Progress Report

We're just over a month into the new year, and I have been making great progress in some of the goals I set, but not all.

Let's review and report:

1.Get Healthy... This is one that I am still struggling with. I've done tons better at balancing and managing my time for just about everything else, but this one is still eluding me. I am trying to keep #7 in mind and not get too discouraged, because as you'll see, I am doing great at many of my other goals... I can't expect huge changes in all areas all at once... but I do want to focus more on this one now that I'm doing better in others.

2.Get Organized... This is going GREAT! I've been playing the 15 minute game with my friends almost daily and it is helping tremendously. My house is always clean now and that makes it so much easier to keep clutter down. Now when we play, I often focus on an area to declutter for one of those 15 minutes, or when we work in a room that I already have clean, I pick a clutter spot/drawer/etc and spend my time there. I am going to keep this going - I love how it feels!

3.Increased Spirituality... This is also going GREAT! I have fallen in love with reading the scriptures again. It's not a chore or a race to see how quickly I can read the chapter, I am focusing on each verse, pondering it, feasting on it... and I LOVE IT!!! I began keeping my scriptures in the family room instead of next to my bed, and I read frequently throughout the day now. Part of that decision was to discourage reading when I'm tired, and part of that decision was the goal to have my children SEE me study them. I have memories of my mom reading her scriptures at the dining room table, I want my children to have similar memories of me; I want them to say "We do not doubt that our mother knew it" when it comes to my testimony. :)

4.Read the Silmarillion with Ryan... We've been doing this frequently. I can't read daily, I have to be alert and in the mood for it, because otherwise, I can't concentrate enough to process it. But I'm really enjoying the story and background information for Middle Earth... Yes, I'm a dork, I don't care. I love all things LOTR and this is a huge part of it! lol

5.Record more songs on my piano... Well... Nothing has been recorded yet. But I've been practicing and I'm even closer to recording two of them, there's still a chance I can get those done this month. I'll keep working on it.

6.Manage money and plan properly so we can take the vacations we want to this year... This is going very well! Thanks to a good tax return and lots of recent OT hours, I have no worries about this. It still requires good money management, we are still keeping that belt tight, but I am confident now that we are going to make it. :D

7.Resolve not to be 100% successful... I did not mean this as an easy out or means to give up on my goals; I mean for this to keep me from getting depressed or discouraged with my imperfections. I want to forgive myself, which includes recommitting, not giving up, when I don't succeed. And I've done pretty well. (See #1, lol) I need to continue with this so I don't give up, especially in regards to #1 and #5, where I haven't met my goals yet. I know that it might be hard for me to find my footing for #1 for quite awhile, as my schedule really is quite busy, but it won't be that way forever and I just need to do what I can for now so I'll be better prepared when the timing is better.

In general, I'm quite pleased with how things have been going lately. I have areas I still need to improve on - greatly! But, I've also seen huge improvements in others, and that makes me so excited to continue. There are still 11 months left in the year and lots of room for improvement. :D