New Year, Old Goals

I’ve thought about writing some blog posts, or a blog of sorts here on my website for several months now. I have been hesitant because I don’t really know exactly what I want to say, what I would like to share. But here goes nothing! I’m not one to make New Years resolutions, I prefer just setting goals as I go along, any time of year, even any day of the week, not just Monday’s! But this year I decided to actually write down some of those goals that are ever present in my mind. I know it helps to write those kinds of things down, to make a plan, and then persevere through those steps. So these goals for me aren’t new, but they aren’t just recycled goals that we do for a few weeks and then disregard. They are things I have been actively working on, but will continue to do so. And when they are complete, I will move on to new goals. Some will not really ever be complete, just simply change as my time and abilities change. Others will be completed and I will move on to new things as I go through the year. So, in no particular order:

Goal # 1: I play the piano. I love to play the piano. I enjoy playing for others and sharing my talent in church and in the community. I have found the best way for a talent to grow is to share it! However, with Covid there hasn’t been as many opportunities to do that this year and I noticed I haven’t been practicing as much as I should, and my dexterity has been slipping a bit. So I have committed to practicing 4 days a week, a minimum of 30 minutes each day.

Goal # 2: I love painting, as you may be able to see from my website. I have been taking an online watercolor college course, and will continue. I am half way through the intermediate course and still have the advanced course to complete. I am enjoying this course and learning so much. I am also learning that I have a unique style of painting that I have already developed, and discovered ways that I find easier to do some things, but I am grateful for the techniques that I am learning and will continue to learn. My goal is to paint at least 5 days a week, and to finish this online course. It won’t take me a year, but I’ll move on when I’m done. There is no daily time limit on this one as some things take a long time to paint, some steps are pretty quick, but very wet and take a while to dry.

Goal # 3: I want to have a better relationship with my Heavenly Father, so I will be focusing on thinking before I pray, pondering upon what I will talk to my Heavenly Father about, and then praying with the intent to listen and obey. I had a wonderful Seminary student say – “you don’t walk in to the house and tell your family the same thing over and over again every day, why would you talk to Heavenly Father like that?” I now look at prayer differently, and I am so grateful for his comment, and the things I learn from these awesome youth.

And lastly, Goal # 4: I homeschool my kids through Middle School. I spend a lot of time sitting at my kitchen table, not teaching, just waiting for them to work through things so we can correct and move on. They work better when we do so and we finish much more quickly. I have done a number of things through the years to keep myself busy. I study my scriptures, right now my Seminary lesson as well, I have done embroidery and made all 4 of my kids quilts, but I wanted to learn something new. Last year I decided to learn a new language. At first I thought something easy like Spanish since I had taken that in High School. But I wanted more of a challenge, so I decided to learn Mandarin Chinese. Last year I learned how to read, write, and the definitions and pronunciations of a little over 400 words. my new goal: Learn at least 10 common Chinese phrases each month. How to read, write, pronounce and be able to recognize them when I hear them.

I am grateful to have a self motivated personality. I am usually pretty dedicated to things that I really want to do. But aren’t we all if it’s something we really want. They key is to keep at it when it gets hard, and move forward even when we don’t always see the path ahead of us. I am grateful for the goals I have accomplished in the past, and the knowledge that it gives me that I can do the things I set my mind to. I hope you have goals and that you work each day to accomplish them as well.