New Year’s Resolutions, 2007

I don’t typically make New Year’s Resolutions, because I prefer to make resolutions as needed.  But there are currently several issues in my life that I need to improve on, and so I’m going to make several resolutions.  But these won’t be just a list of things I’d like to happen; I’ve done that before and it’s not effective enough.  This year I’m going to make my goals measurable, so I can track my progress along the way.

One of my goals is to lose weight.  I imagine most people say this.  I’ve said it before but not done enough about it.  So for 2007 I’m creating a chart that shows my current weight and my target weight, and I’ll update it each week.  I’ll also have an area on it for marking how many times per week I exercise (with the minimum being at least 30 minutes per session).  I’m tired of being overweight, so I’ve got to get serious about it.

Another goal is to focus on music more.  God has given me talent and I should be doing more with it.  So I’m going to designate certain hours each week to devote to music.

Another of my goals is to get up earlier to pray.  I’m not a “morning person”, so it’s not my best time of the day, but I need to spend more time with God first thing each morning to get focused for the day.  God has big plans for my life (and yours, too), and I’ve certainly not “arrived” yet spiritually.

As the saying goes, “For things to change, things have to change.”  Just wanting it isn’t enough — I have to make changes in my lifestyle.  Hence I am making resolutions.  But the key this year is that I’m making my goals measurable.  (I realize I didn’t share all the specifics of my goals, but you get the idea.)

If you’re making any resolutions, I encourage you to find a way to measure them.  Without a defined target, we tend to drift around on the path to our goal, often falling short of what we were initially aiming for.