Write the Vision and Make It Plain – 5 Goals for 2019

I know I am more than a bit late with getting this post out but hey, that’s life! Life has gotten a hold of me and the year has just begun. But January doesn’t’ count in 2019, right? So, any who…

I went to a church service just before Christmas as was reminded of the import of writing things down. It confirmed the message that I had been hearing and I knew I needed to write them down. I wrote them down in a journal but I want to share them in this platform, if only for myself to look back on it at the end of the year, to inspire someone else to write theirs down as well. We have a supernatural ability to tap into something much larger than ourselves but we don’t reach the goal because we stop short of believing we can. Writing down your dreams is your chance to make your wildest dreams known and articulate the dream. That’s the easy part. Now, you must do the work and believe you can make it to get the dream to become a reality.

I created a video of what my goals are for 2019 on my youtube channel …

I have overwhelmingly been hearing “write the vision and make it plain” in my spirit since early December. I had always been told that you should write your goals because writing them cements them and you have the opportunity to look back on them and see if you have met or exceeded those goals. However, I have been of the mindset that saying them is enough. I have said them out loud to myself, to my husband, family and friends but I have never written them down until now.

but I’m going to add it here, so I can go back and review it later.

FINANCES 

By now, you are aware that I am a follower of Dave Ramsey and his baby steps but we also know that I modify the plan to fit my lifestyle. With that in mind, my financial goal for this year is to pay off $3,000 of my $7,784.09 student loan payment. This is a private loan that I took out while I was studying for the bar exam. It has a 15 year pay off period. I took out the loan in 2009 for $12,000 and began paying on the loan in 2010, so the maturity of the loan is in 2025. The current pay off balance is $$7,784.09, which means I haven’t put much of a dent into the payment but I haven’t been gazelle intense on this loan and have only been paying the minimum amount. This year, that will change. In order to make $3,000 in payments on this loan, I will make double payments each month on this loan. I want to have this loan paid off by the end of the year, if I can. In addition to making the extra loan payments each month, I have the sinking fund that I put money into each pay period and at the end of the year, I will take half of the money in that fund and add it to the principal payment on this loan, thereby, prayerfully eliminating this debt from my snowball.

FITNESS

I have been on a journey to get back to myself, the version of my physical self, that makes me most happy when I look in the mirror. For me, that means a goal weight of 135 pounds. Now, this goal weight might change depending on the measurements of my body and whether I like what I see when I look in the mirror. For now, I can tell you emphatically, I am NOT happy with my current self and instead of complaining about it, I am diligently working to change that. I am presently doing a Daniel Fast with my husband’s church, which basically means I am eating vegan, excluding bread and sugar. My body feels good but the weight still isn’t coming off because I am combating insulin resistance. I’m making slow progress, but slow progress is better than no progress. On the left, is what I am looking to get back to looking like and on the right is my current body. Funny thing is that when I looked like I did on the left, I still wasn’t happy and still considered myself “fat” for my standards. Oh my, how I would love to be this “fat” again.

NATURAL HAIR

When I started on this path of documenting my journey to peace in the areas of my life, I had nearly bra strap length colored hair. Since then, I’ve had to cut all of the color out and start this journey to bra strap length hair all over again with healthy hair. My goal is to keep my hair healthy and reach below my shoulders by the end of the year. I have finally developed a regimen for my wash days that has helped me retain length and most importantly health. My curls are luscious and have life. What I have learned in this process thus far is that in order for life and light to shine through, sometimes, you have to cut the dead ends, even if they’ve been with you forever and no matter how scared you are of starting over. 

HOME MAINTENANCE

Every year, I have a goal of not allowing the little people who reside in my home to treat it like the local junk yard. Every year, this is an epic fail. However, with this year, I am determined we aren’t losing. I have been watching “Tidy Up” on Netflix and I have been purging like crazy! So much so that the aforementioned little people have been keeping up with their belongings in their rooms and off of the floor. By now, they know if I go to sweep and it’s on the floor, it’s trash; but they’re quickly learning if it’s out and I’m purging, it’s a goner too! I am trying to get closer to being a more minimalist household. We shall see; however, the start is clearing out the garage, which has been home to all of our boxes that we haven’t unpacked since we moved in nearly a year ago. The garage has been home to boxes of clothes from well meaning people who passed down their children’s clothes to my youngest little people and they have ballooned into this never ending pile of clothes to go through. Sigh!

I want my home to look nice and I not have a panic attack when someone says they’re on the way over. It sounds good to say “it’s my house and it’s lived in and I have small kids, so deal with it” but my anxiety always gets the better of me. I don’t like for my house to be a mess, not for others so much but because I can’t relax when I have toys and clothes everywhere.

MARRIAGE

I have been married for nine years come May. Last May, my husband and I talked about the goals for our marriage for the year ahead. My husband told me that he wanted me to work on not getting so upset with him that I give him the silent treatment. I am really good about ignoring you or cutting you off if I feel slighted but this isn’t the best course of action in my marriage. Honestly, I’m not doing so well right now. January doesn’t count in 2019 and the way things are going, February won’t count either. I promise I’m trying though. 

I vow to be a better communicator this year, tell him what I am feeling – even if it hurts- so I can avoid the silence. I have not always spoken up for myself and when I do, it’s usually after I’ve boiled over from anger and that’s never a good thing …

So, I am actively working to speak to him in a manner that shows respect for him as my husband with a balance of asking for what I need in a more forceful manner.

What are you all working on?