2014 Goals & a Goal Link-Up!

~ Laura ~ 5 Comments

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!

BecomingaBetterMe

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 Goal Review

~ Laura ~ Leave a comment

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.

7 Quick Takes – Vol. 42

~ Laura ~ 3 Comments

— 1 —

Merry Christmas! You know one of the many reasons being Catholic is so awesome? We’ve got 12 days of celebrating after the fact. Woot! Happy Birthday Baby J.

nativityscene

— 2 —

It’s lovely being home and not having classes to think about. I haven’t had too many sleeping in days, but have enough relaxing time that it’s been a real vacation from school (mostly). I have a growing stack of good books to dig into, and am looking forward on starting those before break is over.

— 3 —

Guess what decided to break when I got home? My camera. Uh huh. I am always the one taking pictures at school and love sharing them with people. And it broke. I didn’t drop it or anything. It just won’t turn on. Nikon has a weird return process where they force you to pay before the item is serviced and the base amount they were going to charge me was the same a refurbished camera would cost. So I bought a refurbished one which is on its way. Now hurry up so I can take pictures again!!!

— 4 —

I am so excited to bring this new pro-life film to Benedictine! We can’t announce the details on the time and location yet since they haven’t been confirmed, but I can tell you that THIS is what we’ll be showing.

Get excited!!!!

— 5 —

Baby fix of the week? Check out these 17 babies having (hilariously cute) bad hair days.

— 6 —

I thought this was a pretty good video: 20 things we should say more often. Anyone want a corndog now?

— 7 —

And now it’s time for more family time, visiting, family parties, cooking, and more. Posts are in the works and I’m loving getting back into writing. See you again soon!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes – Vol. 41

~ Laura ~ 4 Comments

— 1 —

Hello from the other side of finals! It feels oh so good to be done and be able to chill in my pajamas at noon…quite a rarity in my book. A break was much needed after all the stress of this semester. Now I’ve been spending the last couple days babysitting, enjoying family time, baking (yum!), singing Christmas songs, and getting the festive spirit on.

— 2 —

Christmas cards . . . love ’em? Hate ’em? I absolutely LOVE getting Christmas cards. Sending them is not as fun, but I think it’s nice to personally remember people who are (or were in the past) a significant part of your life, and keep them in the loop with how yours is going. People have definitely cut down on them over the last several years, and I so wish this were something more people cared about. I mean, getting mail is just so fun! And who doesn’t love having a short little note that someone took the time to hand write? Well, I’m guessing people like this probably wouldn’t feel like doing it:

Don’t be like that, though! Christmas is a time to celebrate the joy and awesomeness of Jesus being born (like a boss in Bethlehem).

— 3 —

Have you been keeping up with the Duck Dynasty thing? Check out my latest thoughts on it here. It’s funny because the comments on articles (Yahoo News, etc.) are highly supportive of Phil, while most of the reporting is not. Hey media, maybe you should try to reflect the actual sentiments of your readers! Almost all the people say something like “It’s what be believes. Deal with it.”. It’s nice to see that for once!

— 4 —

Ever watch the show “What would you do?” Here’s a video from it that I saw recently:

Pretty neat, huh? There aren’t many shows I really enjoy watching, but this one is really interesting. I love seeing how people respond to crazy situations. Sure gives me a bit of hope for society sometimes!

— 5 —

Look at this beautiful piece of art I saw recently! Isn’t it beautiful? It’s almost time for Jesus to be born! Yay! Look at those smiles 🙂

Beautiful: Mary, Elizabeth, and Baby Jesus

— 6 —

Need some awesomeness to add to your day? Check out these 10 “Mind Blowing Images of Human Life in the Womb“. Life is pretty amazing.

At about 10 weeks...
~10 weeks

— 7 —

And now It’s almost time for Christmas. Enjoy the time with your family and friends, and don’t forget the reason for the season!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Duck Dynasty and the Hypocrisy of Tolerance

~ Laura ~ 5 Comments

You’ve probably heard by now: the patriarch of Duck Dynasty’s Robertson family, Phil, made some comments about homosexual people and was suspended from the show because of it.

Here’s the original article. Below are the parts including Phil’s statements about homosexual people/behavior.

On immoral behavior in America:

“Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men,” he says. Then he paraphrases Corinthians: “Don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers—they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right.”

On loving people:

“We never, ever judge someone on who’s going to heaven, hell. That’s the Almighty’s job. We just love ’em, give ’em the good news about Jesus—whether they’re homosexuals, drunks, terrorists. We let God sort ’em out later, you see what I’m saying?”

Now let’s look at what Phil did not say:

1. I hate gay people.

2. Gay people suck.

3. Gay people are sinners.

4. Ew, gay people.

5. Oh yeah. Did I forget to mention that gay people are terrible, horrible, no-good, and very bad?

Despite the fact that Phil did not communicate any of these statements, these are exactly the sentiments that most articles about this issue are conveying. Why? Because if you’re not a gay-rights activist, you’re a gay-hating bigot. Obviously.

You know what? People need to get over that fact that not everyone thinks the same way and has the same opinions.

Especially in the media we’re bombarded with all the things we’re supposed to be tolerant of, with gay marriage/behavior/etc. being one of them. But I think it’s kind of funny how many things the media themselves are not tolerant of:

1. Catholics, Christians, and pretty much any type of religious person

2. People who subscribe to a set of moral standards

3. People who think differently than what society tells you is right

If the media were truly tolerant, a reporter might have said something like “Oh, that’s interesting.” when Phil made him comments. You report it and move on. But that’s not what happened. If A&E were truly tolerant, it wouldn’t even be a possibility in their minds to suspend the head of their most popular show just because he said something they disagree with. But that’s not what happened. If society were truly tolerant, people who don’t believe in gay marriage would not be called bigots and haters. But that’s not what happens.

In a society where we’re constantly told to be tolerant, I find it interesting that A&E responded to this in such an intolerant way. It goes both ways, folks.

 

 

What do you think about the matter? Was Phil rude with what he said? Was A&E justified in their decision? Where do you see Duck Dynasty’s future?