Big Picture/Small Picture

Happy New Year!! Would it really be New Year's Day without a post about goals? 

Small Picture:

I always make New Year's goals and I call them goals, not resolutions. Does the word actually matter? I don't know, but I do think we can both train and trick (in a way) our brains. To me, every time someone says "New Year's Resolution," I think of some lofty ideal that a person says they want to work on, with NO actual intent of reaching said ideal. So I make goals. I make clear, specific goals that I can measure and work on throughout the year. And, for better or worse, I set different goals for different categories: spiritual, physical, financial and mental. I try to set goals that are realistic but also make me stretch.

For example, as a financial goal, I might say that I want to have X number of dollars in my Savings account by the end of the year. Then I take it a step further and make a plan as to how I'll accomplish my goal. So for example, to meet my financial goal X, I would have to save X divided by 12 every month. I actually get paid twice a month, so I would take that total, split it in half and set up an automated payment to go from my checking to savings account every pay day. Done and done. It's planned, it's scheduled and in all honesty, I don't even have to touch it the rest of the year. Anal, right? It is a little, but I'm convinced that very specific goals with specific plans are the way to reach goals. 

Big Picture:

Buuuut here's the thing: specific goals without a big picture goal doesn't always get you where you want to be. Sometimes I feel like I lose sight of the bigger picture. I'm doing things, but what am I learning? How am I growing? In 2015, I set a goal to say sincere daily prayers as part of my spiritual goals. I know that's a good thing, but really, the bigger goal I was trying to work on was to get closer to God. In my opinion, that's a pretty important thing not to lose sight of. So. This year, 2016, I've decided to make more general goals and then sit down each month and decide on a specific way I'll work toward the general. Don't get me wrong, I was very hesitant to do this - I know it will require a lot more work. But you know what, I want the big picture. The big picture is important to me. And I think this is going to be the best way for me to do it. Big picture first, specifics as I go. You're welcome to help keep me accountable. 

So here goes:

Be charitable 

Be healthy

Be disciplined 

Be positive & grateful