Whatcha Gonna Do?

Every new year there's hype about resolution and goals and blah, blah, blah. I cringe. I think I feel my skin crawl with the force of self discipline, determination and perseverance. Scales are dusted off, water bottles filled, finances evaluated, self help books bought....and yet, statistics show us that most of us won't get through the month of January with our determination in tact.

I've been a casualty of new year goals. Most years I fail miserably. In fact....if I had kept all my goals over the years...I'd be 110 pounds, read thousands of books, drank the equivalent of the water held in Hoover Dam and become the exact woman spoken of in Proverbs 31. I'm a failure at keeping new year goals. But why?

I look back on last year and the only goal I achieved was my goal to be more intentional about giving thanks. Easy you say? Well maybe for you, but if you have a bad day, week or year, it's not quiet that easy. How did I keep it? And could these be keys to keeping other goals? Let's see:

1. Posted my thanks before I got out of bed in the morning.

2. Decided to give thanks even when it was hard.

3. Decided to be more lighthearted about looking at my life, instead of so serious.

4. Looked beyond circumstances.

5. Was encouraged and thankful for what God had done.

Oh wow....there it is....that might just be the key...5 simple steps...

1. Do something before you get out of bed...decide, pray, post...whatever...but think about your goals before your feet hit the ground.

2. Do something towards your goal even when it's hard.

3. Look at your goal through the eyes of humor and joy...sometimes we get too serious or too focused and sometimes we just need to laugh through the tough times.

4. Look beyond today.

5. See what God is doing. He's transforming you...He's helping you....be encouraged and give thanks!

Here's a few goals I'm setting for the new year....

* drink more water (get my water bottle in the fridge at night so I have it first thing in the morning!
* read more....for fun and for learning.
* write more thank you notes
* encourage more
* notice the good
* blog consistently

So whatcha gonna do this new year? Something big or small....doesn't really matter...just do something!