Goals

“Time sure flies when you don’t know where you are on the map.”

Derek Webb, “Eye of the Hurricane”

As 2013 flipped to 2014, I had many conversations with friends about resolutions and goals.  I shared some devotional thoughts at our company staff meeting about the horrible follow-through percentages when it comes to resolutions.  And I challenged our employees to set goals instead of making resolutions.  Resolutions make for good January conversation fodder; goals are more concrete and come with a plan, ideally.

I take our 1-1/2 year old son to school most every morning.  Our ritual includes listening to Derek Webb’s CD “I Was Wrong, I’m Sorry, and I Love You.”  (Please withhold your judgment regarding what I am doing theologically to my son.  I’m hoping to nurture a thinking child.)  We do tracks 5 & 6, then go back to track 2.  Webb is a master of the thought-provoking line (“If you’re the only one who runs a race, it might be to get away” and “On that day, we’ll run out of time for death and tears” come immediately to mind.) and one that hits me every time I hear it is the quote above – “Time sure flies when you don’t know where you are on the map.”

I am NOT a planner.  I am a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants-and-hope-it-works kind of guy.  Usually that leads to a lot of activity and very little productivity.  So I am trying to change – at least a little bit.  My wife (who IS a planner/preparer) and I are trying some new things to get things done – a weekly staff meeting, an allocated spending plan, a monthly menu, etc.  So far, it’s proving helpful.  But it’s still January.

I have broken our 2014 goals down into six categories: personal, financial, family, 8^th Day Collective (our church), reading, and work (Accolade & Yahwear).  Each month I am writing out specific things that I hope to accomplish in that month, as well as stretch goals and “on the horizon” goals.  In January, I accomplished about 50% of my goals, and 11% of my stretch goals.  While that’s not anything earth-shattering, it sure is better than having no idea where I am on the map.

One of the goals that I didn’t accomplish in January was to blog weekly.  (I DID, however, blog weakly.)  So this is the first attempt to make that goal happen in February.  I have a plan for blogging as well, so look for thoughts on hospice and friends, train rides and books. 

Two questions as I wrap this up: 

1) What are YOUR goals for 2014 and what kind of plan to you have to make that happen?

2) What topics would you love to have me start a discussion about here on the blog?