To start 2013, I want to share with you my goals. In an attempt to be fairly well-rounded in them, I have made sure to include some in the categories of body, mind and spirit. I make them public to invite you to hold me accountable.
Goals for my body:
1. Keep my weight at or below 150 pounds. After reaching my top weight of 167 last March, I decided in June 2012 to get back to 150 where I hovered for many years until the 2011 Thanksgiving-Christmas holidays. I reached that goal on July 26, 2012 and am glad to say I’ve not had a day since then above 150, including the most recent holiday stretch. I know many advise you not to weigh yourself daily, but I do it, anyway. What I weigh each morning determines how many meals I eat that day. It works for me.
2. Walk/jog/run a total of 10,000 steps per day three days per week. My company, Humana, supplies pedometers to employees and encourages activity for our health with periodic campaigns, competitions and ongoing ways to earn rewards for healthy behaviors. A reasonable goal of about five miles per day three days per week helps me do that. So does having a dog that needs a lot of exercise.
3. Average at least six hours of sleep per night. I know this doesn’t sound like enough, but I assure you it is more than I have averaged in many years. Of all that I do to my body, lack of sleep is probably the worst, so I need to do much better in this regard.
Goals for my mind:
1. Read a book every other week. In a normal year, I read many thousands of pages of information, but it’s mostly online – articles, reports, surveys, studies, blogs, etc. I don’t read that many books in a typical year. For 2013, I want to finish one every other week and then write a book review or blog about it in some way.
2. Blog every other day (at least). Having achieved the every day blog goal for 2012, I’m cutting that in half for 2013, although I’m sure I’ll still have back-to-back days occasionally now that I’m in the habit (such as this week). 2013’s blog posts will be a variety of reflections on life and work like most of 2012’s, plus book reviews and other things that strike my fancy along the way. The subheading change for the blog reflects this as now it reads “like a blog of chocolates – you never know what you’re gonna get” (obviously a take-off on the line from the movie Forrest Gump). I won’t impose the 366-word limit per post this year, but I’ve learned the value of brevity both in forcing me as writer to be clear and in attracting readers, so I promise not to get too long-winded.
3. Continue to follow My 3 Words: Ground, Stretch, Reflect. This is the framework with which I approached each day in 2012: ground myself daily in that which is most important and foundational to me, stretch myself to excel and do more than others expect, then take time to reflect on the day to be sure I learn from it. I’ll capture many of those reflections in the every-other-day posts. The framework worked so well in 2012 that I see no need to change it for 2013.
4. Double the blog’s readership from 10,000 views in 2012 to 20,000. While this isn’t entirely up to me, there are things I can do to be more intentional about promoting readership. This means I’ll have to learn about the subject and do more than just post on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn when I publish a new post.
5. Continue to write hand-written letters to my sons. It may be only once or twice for the year, but it is important to capture in black and white significant memories and thoughts to pass on to the next generation. This goal might cross the “mind” and “spirit” categories.
Goals for my spirit:
1. Finish reading the ESV Study Bible and read half of The Apologetics Study Bible. I’ve read the Bible cover to cover 20+ times in my life (and need to continue until it sinks in this thick skull), but the last several times have been focused on also reading all of the study notes that are part of certain study Bibles. I’ve read the MacArthur Study Bible and The Evidence Bible in recent years, and about half of the ESV Study Bible, so I want to finish the ESV (English Standard Version) this year and get at least halfway through The Apologetics Study Bible. Reading about 3-4 chapters per day plus the accompanying notes will do the trick, so I’ll start with five chapters per day to make sure it gets done. If you’d like a handy half-sheet chart of all the chapters of the Bible to mark off on your own pursuit of reading it through, you’ll find one I created here.
2. Review 100 Bible memory verses weekly. For the last several years I have worked on remembering the same 100 Bible verses that I chose years ago as my top 100 should I be stranded on some deserted island without a Bible. You’ll find them here. (And I’ll keep hoping for that “stranded on a deserted island” thing!)
3. Come to some resolution to an unsettled situation where I worship. I’ll spare you the details, but tension, dissension and unhappiness don’t exactly lead to spiritual health in any body of believers. I don’t know what the answer is, but I know the situation can’t continue as is without much damage to many. I have many beloved friends there, and I only want what is best for all in the end. I’ll pray for wisdom along the way.
So there you have my goals for 2013 for body, mind and spirit. Putting them out there for the world to see helps hold me accountable. I’ll let you know how I do along the way.
What about you? What do you want to happen in 2013?
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