FAST FORWARD

One month is nearly over. A whole, brand new, fresh year is already almost 1/12^th completed. Sometimes I think I’m more overwhelmed at the speed of time in the early part of the year than at its end. Because a whole year sounds like plenty of time when it’s just beginning, doesn’t it?

This realization makes me stop and think again about what I want to accomplish this year—my goals, resolutions and focus. Am I still moving forward toward their realization?

Are you?

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for the time you have given us here on Earth. Please help us make the best use of it. Please direct our attention and focus on what you desire for our lives. Please help us keep moving forward. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Are you still moving forward on what you’d like to accomplish this year? Have those priorities changed any?

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This post is based on the theme of the Christian Writers blog chain, "forward." Please check out the links to the right and see what my friends have to say about this topic.

COURAGE TO TRY

 

　

I have a set of goals for 2013. Some are continued from last year; most are brand new. They’re all things I’m passionate about.

And they all require courage.

In fact, "courage" is my focus word for 2013. I tend to feel like a wimp most of the time. And when it comes to writing, I’m especially so. I’m passionate about what I write. I think I’m a good writer—sometimes even "great." I work hard to write quality stories, books and articles.

And then, like Frodo Baggins, I work hard to keep them secret; keep them (and me) safe. From publicity. From review. From criticism.

Which is a really silly thing to do. Since I write for my words and ideas to be read by others.

So for 2013, all of my goals—SMARTER GOALS—will be seen, reviewed, worked on—through the lens of courage. Because even though I’m afraid—especially because I’m afraid, I’ll do them anyway.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, you know our fears and you know our dreams. Please work in our hearts and minds to give us courage to work toward accomplishing our dreams. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? What dream will you work toward this year? Do you need courage or encouragement?

STARTING THE NEW YEAR

Many people make New Year’s resolutions—personal habits they want to change, adopt or abolish. Others set out goals for what they’d like to accomplish—lose weight, write a book, take a trip to Bora Bora. Others like to select a focus for the year—health, family, growth.

Whatever you want to call it, however you want to approach it, now is the time to start.

We’ll be discussing resolutions, goals and focus for 2013 later this month here on From Carol’s Quill. Why not join the fun? Start thinking or continue to think about what 2013 might look like for you. One thing you can do is reread last year’s post about setting SMARTER goals.

I’ll give you a heads’ up on one of mine. I have a resolution to focus this year on the goal of finishing up several books in process and addressing publication. To give myself more time for book writing, I’m switching to a T/TH blogging schedule.

Thanks so much for hanging out with me last year. See you every T/TH in 2013 right here.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for this brand new year. Please help us focus on you more this year and lead us in ways that will glorify you and further your plan and purpose for our lives. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Are you thinking about what you’d like to do in 2013?

Q3 GOAL REVIEW

Today’s post will be short and to the point.

Did you make goals at the beginning of 2012? We talked about making SMARTER goals in January and we reviewed our goals in March and July. It’s time for one more quarterly review. We’ve got three more months before it’ll be time to make new goals for 2013.

How are you doing?

What do you need to revise?

What do you need to change to accomplish your goals?

What’s keeping you from accomplishing them?

Now, get going!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for placing desires in our hearts. Please help us continue to pursue those desires as long as they are pleasing to you. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Leave a comment with an update on the progress of accomplishing your goals.

NEW YEAR; NEW YOU

Happy New Year. 

Sure it’s already January 4, but we can keep saying that—through January at least. 

One of the things January means for many of us is that it’s time to set goals. Those New Year’s Resolutions. Yep, I’m one of those folks. Hubby and I set them every year. We even review them quarterly; revise where needed; evaluate; adjust. 

This year I thought I’d share mine with you. And you could share them with all of us. We can discuss, review, revise, evaluate and adjust together.  

Let’s take a few weeks to do it. This week, we’ll start with a quick review of how to set goals. Next Monday, I’ll share my spiritual goals for 2012. Monday, January 16, I’ll share my writing goals for 2012. Monday, January 23, I’ll share a few personal goals and we’ll recap together. 

Then stay tuned for quarterly goal reviews at the end of March, June, September, and December. We all need encouragement and a good nagging to keep ourselves on track and accountable. I’m here for ya, baby! 

Here’s the standard advice for setting SMART and SMARTER goals—nicely set out by Stephen Covey in “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.” 

Goals should be: 

SPECIFIC: No fair saying, “I want to lose weight.” A better goal is to say, “I will lose 20 pounds in 2012.” 

MEASURABLE: Know how to measure your progress. A goal to lose 20 pounds has little meaning if you don’t know your weight when you begin.  

ACHIEVABLE: A goal also has little meaning if you can’t achieve it. You probably won’t be able to lose 250 pounds in 2012; but losing 10-50 probably is achievable. 

RELEVANT: If a goal has no meaning, you have no incentive to work toward it. If you’re 6’ tall and weigh 150 pounds, then having a goal to lose more weight is irrelevant. 

TIME-BASED: Plan ahead for your progress so your review will be more meaningful each quarter. If your goal is to lose 20 pounds in 2012 you might plan to lose 5 pounds each quarter. At the end of the quarter, you can check your progress and see how you’re doing, with your time-based goal in mind.

SMARTER goals, add Evaluate and Reassess. So each quarter we’ll evaluate how we’ve done and reassess the goals and how we might plan better for the next three months.

OK, friends. Now that we have had a little review on how to set our goals, start thinking about what you’d like to accomplish in 2012. Let’s put God first. Come back next week and we'll share our spiritual goals.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for making us teachable and changeable. We want to live better lives for you. Please help us do so. Inspire us with how you’d have us change. Encourage us and help us encourage each other. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Will you commit to setting some spiritual goals for 2012? Spend the week thinking about them and come back next Monday to share.

COMING TO THE END

As we begin November, we are reminded that this year is coming to an end. Yes, we still have two months left; 58 days left including today. Plenty of time to get plenty of things done.

Still, our human minds look at all the pages of our calendar now on the left-hand side; just one more page to turn and 2011 will be over.

It’s not time to despair over time lost. Rather, it’s time to think about what we can accomplish with what time we have left. It’s God-given time and it can be God-blessed time if we consecrate it and our part in it to Him.

And then we can take it one step further. What can we accomplish for God with the time we have left on this earth?

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for the time you’ve given us. Help us to use it wisely and for your glory. Amen. 

WHAT ABOUT YOU? What one thing would you like to accomplish before your 2011 calendar expires? What one thing do you intend to do today to work toward accomplishing that?