2010 Goals

I’ve been putting a lot of thought into what I want to achieve in 2010. I was listening to one of the talk radio shows last week on my way to work and they said the best way to achieve your goals was to only set one. Pick one habit that you want to change.

This thought overwhelmed me a bit. Just one thing? Seriously? I got to thinking about my friend Stephanie who decided to work on humility in 2009. Her entire year was focused on that one thing. I thought it was sort of neat. And, I’ve been a little disenchanted with the blog lately so maybe picking one thing and making it a project for the blog would be a good idea.

So, I started thinking that maybe I can focus on being more Christ-like. Yea. That’s a good one I thought. But, it’s a little too broad. Being Christ-like is my entire being. Everything about me needs to be Christ-like. It needs more focus. I need one thing that I can work on in order to glorify Him more.

I am going to make being healthier my goal for 2010. Specifically, eating better. I am #1 on eating out with friends, hitting a drive thru, Starbucks, processed foods and ice cream when I want it. That’s me. So, in 2010, I’m going to eat better.

How am I going to do that you ask? Well, you, dear reader, are going to hold me accountable. Starting on January 4, I’m going to take a photo of everything I eat and I am going to post it here on the Drawl. I think knowing that I have to post what goes into my mouth will make me think twice about that Pollo Fundido. I’m going to research and educate myself along the way (and of course, let you know what I find out).

It’s my prayer that by January 1, 2011:
-I cook more than I eat out each week
-I have lost 10 lbs
-Processed foods are kept at a minimum
-That I’m educated about nutrition and what I’m putting into my body
-I workout on a regular basis

You’re probably thinking "that’s nice Ashely, but what does eating have to do with being Christ-like." Well, I’ve thought about this and prayed about it. Luke tells us in chapter two that Jesus grew physically, mentally, socially and spiritually. I think it’s a good idea to set goals in these categories as long as they glorify Him.

Our bodies are a temple and we should treat them as such. One area that I struggle in with food is that I’m an emotional eater (i.e. bored=food in mouth) and at certain points I think I fall into gluttony and indulge too much. Notice that I call it a struggle, yet when you get down to it, eating too much is a sin. After eating too much, I wind up feeling sick, guilty and frustrated. After eating out too much, I wind up feeling guilty, upset and frustrated with my lack of good stewardship of my money.


And, while this is my #1A priority for 2010, I am still going to work on other areas:

better prayer life: Patti and I are going to do a study on prayer this spring semester and I am going to aim to have one day a week (separate from my quiet time) where I spend at least 30 minutes in prayer.
memorize scripture: My goal is one verse a month.
workout more: I think this will naturally happen if I’m eating better and striving to be healthy. My goal is to do some type of activity at least five days a week.
do better with my finances: I did pretty well in 2009 with getting on track so I’m just going to continue making progress.
serve more: I’m praying about where God wants me to serve and am going to start seeking out opportunities.
do my quiet time everyday: This was going good for a while and it has fallen off during the busy Christmas season. Go figure we’re celebrating His birth and I can’t find time to spend with Him. We’re going to get back on track this week.
read: My goal is to read 25 books this year.

What are your goals?