50 Before 50 Part 2

So, I turned 50 this week. The goals I made for myself were on the forefront of my mind almost everyday. I must say right off that I did not accomplish all of them. I thought I did a pretty good job at realizing them. So on my birthday, I decided to review them and see just how many I actually accomplished. I was surprised to see that I only completed about half of them! The strange part about this was that I was only mildly disappointed. I still felt a sense of happy contentment. Why? I thought, "Am I a quitter? Am I OK with half finished projects? What have I become?" Then I had to consider my original purpose for setting these goals: ...instead of dreading the big 5-0 or being disappointed with the lack of fanfare, I decided to try the outward approach. I hope to better myself and bless some people along the way. Did I better myself? Did I bless some people this year? ABSOLUTELY! Even the goals I did not achieve, I made tremendous progress in them. There was only one goal that I made zero progress from one birthday to the next. That goal was a physical one. When I created the goals, I had no idea that I would be facing surgery that would change me forever. I can sum up my intentions as this: There was one goal left unrealized, a few goals partially reached and a few goals completely checked-off over the last year. Yes, I am happily content. God has blessed me much more than I deserve.

Good Intentions

I wrote this post about six months ago, but it is relevant today as I am at the end of summer break and heading back to school tomorrow.
I think I am not alone in having many good intentions that I do not follow through with. I am coming to the end of my time on medical leave. Today is my last school day off and I am actually going into school at dismissal time to re-acclimate myself. At the beginning of my time off, I had some goals in mind that I wanted to accomplish while I was off. Nothing big or physical was on the list. One of the items on the list was to write several blogs. Well, this is the first blog I am writing since I have been off. A slow, but good recovery and a recent sinus infection has kept me from feeling very creative or motivated to do anything! So what is it with good intentions? Do they account for anything? Unless we act on them, they accomplish nothing. Is it better to have no intentions and accomplish them all? I feel with that attitude, we would never accomplish anything! So, do we shoot high, set several goals and just hope to meet some of them? That would be like setting up 50 obscure targets in a field, firing a machine gun in the general direction of them, and hoping to hit a couple bull's eyes. That seems kind of dangerous to me. I have learned to do a few things when I find myself conjuring up good intentions that I know I will never realize.
1. Prioritize.
2. Be realistic.
3. Make a plan.
4. Get started right away.

Prioritize.
Write a list of all the items, goals, dreams, actions, etc. you want to accomplish. Choose the ones that are most important to you and list them in order of importance or timing.
Be Realistic.
Take a closer look at the items on the bottom of your list. Are there one or more items on there that you know you just do not have the time, energy, or resources to accomplish in the near future? If so, scratch them off now. If you cannot bear to scratch them off, make two lists. Make a 'Right Now' list and a 'For Later' list. Set the latter one aside for now and focus on the 'Right Now.' Read over them again. Is it realistic to think you can accomplish these goals within a realistic period of time? Do some of these need to be moved over to the 'For Later' list?
Make a Plan.
Once you have your Right Now, realistic list prioritized in order of importance or timing, it is time to make a plan! Is there a goal on your list you can accomplish quickly? If so, just do it. Do it now. Is there an item with multiple steps, something that will take a little longer to realize? You may need to get started on this. Go through your list and make a specific plan for each goal and when you will complete each step of the plan.
Get started!
The sooner you can start crossing off things on the list or on the plan, the more motivated you will be to finish the rest of the list.
I pray that this post helps you in some small way as you turn those good intentions into solid accomplishments.

The Smell of Coffee... or Skunk!?

I have often been driving down the road when a odorous sensation overcomes my olfactory senses. At the first casual sniff, I think "Ahh Coffee. Mmmm. Wish I had some right now." Then upon further contemplation of the second inhalation, I realize that it is not coffee I smell. It is indeed a skunk smell! Skunk?! How could I possibly get two very different odors confused? They are most certainly nothing alike! And I do not wish I had some of that right now or ever! It got me thinking about sin. How often do we get fully engaged in something we think is not only innocent, but delightful and beneficial to us. After a short time, we come to realize that it is not what we thought. Not only is it not what we thought, but it is disgusting! Satan is sly and knows how to use what we love, what we are attracted to to lure us into a place where we would not normally, consciously plan to go. Once we are in the middle of it, we realize that we are immersed in something similar to skunk! So what do we do? How do we get out of that mess? How do we get rid of the smell?! First, I think the sooner we "about face" the better! As soon as we realize that we are in the middle of something awful, we need to stop and recognize the error of our ways. And we don't just stop and continue to stare at it and speculate if we are justified in our actions. No! We need to run the other way! Distract ourselves with something more honorable. The Bible says in Philippines chapter 4 to think on good things. Think on things that are good, true, honorable, right, pure, beautiful and respected. This is not just a terrific feel-good verse to print out and post. This is one of those verses to live by, a mantra to rehearse. When I have been tempted to worry, this verse has saved me from an evening of heartburn. When I was dealing with anxiety, this verse helped me hourly on those tumultuous days. When I hear negative gossip about a colleague, this verse helps me turn the negative into a positive. Yes. This is a verse to commit to heart. So, when you think you smell coffee and it turns out to be skunk, remember this verse, think about something true and right, and go find yourself a cup of freshly brewed coffee.