Dear Reader,
The time has come again to look back on last year and look ahead to this next year: 2015! Yes, this is the year that Marty McFly comes to the future from his home in 1985, but that doesn't come for a few months (October 21st, to be exact). If you have no idea who Marty McFly is, go watch "Back to the Future." In honor of the new year, I wanted to share a quick summary of what I hope to accomplish this year.
Every year, I implement something I learned from my seminary teacher years ago. He showed us a scripture in the book of Luke about Jesus Christ's life:
It is interesting to note that this scripture is basically the only knowledge we have of Christ's life between the ages of 12 and 30, when he begins his ministry on the earth. My seminary teacher took this scripture and uses it to plan out new year resolutions. He makes a goal for of the four areas mentioned in the scripture; he grew in wisdom, stature, in favor with God and with man.
Growing in wisdom, he explained, means expanding your mind. This can be through your studies in school, picking up a new skill at work or just anything else that will increase your wisdom or intelligence. It is definitely a good thing to do each year. After increasing your wits year after year, you'll become like my grandmother, To this day, she does the crossword and Sudoku puzzles in the newspaper every day. She is sharp as a tack.
Growing in stature is the same idea as wisdom, but with your physical body. Lots of people resolve to go to the gym every day during the new year, right? That doesn't work all the time. However, everyone can set simple goals that will help them to be healthier physically during the new year. Eating better and exercise are just the two broad topics that have to do with your health. One of my resolutions is to not drink caffeine anymore. I want to see what kind of effect it has on my mood.
Growing in favor with man can come by any goals you have in your social life. My family teases me about getting married this year. Unfortunately, that is not a reasonable goal for me to set at this point. It is a goal I can set during the year, though. Your social goals for the year can be to make a new friend each week or even throw a party each month at your house! It is really up to you.
Growing in favor with God is also completely personal. This is the spiritual category. The goals and resolutions you can make in this area should be focused on your relationship with God. I would suggest the basic goals such as reading scriptures regularly, attending church more actively or finding new ways to share the gospel with others.
If you need help to figure out what goals to set and how to accomplish them, I would suggest reading chapter 8 in Preach My Gospel. There is a section in the chapter that talks about goal-setting. Basically, you can set goals by being SMART.
SPECIFIC - Don't put down goals that are very vague and that you will easily forget. Be specific with what you want and you'll be more apt to achieve it.
MEASURABLE - It is easier to make your goal if you know how far you have to go. Use numbers and quantify your progress.
ATTAINABLE - Don't set goals that you are not going to keep. There is no way you are going to make a million dollars this year. Unless you are a millionaire like that. Then go for it.
REASONABLE - This is along the same lines as having attainable goals. Don't make plans to run a marathon in order to lose that 50 pounds you want to lose.
TIMELY - Make sure you have a time table for the goals you have set. They are never going to happen if you don't have a deadline.
Most importantly, don't forget to reward yourself when you achieve your goals! When you meet your goals and complete your resolutions, you will be back to your future!
The time has come again to look back on last year and look ahead to this next year: 2015! Yes, this is the year that Marty McFly comes to the future from his home in 1985, but that doesn't come for a few months (October 21st, to be exact). If you have no idea who Marty McFly is, go watch "Back to the Future." In honor of the new year, I wanted to share a quick summary of what I hope to accomplish this year.
Every year, I implement something I learned from my seminary teacher years ago. He showed us a scripture in the book of Luke about Jesus Christ's life:
"And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man." (Luke 2:52)
It is interesting to note that this scripture is basically the only knowledge we have of Christ's life between the ages of 12 and 30, when he begins his ministry on the earth. My seminary teacher took this scripture and uses it to plan out new year resolutions. He makes a goal for of the four areas mentioned in the scripture; he grew in wisdom, stature, in favor with God and with man.
Growing in wisdom, he explained, means expanding your mind. This can be through your studies in school, picking up a new skill at work or just anything else that will increase your wisdom or intelligence. It is definitely a good thing to do each year. After increasing your wits year after year, you'll become like my grandmother, To this day, she does the crossword and Sudoku puzzles in the newspaper every day. She is sharp as a tack.
Growing in stature is the same idea as wisdom, but with your physical body. Lots of people resolve to go to the gym every day during the new year, right? That doesn't work all the time. However, everyone can set simple goals that will help them to be healthier physically during the new year. Eating better and exercise are just the two broad topics that have to do with your health. One of my resolutions is to not drink caffeine anymore. I want to see what kind of effect it has on my mood.
Growing in favor with man can come by any goals you have in your social life. My family teases me about getting married this year. Unfortunately, that is not a reasonable goal for me to set at this point. It is a goal I can set during the year, though. Your social goals for the year can be to make a new friend each week or even throw a party each month at your house! It is really up to you.
Growing in favor with God is also completely personal. This is the spiritual category. The goals and resolutions you can make in this area should be focused on your relationship with God. I would suggest the basic goals such as reading scriptures regularly, attending church more actively or finding new ways to share the gospel with others.
If you need help to figure out what goals to set and how to accomplish them, I would suggest reading chapter 8 in Preach My Gospel. There is a section in the chapter that talks about goal-setting. Basically, you can set goals by being SMART.
SPECIFIC - Don't put down goals that are very vague and that you will easily forget. Be specific with what you want and you'll be more apt to achieve it.
MEASURABLE - It is easier to make your goal if you know how far you have to go. Use numbers and quantify your progress.
ATTAINABLE - Don't set goals that you are not going to keep. There is no way you are going to make a million dollars this year. Unless you are a millionaire like that. Then go for it.
REASONABLE - This is along the same lines as having attainable goals. Don't make plans to run a marathon in order to lose that 50 pounds you want to lose.
TIMELY - Make sure you have a time table for the goals you have set. They are never going to happen if you don't have a deadline.
Most importantly, don't forget to reward yourself when you achieve your goals! When you meet your goals and complete your resolutions, you will be back to your future!
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