Welcome back!
Every year since the early 1990s I have written down my goals for the coming year. Some years I have had great success by diligently following my goals, while other years life seemed to take its own course and the goals fell by the wayside. Unfortunately, that was the case in 2009. In one of those wow-what-a-year experiences, 2009 proved to be quite a challenge. Today I am feeling like I’m glad it is over, while I am eagerly looking forward to this next year.
I will not spend a lot of time reflecting on this past year. Thankfully, I have always had the ability to look forward and have learned to put the past where it belongs. That said, this morning I ran across a journal entry I wrote last November. As I read the long entry, I realized I had highlighted three areas that I would like to concentrate on this year. Although the entry was actually written out of frustration, the points I made were valid.
Therefore, here is a simplified version of my goals for 2010:
Focus on my relationship with God. First and foremost, when I am in sync with God’s plan for my life, my daily life seems to go much smoother. As a caregiver to an 87-year-old who is experiencing an increasing number of mental and physical challenges , I need God’s wisdom and strength now more than ever.
That said, today I started reading one of my favorite versions of the Bible – the chronological Bible with 365 daily readings. Not only does each reading include the actual Bible verse in the New International version, but includes a brief summary of what is happening during that time period.
Prayer is also important and should not be completed on the run, so to speak. Along with this year’s focus on reading the Bible, prayer time must take precedence. God is the one who has the answers to all of my concerns. I know I sure don’t.
Focus on my relationship with family members. I’m not sure what was happening last November within the family – sometimes short term memory loss is a blessing – but, I seemed to be concerned with fractured family relationships. In 2010 I hope to be a blessing and conduit for family members so that we don’t feel estranged from one another.
As a family we are spread over five states and have limited visitation with one another. Frequent calls and the great advent of sending text messages with video and pictures has helped a lot. Also, several of us are on Facebook and are able to share photos and messages with one another. My sister (Utah) and I (Michigan) happened to be on Facebook at the same time the other night and had a nice chat in the chat room.
My brother (southern Illinois) tends to call either Dad or myself, and sometimes both, almost every day. He has been a very strong support to us in our move and with Dad’s health issues. He has really stepped up to the plate in recent years and it is much appreciated.
My oldest daughter (Texas) and mother of my beloved grandson, David, sends pictures and short videos via cellphone to keep me in the loop as he is growing up. She also drove up here in September and spent a too-short ten days with us. What a blessing.
Focus on my online businesses. My computer was in the midst of major physical problems in November and it did eventually crash leading me to much angst. I am now using a laptop that my younger daughter (Michigan, but 90-miles away) share.
An unexpected result of my caregiving duties included the online sites that I have built since June 2008. The whole process started with several classes I took so that I could begin earning an income while working at home. Those classes lead to my now growing network of websites that are my own, plus the several websites owned by others that I contribute to.
I have enjoyed every second of my new direction during the last couple of years. The learning curve has not been easy, and it continues to this day. That said, I would not trade my learning experience for anything in the world. I have plans for more sites and I look forward to what God has planned for me this year.
One thing I learned during this online experience is that you can learn and grow no matter how old you are. I am in my sixties and I never expected to become an online website mogul. Who knew?
This turned into a rather long post, but here are my overall goal objectives for this year. Of course, I will break each one down into specific tasks in order to accomplish what I would like to, and need to, accomplish during 2010.
What about you? Have you taken a look at the past, decided what you would like to see happen in the future, and written down your goals, ideas, and plans to help you accomplish what you have in mind? Let us know if this article has helped you jump start your way into the new year.
