Tag: 2012

My Goals for 2012

On By pastorjonathanIn Uncategorized16 Comments

Last week I wrote a blog post sharing 5 keys to Making and Keeping your New Year Resolutions. This week it’s time to go public with my own resolutions.  I was inspired to really make progress towards getting physically fit this year by The Show Me Cajun. I don’t know that I’ll be posting my progress as much as he is, but I will be checking in on his blog every week for inspiration and encouragement.  So without further ado, here are my goals for 2012:

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1. Lose 75 Pounds (That’s about 1.5 lbs a week). I’ll be keeping up with my eating habits by tracking all of my calories through the lose it app on my iphone and working out at the gym 3 days a week and of course goal number two won’t hurt either. Of course I’m checking in with my Doctor and already have a check up scheduled for early January.

2. Walk/ Run 500 miles (that’s about 10 miles a week). Just four laps around my neighborhood is a 5k (3.2 miles). I plan on walking the neighborhood at least three times a week and plan to walk on the treadmill at the gym on the days that the weather prohibits me from walking outside. I also plan on using the from the couch to the 5k to get into running shape and be running the 5k each morning by May.

3. Write 200 pages on a book manuscript (that’s about than 4 pages a week.) I’ll be sharing my progress here in a similar fashion to what I did with my goal to read 100 books last year.  Though I won’t share the full manuscript initially, I will share excerpts and let you know where I am in the process.

4. Write 3 blog posts or more a week. My blogging has come in spurts. Some weeks I post every day, other times I’ve gone almost a full month between posts. I hope by setting a minimum number per week that I’ll have a goal and be more faithful.

How about you? What are your goals? Any advice on mine?

5 Keys to Making and Keeping Your New Year Resolutions.

On By pastorjonathanIn Uncategorized251 Comments

So the new year is almost here and it is time to think about your resolutions. Your goals may be to finally give up a bad habit, lose a little weight, broaden your intellectual horizon, or even commit to be more generous.  Whatever your resolutions for a new year are, here are a few keys that will help you be successful in making and keeping them.

1. Define the Win. Many people make mistakes of making very general goals and never end up keeping them.  It’s one thing to say, “I want to lose weight” and entirely another thing to say, “I want to lose 50 pounds by Thanksgiving.” Fifty pounds is a defined win.  When you state, “I want to lose weight.” you have defined a direction, but you haven’t defined a measurable goal line. How will you know when you have lost enough? You can always make another goal later.

Here are some abstract goals that have been better defined to understand a win.

I want to read more – I will read 12 books this year (1 book a month)

I want to eat better – I will eat a minimum of 2 vegetables a day

I want to exercise more – I will run 500 miles this year.

I want to be more generous – I will give 15% of my income away this year.

2. Make smaller goals along the way. In football there are two lines that really matter. The official goal-line where all the points are scored and the first-down line where a team advances ten yards and gets 4 more shots at the goal-line.  The smaller goal of the first-down marker is often what really advances the ball and helps teams make it across the bigger goal-line that counts.  Create for yourself smaller goals that you can achieve on a weekly or monthly basis that will help you achieve your bigger goal.  If your goal is to read twelve books a year, that translates into one book a month.  If you want to lose 50 pounds, that’s roughly one pound a week.  Make smaller goals and celebrate when you’ve reached them. celebrating small successes along the way will give you the momentum you need to reach your bigger goal.

3. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.  Your goal may be something huge like to quit smoking. Do some research and consult some people or products that are geared to help you. If you want to lose weight, don’t be afraid to consult your doctor and even sign up to meet a trainer at the gym. If you want to read more, ask someone you know who reads a lot and ask them for strategy and tips.

4. Make the goal with a friend or group of friends. If you are trying to lose weight,  get your spouse on board to exercise with you or to make a similar commitment to eat healthier. If you are trying to read a book a month, start a book club. Have a friend meet you at the gym 3 times a week. If you want to write more, start a blog and ask your friends to follow.

5. Evaluate your results. Set an end date and set aside time to evaluate how you did throughout the year towards your goal.  Every goal achieved and not achieved is a chance to learn.  Maybe you only read ten books instead of twelve (odds are that’s about nine more than you might have otherwise). Maybe you only lost 35 pounds (that’s still 35 pounds!).  Maybe you quit working out in February because you got a cold and never went back. Figure out what went wrong and what went right. Take the time to measure how far you have come and challenge yourself with something new for the next year.

What kind of resolutions are you making this year?