One of my favorite things is new beginnings – new day, week, month, year. You name it. I love taking time to look ahead to the future and use a new beginning as a springboard for changes in my life. With the new year already upon us, it only seems appropriate to look ahead to what it holds:

– the end of my sophomore year and then half of my junior year

– a summer internship in the pro-life movement

– the end of my teenage years

– the end of my first year as president of Ravens Respect Life

– the first wedding in my immediate family

– lots and lots of good reading material and opportunities to become a better person

Reading Rediscovering Catholicism and the 4 Signs of a Dynamic Catholic this past year inspired me with the concept of becoming the-best-version-of-myself. It’s hard a lot of the time. Annnnnnd sometimes I fail at it. But I am always conscious of it now. I have found where God wants me to be right now – studying at Benedictine and working in the pro-life movement – and know that through it I will continue to face challenges. My life is determined by how I respond to the situations, people, and opportunities thrown my way. So I’d better make the best of my life and strive to not just live my life, but thrive with all that I have been given.

Here are some things I plan to work on throughout 2014 in no particular order:

1. Regular sidewalk counseling

Through RRL we’re working on starting a regular program for students to be trained and then go out and reach women outside of abortion clinics. It’s exciting and somewhat terrifying at the same time. But mostly exciting. I’m going to be on the frontlines with other students striving to “Be the Light” for people in desperate situations.

2. Writing regularly for Live Action

This is something I have seriously neglected for the past couple months. I’m not sure why, except that classes and activities were rather consuming. I love writing for Live Action so I need to make time to do this.

3. Being more positive

Right now one of the books I’m reading is A people of hope. An interesting concept that I was just reading about in it is that of affirmative orthodoxy. It’s basically the concept of talking about what the church says yes to instead of what it says no to. And it goes into detail about how Cardinal Dolan is seen as a wimp sometimes when he doesn’t call people out on things. He talks more about the positive aspects of what we believe instead of tearing people down. Now, I don’t want to be a wimp. But I know for certain that building people up is good. And I need to do more of it. I think this is a reason why I haven’t written a whole lot for Live Action lately because much of what I wrote in the past is based on something negative. I need to rethink my writing strategy and always strive to “Be the Light”.

4. Being less of a procrastinator

An idea one of my friends and I are planning on trying out is treating our school days like work days. We will pack our bags before morning classes (8 or 9am) and take everything for the day. Then we plan to stay out of our rooms until dinner when our working time is over. Any time we’re not in class, we need to find a place to sit down and be constructive knowing that if we work hard we can have the majority of evenings free. It all sound so lovely, right? I’m sure it won’t be so peachy when we start, but I am determined to make this happen.

5. Becoming a better Catholic and all-around better person

This is a never ending process. I will continue to work on my prayer life (adding more adoration), and plan to focus more on practicing virtues and random acts of kindness. Anyone have suggestions for some guideline or framework here? I found out through a (I’m hoping somewhat legitimate) test that I am the same personality type as Mother Teresa . . . so I’ve got lots of work to do studying and learning from her 🙂

6. Getting more fit

One thing I love about college is having exercise classes. That’s how I enjoy working out. I like challenging myself and sweating my head off to awesome music (with the blinds closed!). I plan to do 2 (or more!) 5k’s in 2014, and someday want to do a mini triathlon. I think treating my days like work days will help with time management, which should make working out more realistic.

7. Think more about writing a book

I still think this might have just been a thought on a crazy day . . . but who knows? Any suggestions and/or ideas are welcome.

8. Read

I’ve rediscovered my love of reading and just need to make time for it. Reading about inspirational people and/or faith related books is my favorite!

And now for my actual January goals . . .

1. Finish plans for RRL’s sidewalk counseling program (with my officers!)

I am so, so excited about this especially since we’re taking it seriously and making concrete plans. Get excited. It’s going to be a big learning process, and I know it will be hard. But we have the potential of making a huge impact. Watch out world!

2. Write 3 articles for Live Action.

Seriously, stop making excuses girl. Git on it.

3. Perform 3 random acts of kindness.

I just made a Pinterest board for this. Whoo! It would be neat to make it a group board for people to add to, so let me know if you’d like to be able to pin to it.

4. You know that 9-5 thing? Do it.

This only starts when I get back to school (and excludes when I’m gone for the March for Life).

5. Finish one of my Mother Teresa books (and hang up the poster from Christmas for a daily reminder)

6. Exercise 3 times a week once I’m back at school.

7. Find and buy a zumba workout DVD.

8. Finish the books I am Malala and A people of hope.

And now drumroll please!

I’ve noticed several bloggers out there who do monthly goals so I created a goal challenge link-up where we can all share our posts together to encourage each other throughout the month. Interested? Never written out goals before? Start small and join us!

Add your general 2014 goals and/or January goals to the link-up below (open until the 15th) so we can get started encouraging each other. The rules? Add your own link. In your post, include the picture above. Then visit some of the others in the collection and encourage each other.

P.S. I have no idea if the link-up will work right off the bat, so bear with me as I learn how to do it and email me with any problems!

2013 has come and gone, and one of the best things I did during that time was starting to write monthly goal reviews. It’s made me more accountable, and forces me to think intentionally about what I do. I only started back in September, so it hasn’t been long. But it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done…and I had no idea how awesome it would be back in September when I started.

Here are my December goals and how I did.

1. Follow through with the St. Andrew Novena (meaning: remember to do it every day!).

Done! I did it with a friend at school and my family has done it for years so this wasn’t very hard once I got home.

2. Finish reading at least 2 books.

Well, I haven’t finished any that I can recall. BUT I have a whole stack that’s waiting for me! It’s so exciting. Right now I’m working on I am Malala and A people of hope. Both are really interesting. I’m planning to work on some On My Bookshelf posts soon!

3. Spend quality time over Christmas break with family and friends without the distraction of technology.

Yes! I didn’t bring my laptop with me when we went to visit extended family for the better part of a week. And sometimes I feel bad because I leave my phone back in my room and usually don’t get texts until long after they’re sent…there have been times when I could have gotten off the internet sooner, but for the most part my time on my laptop has been constructive.

4. Exercise at least 2 times a week over break.

Hmm, not sure about this one. I did Jillian once and have done lots of Just Dance (so much fun!!). I can’t say I’ve done two hardcore workouts each week, but I’ve been active enough for sure. I have only slept in and lounged in my pj’s once this whole break.

5. Write 2 articles for Live Action.

Fail.

6. Continue pursuing (and if possible secure) a summer internship.

It’s in the works!! Things are looking promising, so I should have news soon in this area.

Looking back through 2013, I know I’ve come a long way. This last semester alone was a challenge in and of itself. Here’s some of what I’ve learned and worked on:

– daily prayer routine

– being more responsible

– resolving conflict

– working with people whose personalities clash with mine

– using technology more intentionally

– patience

– keeping my mouth shut sometimes

– trusting in God’s plan

 

I’ve got a long way to go in becoming the best version of myself. Right now I’m on the right path and know that with continued effort and dedication on my part, God can use to me to accomplish a lot. It’s so exciting to think about what the future holds.

And now it’s time to think about 2014! Check back tomorrow (Thursday) for my 2014 (and more specifically January) goals.

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!

Hello again.

Goals are fun, huh? They can either give you a little boost from knowing how much you’ve accomplished, or smack you in the face and make you realize how terrible of a person you are. This month was in the middle for me. I didn’t do everything I listed last month, but at the same time when I sat down to re-read them, I kind of laughed at myself. Two months ago my goals were too general, and now I realize that for last month, they were not realistic enough. It’s a learning process.

Sometimes I need to step back and realize that I can’t be all-or-nothing about everything, and need to take smaller steps.

Let’s see how this month went, then I’ll list (hopefully more realistic) goals for this month.

October 2013 Goals (and how they went):

1. Continue going to 40 Days for Life prayers everyday.

Check! The campaign will end tomorrow, and other than when I was gone for Fall Break, I will have only missed two days (one when I was in the Homecoming Parade with RRL, and then tonight when I’m volunteering at a Catholic Education event). I would not have been able to do this if I hadn’t set a reminder on my phone, though. One time I was in the middle of Just Dance with a friend when my phone went off just in time for me to dash over there. Whoohoo!

2. Go to daily Mass twice a week: Tuesday and Thursday.

Fail. I should have realized that Tuesday and Thursday are the worst days of the week for me to go to Mass since I have to get up early the next morning. I’ll change the days for this month!

3. Go to Latin Mass in Kansas City.

Semi-fail. I have not actually gone, BUT there are people on campus who are putting together a group of people to go every month. I’ve been in contact with them, so we’ll see what happens.

4. Do not dilly-dally on social media when there is homework to be done.

Haha. No comment. I do get my homework done, but not always in the most timely manner. I’m getting better though. Baby steps!

5. Finish “On Heaven and Earth”

Nope. I did read almost two whole other books.

6. Exercise 3 times a week. No excuses.

Should I make up some excuse here? Darn, I can’t. I am doing zumba twice a week (OH MY GOSH, SO MUCH FUN!!!). It is the most fun exercise out there. Anyone have a recommendation for a DVD that is not inappropriate? I haven’t really exercised outside of this, but I’m walking a lot more around campus and am staying in fine shape. Yay.

7. Publish 5 articles with Live Action.

Again, what was I thinking? I wrote one. I will most definitely break this record  this month.

8. Set up that meeting to figure out more of where I want to go with next summer’s work.

I did meet with the person on campus, and am very excited about potential jobs for next summer. I don’t have any concrete details yet, but it’s going to be good.

9. Devote a solid hour with no breaks to diligent homework each day – more as necessary.

Fail. I forgot about this one. I’m printing up my new goals so I can actually remember to do them!

10. Start sidewalk counseling.

Success! I brought out a wonderful experienced person to train RRL people, and it was great. We learned a lot, and then she took us outside the clinic we go to. As soon as I have the materials to hand to people, we will be starting a regular schedule of SWC. I am pumped about this, especially since a lot more people are interested than I predicted.

11. Get the “Pillar of Inspiration” set up so I can go stare at it when I want to procrastinate or work on a project that is not extremely important.

It’s a work in progress! I have some of the pictures picked out, and am going to sit down with some suite-mates to finish picking them. They shall be printed this week!

12. Keep adding to my prayer intention booklet and become a prayer warrior for people. Let me know if you have someone (or something) or a specific intention you’d like me to add.

Hmmm. . . . I haven’t added a whole lot to my book. But I’ve remembered a lot of people to pray for. I love how this give my prayers a direction.

13. Read Lumen Fidei.

Nopety, nope, nope.

November 2013 Goals

1. Go to Mass twice a week: Monday and Wednesday.

2. Go to Latin Mass.

3. Finish On Heaven and Earth.

4. Do one exercise video a week (on top of zumba class) on Saturdays.

 – Thanksgiving weekend is excluded.

5. Write 3 articles for Live Action.

6. Work on summer plans. If possible, secure internship.

7. Start  working on homework assignments before dinner.

8. Print pictures for the Pillar of Inspiration and hang them up.

9. Add at least 1 prayer intention to my booklet each day.

10. Write at least 1 non Quick Takes post a week.

See you next month to see how it went!

Goals . . . huh? Did I set goals? Oh yeah. I did. And surprise, surprise, they did not all happen.

But I figured out why: I was not specific enough. Hence this list:

1. Do not waste time on my computer.

Um, hum. I have to say that most of the time my laptop is on I am working or doing homework. But I’m still on it more than I’d like.

2. Work on my prayer life.

I did make progress here. Yay! I’m doing adoration once a week and 40 Days for Life prayers (with a chaplet of divine mercy) everyday. It’s wonderful. I’m also working on “On Heaven and Earth” by Pope Francis which is beautiful. Praying and focusing on God’s will makes me such a better person.

3. Exercise 3 times a week.

I have been exercising (inconsistently) almost 3 days a week. We did it MWF a couple weeks and then got thrown off with always-changing schedules. But I have a fabulous playlist that we blast, and it’s fun.

4. Eat healthy(ish).

The cafeteria is trying to be healthy this year, but the food is not different. They just serve you teeny portions. This one is not too hard for me, though, because I feel like this when I’m not eating well:

No I don’t quite feel like an over-sized and creepy slug man sleazebag. But you get the picture. Eating poorly makes me feel gross, and I know that, so I do an okay job of eating fine. *Not counting my Nutella consumption*

5. Publish 5 articles with Live Action.

Fail. I published one. This goal kills me because I have several articles I want to write but just have to make the time.

6. Start a list of potential employers for next summer.

I’m still throwing around ideas about where I want to go with my work next summer: stay home, go to an internship, pro-life, or business experience? I’ve been trying to set up a meeting with the person on campus who does things like this and helps students find jobs, but haven’t heard back about it yet.

7. Think about writing a book.

I certainly thought about it, but no more than that.

8. Figure out a process for keeping track of homework.

I write each homework assignment on a sticky note and put it on the side of my dresser. Then when it’s done I tear it up. The only problem is when I forget to put it up there and it’s only in my notes and I forget to check those….

9. Devote one hour a day to diligent homework.

No comment.

 

We talked about setting S.M.A.R.T. goals in my management class recently, and it makes sense. Obviously. Lots of smart and professional people use this. I’ll definitely keep it in mind more as I continue trying to be a better person through goal setting. Here’s what it stands for:

 

Here are my October 2013 goals:

 

1. Continue going to 40 Days for Life prayers everyday.

2. Go to daily Mass twice a week: Tuesday and Thursday.

3. Go to Latin Mass in Kansas City.

4. Do not dilly-dally on social media when there is homework to be done.

5. Finish “On Heaven and Earth”

6. Exercise 3 times a week. No excuses.

7. Publish 5 articles with Live Action. 

8. Set up that meeting to figure out more of where I want to go with next summer’s work.

9. Devote a solid hour with no breaks to diligent homework each day – more as necessary.

10. Start sidewalk counseling.

11. Get the “Pillar of Inspiration” set up so I can go stare at it when I want to procrastinate or work on a project that is not extremely important.

12. Keep adding to my prayer intention booklet and become a prayer warrior for people. Let me know if you have someone (or something) or a specific intention you’d like me to add.

13. Read Lumen Fidei.

 

Are you setting goals? Want to share some insight on mine? Fire away in the comment section!