouraging and uplifting to my husband.
• Be more attentive to learning opportunities for my son and expanding on those opportunities.
• Read at least one book a month that will encourage me to be a better child of God, wife, and mother. Any suggestions?
• Also read at least one book a month for pleasure. I'm also open to suggestions here.
• Finish every book I start unless it turns out to be a complete and total dud and failure of a book. I always start reading 3 or 4 books at once and only end up finishing one or two of them. I need to only read one at a time and get all the way through it.
• Start changing our family lifestyle to one that is more active and less sedentary.
• Keep up with my household chores so it is always clean and presentable. I don't mean spotless at all times, but I just don't want to be embarrassed if someone comes over and the house is a wreck. There were many times at our previous house where the house was awful and I couldn't stand the thought of anyone else stepping foot in it. I'm certainly not a perfectionist and my house will never be beautifully clean at all times, but as long as I don't slack off on my daily chores, I'll be happy. If I can stay on top of my duties but have a mess from daily living, I'm fine with that. I've done a pretty good job since we moved into the new house, but I know I can do better.

That is all I have for now, although I may expand on my lists in the next few days. Thanks for reading! Be sure to check on me every now and then and ask how I'm doing on my goals. I would be happy to answer. And if I'm not happy, that means I'm not doing a good job and I need to do better. :-)