Before you start rolling your eyes at me for talking about resolutions or blow up your ego a bit because you’ve already made a list of resolutions hear me out….

While New Year’s Resolutions can be a drag and we all know that 99.99999% of people don’t stick with them, the New Year IS a great time to set some goals and do some self-reflection.

I like to think back over the year and consider the areas of personal growth that I’ve experienced along with the areas that I would like to focus on improving.  It’s more than a surface level activity.  It takes some real thinking and considering. WHY I do the things I do and WHY don’t I do the things I don’t do?

The problem with most resolutions (like most goals) is that they are not well defined.  They are too broad, unrealistic, lack clarity, are immeasurable, and/or simply just aren’t important enough to keep our focus.

So.  Spend a little time reflecting.  Pray.  

What areas of your life truly need to change in 2017 to help you catapult forward into the things that God has planned for you?

Write them down.  Study them. Prioritize the.  Pick ONE area.  

Now let’s dissect that one “area” so we can focus on one habit.

This is easiest to share in an illustration so that’s just what I’m going to do.

Perhaps my list looks like this.  I need to be more timely, procrastinate less, eat more vegetables, stop yelling at my kids, exercise more....

Which of these will have the most profound impact overall? Which might possibly positively affect some of the other list items too?

I’m going to say focusing on timeliness COULD be a big help in several of these areas.  It will help me with procrastination, lower stress, possibly help me to eat healthier and find time for exercise.

NOW… Taking Action:

Choose ONE goal.  ONE timeliness goal.  Perhaps I am going to focus on Sunday mornings and church.  (I know that one is an issue for LOTS of families).

Now assess Next Sunday just go through the routine you always do and take notes about how much time each preparatory task requires.  Not the idea in your head, the reality. You aren’t making changes, just taking notes.

Suppose it takes me 23 minutes to drive to church, 5 minutes to load the car, 5 minutes to unload, 5 minutes to check the kids in and 2 minutes to walk to my seat.  That’s a grand total of 40 minutes.  

Continue working backward:  How long does it take me to get myself and the kids dressed?  Fed?  What shortcuts can I take the night before to speed up the process (laying out clothes, overnight crockpot oats for breakfast, setting the coffee maker)

Finally- what time do I need to 1.  Get up and 2.  Start getting ready to make all of this happen in a timely manner?

THAT is my resolution.

NOT to be at church on time, but instead to start getting ready at the right time and to move efficiently and effectively through the (thousands) of actions that need to be completed to make it to church and slide in to my seat with time to spare.  Thinking through this process, planning and preparing actually gives us the tools necessary to be able to make it happen!  It’s mental practice and it’s powerful.

NOW put the plan into place without expectation.  This is like a dress rehearsal.  Do it.  Take notes.  What went well? What was terrible?  What needs to be changed?  How can next week be made easier and more efficient?

This might seem like a lot of work.  And it is.  But this practice is what helps us to improve in every single area of our lives.

When we start with the end result and work backward it helps us define a measurable and attainable goal.

Want to exercise more? Picture yourself doing that.  Work backward to the beginning of your day (or even the night before) to figure out what needs to happen to make that workout happen.

What time of day will you exercise? What does that look like? How often?  Where? How long? What kind of exercise?  How will you prepare for the day differently?  What steps need to be taken to make sure you’re prepared for your workout?  What is the most likely difficulty? What distractions do you anticipate?  

There are times in life that we need to wing it as moms, but setting real goals isn’t it.

Wishing.  Hoping.  They are good things, but they don’t produce results.

Tell us about your New Year’s goals.  What is your approach to lasting change?