The Woman I Want to Be in 2015

I woke up this morning without any New Years resolutions.  The past year, and especially the past month, have been such a blur that I haven't even had a chance to give resolutions a thought.  For planning, goal-setting, control-loving me, that's unusual.

In the quiet stillness as everyone else slept I got out my journal and started writing.  To my surprise, words and goals began pouring out on the page.  Apparently they were all there, they were just waiting for me to let them spill out.

What I discovered was that what I want to be this year is a better version of myself.  Here's what I wrote:

In 2015 I want to be a better...

...follower of Christ.  Exuding His joy and light.  Recklessly abandoned to what He calls me to do.  In awe of His majesty.  Taking joy in His blessings.

...wife.  Less nit picky, moody, and naggy.  More full of grace and love.  Abounding in love.  More supportive.  Speaking with more thought and tact.  

...mother.  Spending less time on distractions like TV shows and Facebook.  Less eager to push my children.  More time spent relishing every moment.  Less anger.  More grace and truth.  

...friend.  More communication.  More seeking out.  More dependability.  Becoming a better listener and confidant.  Caring more.  Being more empathetic.  Being more truthful, but in love.

...homemaker.   More diligent.  Less frivolous with my time.  More about simplifying and less about buying.  Being happy with less.

...gardener.  More diligent.  More focused.  More realistic.

...cook.  Paying more attention to detail.  Better at planning.  Better at balancing taste and health.  Better at eating seasonally and storing for later.

...exerciser.  Start over.  A little each day.  Staying healthy for those I love.

...caretaker of my body.  Better at eating and staying active.  A little more attention to how I look and present myself.  Simplifying my wardrobe.  Making it represent the woman God created me to be.

...improver of my mind.  Less TV and social media.  More books and writing.

...writer.  More consistent about blogging.  Being more careful with words.  More honesty.  More of the real me.

...caring more about the tasks God gives me to do, and finding joy in them, than the frivolous, empty things of the world.  Being brave enough to be the woman God created me to be, and letting go of everything else.  

Goals for the New Year

It’s been years since I’ve made New Years resolutions.  But, being the goal loving, organized person that I am, I’m going back to them this year.  This year, however, I’m breaking them down into chunks that I can easily manage and accomplish.  Obviously, a new baby in the middle of the year will really affect these…but that’s why I’m doing it.  I don’t want to make changes just for the year, but for life…for my husband, and for our growing family.

Spiritual Goals


This year I really want to focus on my relationship with Christ.  I want His presence to pervade every part of my life, so that others, and especially my children, may see Christ in it.  Therefore I want to:

*Read through the Bible in a year again.  It’s been years since I’ve done this, but there are parts I’ve missed by just reading aimlessly, and I really want to be purposeful about the time I spend again.

*Focus on prayer. I’m a far cry from a prayer warrior, but I want to be.  My goal this year is to make prayer a constant thing…as well as a daily time.

*Be more intentional about showing others Christ.  How many times in the past year have I shared Christ with others?  Too little.  I want to talk about Him with everyone I know and meet.  I don’t want to be afraid to ask others if they know Him.  What good is my life if He’s not living in me?

Physical Goals


I’ve always tried to exercise and eat right, but I want to be better about this.  My body is God’s temple, so I should treat it that way.  Not to mention that I want to give my children the best chance they can have…not to mention being the best, able wife and mother I an be.

*Be more consistent with working out.  Thankfully, this is something my husband and I are focusing on together this year.  We need to set goals for ourselves that we are able to achieve.  Before this baby comes in August, I want to be in the best shape I can be.  I want to be able to keep up with a newborn, as well as work hard to get my body back for my husband.  I’m never, ever, going to “let myself go”.

*Eat better.  This takes baby steps and lots of small goals, but I think this is definitely achievable.  Again, my husband is on board with this.  This year, we’ll strive to eat less processed foods, and eat more whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and good foods.  I believe that the food I put in my body is very important to the health of the baby growing within me.  If I only feed myself junk, that’s all baby will be getting.  What a big motivator that is!

*Be more active in general.  This pregnancy has already left me feeling very tired, and I know that rest is important.  However, I’d like to be more active in my actual work time.  What I mean is, I want to live each moment to the fullest and not waste a sigle minute.  I want to be intentional about my “down” time as well as my “active” time.  I want to cut out all the junk and useless activities that are crowding my life. 

Mental Goals


I’m a big fan of never stopping learning.  I strive to exercise my mind and learn something new every day, but in the past I haven’t been very good at this.  This year, I want to exercise my mind better.

*Read more.  I love reading, and it’s one of the best ways to learn and exercise your mind.  Unfortunately, I don’t always carve out the time for it.  Reading is something I can definitely do in my purposeful “down” time.

*Watch more educational programs.  Sometimes I’m tempted to turn on the t.v. and watch it mindlessly.  I don’t want to do that this year.  Yes, there are times when that’s relaxing, but for the most part I could be watching something thought-provoking or educational instead.  Not to mention I could really cut out some of the time I spend watching television anyway!

*Learn new skills.  What better way to keep my mind engaged than to never stop learning new skills?  This year, I want to learn more about sewing and crocheting, as well as gardening, home improvement, preserving, and nutrition.  I’m finding things I’m interested in, and that I can apply to my everyday life, and learning more about it.  It’s great!

Stay tuned as I break these nine goals into goals for each month, as well as update you on how I’m doing.  What are some of thing things you are resolving to do this year/setting goals about?