Read This Before You Create Your 2018 Goals

written by Zach

New Year’s Eve has always been my least favorite holiday. I’m not exactly sure why this is the case, but it probably has something to do with me usually feeling lame with whatever I am doing for the holiday, and there is always something better I could/should be doing. It could also be the awkward memories of that ball drop meaning you had to have someone by your side to kiss. This rarely worked out for me, especially since I was usually around Christians on New Year’s, and I guess Christians don’t kiss strangers when the ball drops. Go figure…

However, I love New Year’s Day! I love eating black-eyed peas, collard greens, and cornbread. I love watching football all day. I love new beginnings and looking ahead at goals for the year. I know the statistics show we probably won’t be able to keep our New Year’s resolutions, but I still like the idea of having goals. I love that we have a calendar year that finishes and a new one that begins, offering us a fresh start.

For some, 2017 was a year you may like to forget, but even if 2017 was the worst, I believe we can look ahead to 2018 with hope in mind. And I believe this starts with taking care of ourselves- to make specific self care goals for the year.

I know it can seem selfish to think about how you are going to take care of yourself better this year, and that your goals should be about “pouring” yourself out more for the sake of others. However, I would submit that a person can never truly be there for someone else the way he or she might want to until they learn how to take care of themselves properly. So how are you going to take care of yourself better in 2018?

As I’ve written much about, I believe every human being is a bio-psycho-social-spiritual human being, and for that person to be operating at full capacity, I believe that a person should be working towards bettering themselves in each of those areas.

Bio

How are you going to take care of your body? Is it a better eating plan? Do you need to join Weight Watchers for some help and accountability? Some of our best friends used Weight Watchers and lost almost 100 pounds combined this past year.  I’m not a paid sponsor for Weight Watchers, but I am always a proponent of people having a plan and a community as it relates to health.

Psycho

How are you going to better your mind this year?  Are you going to read a certain amount of books this year? Are you going finally take care of those toxic thinking patterns? Counseling really helps me (and still helps me) replace my irrational, fearful thinking. And if it works for a messed up person like me, it could possibly work for you too.

Social

Are you going to live in community this year or are you going to isolate? Who are 3 people you’d like to say you were closer to at the end of 2018 than you were in 2017?  This could mean regular coffee dates or vacationing together. Who are your people?

Spiritual

Do you have a plan for growing in your relationship with God this year? People immediately go for upping their devotional time with God, and while I would definitely agree with that being a solid option, can I suggest a little more specific creativity with this one? We serve a BIG God who wants to connect with us in so many ways than just during our 'quiet time.' Still have a devotional time with the Lord, but how else are you going to connect with Jesus this year that will help the relationship grow?

So here’s a toast to 2018 from Hopetown and the Dicksons! We don’t expect perfection in 2018, but we do hope for progress in each of us.

Photo by Cathryn Lavery on Unsplash