Messy Monday: Goals, Plans, and Great Expectations

Last Monday I completely soaked up my family time and let the Messiness of the week before fade into the last minutes of 2018. It was a rough year with some great highlights.

I realized, while watching the Rose Parade (streaming poorly-this sad California girl was not happy) that I didn't accomplish my final most likely to happen goal of 2018: Buy Awesome RED Shoes

Seriously, who puts off buying glorious red shoes?! Apparently me. Because it didn't happen. I'm going to just let it go, I think. If, like Dorothy, some amazing red shoes show up right in front of me, then maybe I'll buy them.

Goals: This past weekend we did something as a family besides puberty stricken alpha males posturing for supremacy and avoid chores with equal intensity. I walked them each through my favorite Goal Setting Plan I got from my Coach and Friend, Terry Gurno. It is the 1-3-5 method. I asked a few questions I gathered from my Living Well Planner by Ruth Soukup, and then started writing what they said.

We each prayed about what word we would focus on for the year.

Our big 3 goals.

Then the 1-3-5

1) A statement that puts into a sentence or two what you want to achieve for the coming year.
3) Write the three goals listed in your sentence.
5) Write down 5 things you can do to accomplish the goal.

Here is Mine for this year:
My Word: Embrace

My big 3: Take Action, Get Stronger, Stay Open

ONE: In 2019 I will embrace taking more action, getting stronger, and staying open to being led by the Spirit. 

THREE and FIVE:

1--Take Action - Just DO it! No more pondering, planning, waiting, avoiding, or procrastinating.
     1)Workout
     2) Write
     3) Organize
     4) Clean
     5) Pray

2-- Get Stronger - Power UP!
     1) Mentally Stronger: Push through hard stuff - engage tenacity!
     2) Physically Stronger: Endurance cardio and weight lifting
     3) Spiritually Stronger: Read New Testament and write down/pray through my dreams
     4) Emotionally Stronger - Allow space for being a woman (in my man-full house), counseling
     5) Practically Stronger - Gym bag packed and ready, playlists, good Kleenex, journal   

3-- Stay Open - Flexible, available, come what may.
     1) Listen carefully to Spirit - be quiet
     2) Schedule "Open" times for appointments that arise
     3) Say YES more, to Spirit, to my Love, my fellas, as led
     4) Available mindset - don't be so focused on my agenda that I miss something important
     5) Embrace curve balls - something is always going to shake up the plan, go with it!

Plans: We keep making plans and like an epic game of whack-a-mole - and then something pops up. Then something else before you can grab a hammer, then something else once you whack the mole, another one shows up, but what if I grab a hammer in each hand and play! Laugh as the moles pop up, I bop them on the head and then again and again. Pretend this is that famous Mouse with bad pizza and sticky floors place and jump in all the way!!!

Great Expectations: After six months of a migraine, a complete hysterectomy, recovery from both, medical bills, sons in horrible situations/events that required constant attention and collaboration with the administration of schools, police, administration in other organizations, doctors, and nurses, I have high hopes for 2019. As I stated above, regardless of what comes my way, I am much stronger than I was at the beginning of 2018. For that, I am incredibly grateful!

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions and I have a copy of the actual 1-3-5 form you can fill out.