Summer Goals 2017

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Setting goals for the summer can be a good way to make sure the season doesn't go to waste. It is also a great time to reassess the goals you and I set in January. Here are my summer goals. 

1 • Kick stress’ behind - this is a constant battle and I can honestly say I’ve been winning for 10 years. I didn’t realize that one can evolve in their approach to stress management. I am constantly learning different tools to add to my tool box. I use walking, running, swimming (this one has been awesome), writing in my journal, listening to podcasts, washing my car (I know, it works), sitting outside and reading, going on a picnic and sleeping just to name a few. I also say different things to myself and those things are not mantras because you can honestly find them in the Bible. I say things that God agrees with and that is very comforting. Managing stress will stop when I see Jesus. Till that happens, I’ll be kicking stress’ behind with my tools. 

2 • Run for Fun - I enjoy running. My best runs are the ones practice for the fun of it. There is also benefit in running to manage stress but the fun runs are the most enjoyable of all. Just like most things in life, my runs need to be scheduled so I will be faithful to do that. Summer runs are way more enjoyable before the sun is so hot we can fry eggs in the sidewalk. Anywho, running for fun is something I look forward to doing every season. 

3 • Write to your heart’s content - writers write. Good writers write good content that can be used for serious projects. That’s what I want to do. I also practice different types of writing. I write in two, well, three different journals. I write on this blog. I write books and I write devotionals. I also write secret projects. I want to do a lot of writing this summer. I also know that I need to live in order to make my writing content richer. 

4 • Solidify good health habits - I realized this Spring that I had the opportunity (yet again) to reinvent myself. I gained some health habits I’d love to solidify. One of them was the habit of not eating after dinner. Most of us would agree that breaking good habits is easy and sliding back into bad habits seems inevitable. If I solidify my good health habits, I will not have that problem. Even if I get it right 80% of the time, I will still benefit from these good health habits. Another good health habit I want to solidify is to manage stress in a healthy way that works for me. I recently told myself that getting enough rest at night is a formidable way of managing stress. I want to solidify that good health habit so that my health will benefit from managing stress. My health habits are not taking a vacation for the summer, that’s for sure.  

5 • Have fun - yes, it needs to be a bullet point. I’m not naturally fit to have fun because I’m quite type A. Thank God for my husband and our kids. They remind me that fun is essential for an abundant life. Some might say that if you have to add ‘have fun’ to your schedule is not fun at all but whatever works right?
I’m reminded of the time I went to the doctor in 2007 and she told me that I needed to change my habits or I’d die young of a preventable disease. One year later, I figured out all the keys I needed in order to make that happen. Fun is a key because it directly affects my stress level. I also know that God created us for recreation and children are the best at this. I need to be more recreation minded always. If writing it down as a goal gets me there, so be it. 

Do you set goals for the summer? What are they?