2012 Goals

Since I shared with you all my "One Word" resolution for 2012, I thought I'd share my goals for this year as well. So, here they are:

1. Pay off my credit card-while I use my credit card mainly just for gas to help me build credit, I've had to fall back on it a few times when we've been slow at work in order to pay bills. So I've built up a bit of a balance and haven't been able to pay it off just yet. My tax return is going towards this, and I plan on putting a little money aside each pay day specifically for paying it off.

2. Save more money-I'll admit, I was really bad about saving money last year. I didn't put very much into savings each pay day, not as much as I should have. Some weeks I neglected to put anything into savings...not good, I know. My goal is to put at least $50 a week into savings. (I get paid weekly.) If I can afford to, I'll put more in. This isn't including what I'll be setting aside to pay off my credit card. I'm hoping to be able to save enough that I won't have to fall back on my credit card during slow periods at work so I'll be able to keep it payed off.

3. Stick to my budget-When I first got my own place I did really well at sticking to my budget. After a while, though, I started to stray from my budget and spent more money than I should have. If something that I want is more than I budgeted for, then I'll have to wait and save up for it or go without. I plan on sticking to a strict budget on everything that I can. Bills like water and electric, which are different amounts every month, are harder to budget for, but I plan on sitting down this weekend & averaging out what they were each month last year. I've been here for almost seven months now, so it should be pretty close to accurate.

4. Read through the Old Testament in a year-I want to read through the entire Old Testament this year.I'll admit,  I've never read all the way through it before, mainly because some of the books are just plain difficult to get through. So I'm making it a goal to read through it this year. I know, most people choose to read through the entire Bible in a year, rather than just the Old or New Testament, but my format for reading the New Testament (which I'll explain sometime) is a bit different, so I won't get through the entire Bible this year.

5. Get into better shape-I really, really want to get into better shape. Since I've moved out on my own I've found myself eating more, most of the time simply because I'm bored. I live on a dead end street which is off of another dead end street. Since neither road gets much traffic, they're ideal for walking. So once it's gets warm out again, I plan to start walking each evening before I go to work. I'd also like to try to walk in the mornings once I get home from work, but we'll see. I'll just start off slow for now.

6. Start school-My biggest goal for 2012 is to start school. I was hoping to start this summer, but now it's looking like I may not be able to start until this fall. I'm not ruling out starting this summer, however, because I know that God can work miracles. If it's His will, then He will provide a way for me to start this summer. If not, then I'll be patient and just trust that it wasn't His will for me to start them. There's a whole bunch of little goals that fall under this one, such as applying for financial aid, figuring out what courses I want/need to take and when I'll take them, and registering for classes (I've already applied and been accepted to Liberty University). So this goal is really a whole bunch of little goals, just like most of my other goals are.

Well, there you go. Those are my goals for this year. I chose six because that gives me two months to really focus on each one. One month to focus on getting it started and really working hard at it, and another month to revisit it and see what I've accomplished towards it and any ways I can improve what I'm doing. Granted, most of them, such as reading through the Old Testament and sticking to my budget, are things that can't be accomplished in just two months, but I can use those two months to really focus on the goal so that I will hopefully be able to accomplish it.

At the beginning of every month I will post the goal that I'm focusing on for that month, and at the end of the month I'll give an update on what I've accomplished towards that goal. I also plan to, if I have time, break that month's goal down into smaller weekly goals to make it easier to accomplish. I'm excited about what this year has in store for me!

Decisions

So, I've been thinking about going back to school. Actually, "going" isn't exactly the right term, because I'd be taking classes online, probably through Liberty University. This really came as a surprise to me, as until recently, if anyone asked me if I had any desire to go back to college I would answer them with a very affirmative "no!"

Until recently, I wasn't really sure what I would go back to school for. I didn't know I wanted to do. I love what I currently do (data entry/administrative assistant), so I couldn't think of what I would ever want to go back to school for. However recently God seems to be leading me to go back to school for Psychology, with a focus in either crisis counseling or Christian counseling. That probably comes as a surprise to many of you that know me, as I'm not known for being outgoing or good at talking to people that I don't know. I love people, though, and I love helping people, and if this is truly what God wants for me, then I'm willing to do it.

Several years ago I surrendered to full-time Christian service, doing whatever God wanted me to do. I always assumed that it would come in the form of marrying a pastor, youth pastor, evangelist, or missionary. Now I'm realizing that maybe God has another plan of how to use me. I may still end up marrying someone who is in the ministry, but with a counseling degree God can use me in the ministry in other ways as well. There is a need for Christian counselors, and if this is what God wants me to do, I'll do it.

None of this is set in stone yet, obviously. I still need to do a lot of praying about it. Going back to school is a big decision. Working and going to school at the same time is tough. Last time I did it, I ended up having a lot of health problems. This is not a decision that I'm going to take lightly. It's a big commitment, requiring a lot of time and money.

I will definitely keep y'all update on whatever I decide, once I decide. Until then, I would appreciate your prayers about this decision!