November is by far my most successful month of goal setting (so far). And I think that’s partially because I printed them out and hung them in a visible place in my room. It made me more accountable, and constantly reminded me of what I wanted to do. Here’s what I said I would do:
1. Go to Mass twice a week: Monday and Wednesday.
I’ve finally found the right days! The only M/W(s) I didn’t go was when I had an extremely stressful test the next day which took over 8 hours of studying to prepare for. Ouch. I probably could have used some graces from Mass, but chose to focus on homework. I didn’t go the Wednesday before Thanksgiving either, since we were traveling. Otherwise, this was pretty successful, and I plan to continue as much as I can.
2. Go to Latin Mass.
Check! It was beautiful. ‘Nuf said. There’s a group of people on campus who plan to go once a month, and at this point I plan to continue.
3. Finish On Heaven and Earth.
Yeah, no. I haven’t done a whole lot of book reading, and this one is super dry. Maybe over Christmas?
4. Do one exercise video a week (on top of zumba class) on Saturdays (Thanksgiving weekend is excluded).
We did a couple, but not consistently.
5. Write 3 articles for Live Action.
Nope. Looking back at the last few months, this something I’ve been consistently bad at. No more! I absolutely love writing for Live Action and just need to figure out a constructive plan for how to remind myself to do it.
6. Work on summer plans. If possible, secure internship.
Something’s brewing! I recently sent in my resume to one place after meeting with the career development staff person on campus who helped me sort through all the details. We’ll see how things end up. Whatever happens, I know it’s going to rock. I will update when I have concrete details!
7. Start working on homework assignments before dinner.
This one I seriously did not remember a lot of the time, so I’m not really even sure how successful I was. Overall I have made some changes to my homework routine over the last month, and have freaked people out by sitting down to study for significant periods of time. Yay knowledge. I’m at least moving in the right direction!
8. Print pictures for the Pillar of Inspiration and hang them up.
I’m guessing you probably can’t read all then from afar, so check out this Pinterest board I created with friends where most of these photos are. Can you feel the inspiration?
9. Add at least 1 prayer intention to my booklet each day.
Yes!!! This is the absolute most wonderful goal I made last month!
Starting on the 3rd of last month, I wrote down at least 1 prayer intention each day. Usually I would add things as I heard about them throughout the day – it surprised me how many opportunities to pray for people I must have missed in the past. Now when I hear someone ask for prayers, I add them to my book and bam! I pray for them. Most of the time I end my day by adding any last intentions and praying for them all before bed. This is definitely something I plan to continue, especially since it makes praying so much more intentional.
10. Write at least 1 non Quick Takes post a week.
I wrote two: “On dressing like a hoochie mama” about modesty and the way women dress, and “If it makes you happy . . .” about the Catholic position on gay marriage (and homosexuality in general). Both were written in moments of inspiration after personal encounters with the subjects, which (probably a duh by now) I’ve discovered is the best time for me to write. In those moments it’s much easier for me to write from the heart and communicate what I want to say. Now if only I would be inspired to write about things when I have time to do it . . . as I get better with time management, I know I’ll get better at this.
And now for December goals:
1. Follow through with the St. Andrew Novena (meaning: remember to do it every day!).
2. Finish reading at least 2 books.
3. Spend quality time over Christmas break with family and friends without the distraction of technology.
4. Exercise at least 2 times a week over break.
5. Write 2 articles for Live Action.
6. Continue pursuing (and if possible secure) a summer internship.
See you back in a month to see how things went! Want to join me in making goals? Start fresh in January with me!
A Drop in the Ocean 
You go, girl!
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