goals & things

As my time at IC is wrapping up, I’m obviously thinking about what’s next. And by obviously thinking about it, I mean obsessing and stressing on the daily. But that’s another blog for another day.

Today, I’m thinking about what’s next, and setting goals. Goals that I can strive towards no matter where I am or what I’m doing. Goals that I want to be intentional about, and goals that I want to achieve.

1.    Invest in relationships

I want to stop taking people for granted. I want to invest in the friendships I have, in the loved ones around me. I want to be an equal partner in those relationships, around for the good and the bad. I want my relationships to be more than a few hours when I’m visiting for a weekend. Even if they are long distance, I want to participate and not take them for granted.

2.    Do work I love

      Whether it is the job I’m doing, or pursuing passion projects on the side, I want to love what I’m doing. If I don’t love what I’m doing, instead of quitting, I want to first change my attitude towards it.

3.    Make my house my home

Home is more than a house, but also more than a state of mind. I want to be content and find rest in the place I’m in, and that starts by treating it as home.

4.    Save for my future… and for slightly irresponsible adventures

I want to be responsible and self-sufficient. But at the same time, I am only 24, and if I want to go to New York City for a week or drive to LA three weekends in a row, than I will. It may not be wise to take a trip to Hawaii with some girlfriends, but it is good for the soul, which is responsible enough for me.

5.    Read more

I really hate how much TV I watch. I love stories, and want to consume them through literature, not media. Maybe I read Mindy Kaling’s biography, or Anna Karenina. Doesn’t matter what I’m reading, just that I am.

6.    Commit

      I can be a very wishy-washy twenty-something. I don’t know what I want to do with my life, so I avoid investing in what I am doing. I want to commit. Maybe I’m working at a coffee shop and nannying, but I want to commit to that work. I want to commit to the community I’m in, to the things I’m doing, and to what the Lord has called me into.

7.    Pray

This is a life goal that should always be on my list. Pray more. Pray every day. Pray without ceasing.

8.    Give back

Though I can’t work for every organization I’ve interned for, I can support them. $5 a month can do so much, and I can live making my own coffee instead of buying overpriced lattes. I want to give back and continue to support the missions of the organizations I love.

9.    Mentor

Reinvest in my former students and invest in new ones. Youth ministry is so dear to my heart, and always will be. I’ve been lost without it this last year, and am eager to start again.

10.  Yoga

It sounds silly, but I really enjoy yoga, and want to make it my practice. Sub-goal: master crow and bird of paradise.

11. Love where I’m at, and who I’m with

Self-explanatory, really, but I want to love the place God has me in. I want to love tangibly, not just theoretically. Love is an action, not just a thought.

12. Act: don’t just try, but do

This is the goal that sums up the rest of my goals: I want to actually do these things, not just say I will. I don’t want it to end up being November and I haven’t done anything on here, or have started and then failed to finish. These are consistent goals, without real deadlines, so I want to commit to doing them. I really want to yoda the shit out of these goals, “there is no try, only do”.

As I move into my last month at IC, I want to begin stepping into these goals. I can love where I’m at right now, I can invest in the relationships around me now, I can practice yoga more, I can read more. As for what I can’t do this second, I can start figuring out what that will look like in this next season.

I kind of hate transition, but also think I’m addicted to change. Oops.