New Year Goals

I'm going to try something new this year. Usually I keep my New Years goals a secret, probably so if I don't achieve them then only I know. Maybe by going public I will motivate myself a little better.

Normally I overload myself with spiritual goals and then I get overwhelmed and down when I can't keep up. This year I'm determined to avoid that. This year I'm going to do Personal Progress. I should have done this last year, when I got my Young Women's calling. I never completed mine when I was in Young Women's. I think trying to do them all in one year is biting off more than I can chew, so I will do half this year and half next year. My daily scripture study has suffered since having the baby, but I am hoping by doing each experience my study will be more focused and therefore more helpful and meaningful and therefore more spiritual.

Most people have a goal to lose weight or get in better shape, which we probably all could stand to do. The last few years has seen me up and down 35 pounds. The lowest, when Adam and I were dating, and the highest, at the end of graduate school. Since then it has fluctuated somewhere in between, but I had a great pregnancy, gained little weight and stayed in shape and now I'm back to my lowest. My goal is to keep it there...

My next goal is to become a morning person. I hate mornings. Waking up to an alarm especially. I've done it since the old days of seminary, but I hate it. I would rather sleep in every day till 9 or 10am. Adam lets me too. Well, not so much since I've had the baby. The reason I want to be able to be a morning person is when I start back to work my day time hours with my family are going to be significantly shortened. I would rather not spend that time exercising. Instead I would like to wake up a little earlier than usual and spend that time working out so my afternoons and evenings are free. Plus I need to get into the habit for when I'm the stay at home parent and I've gotta get things rollin' in the morning.

I would like to actually finish a book sometime in the next six months. Right now I have 5 different books I'm reading: a thriller, a political book, a historical book, a religious book and my scriptures to boot. I just can't seem to commit to one. So, I will pick one and dedicate myself (and the little time I'm actually able to read) and finish them all, hopefully before June.

Pride seems to be something I'm struggling with right now. I can't understand why. I have been so blessed recently and I look back to the depths I have come from and I'm so grateful for the changes I've experienced. But I feel like I've had a little self-righteous attitude lately. President Monson's talk, Charity Never Faileth, given during Women's Conference in September has been resonating in my mind and I think it is because I have more changes to make. I will not think or talk negatively about those I love and care about. I will not judge them. I will love them. I will focus on correcting my mistakes instead of pointing out others.

My last goal, actually this one is our (Adam and I) goal, is to double down on our (mostly my) student debt. We really should have been doing this the last couple years. I don't know why we haven't. Maybe because at first we didn't see the hurry to pay off student loans. Student debt is not usually considered toxic, but we feel so tied down by it because it means I have to work, even if Adam works. We don't have any consumer credit card debt or a mortgage. We have a truck payment for three more years and the student loans which we are tied to for the next eight years. Since I have to return to my job full-time we are going to use this time to live much more thrifty and pay it down at a speedier rate. It is our hope to get rid of it as fast as possible so that I may not have to work, or only work occasionally, in a few years.

OK, wish me dedication, perseverance and success!