As I started thinking about revising my goals for the new year, at first I looked at categories for my goals as things that I was fed up with (e.g. a messy house) and new things I wanted to do (practice the organ). I found goals from previous years and I could see that I was choosing pretty much the same goals year after year. I was making progress in some areas, but it seemed a bit silly to not have really accomplished these things after so many years of trying (why am I not still consistent in my scripture study, for example?).
In the end, I decided to take a different approach to my New Year's goals by just starting off by setting one. By setting too many, it was watering down the results, I think. I decided to just choose what I thought was most important--the thing that was bothering me the most, which was my dismal visiting teaching record.
I know how important visiting teaching is. I consider it one of the best ways to follow Christ, taking care of others. Yet, even though I have such a strong testimony of it, I was allowing myself to put it on the back burner. I would give minimal effort, but that only gave me minimal results. Sometimes it seems so hard to arrange, that I didn't really try.
So, with my intent to eventually add in other goals about service, I decided that for January, I would just deal with visiting teaching.
I managed to make contact with all my sisters and have a real visit with my partner with one of our sisters and have brief visits alone with the other 3--meeting one for the first time, even--while my son was having his piano lesson from my vting partner. So, I'm feeling pretty good, but not totally so.
In February I hope to have real visits with all.
I wish I could say that I'm still working on cleaning my house, but I'm not really as the genealogy bug has hit again and the house is sliding--but I don't feel 100% guilty over that. I feel more guilt over the fact that I need to get my kids to do more around the house...
last year's goals that I posted (red means I didn't go it, blue means I did, and purple means inconsistent efforts):
Self:
Spanish--almost daily take time to read novels, listen to internet lessons, watch movies, or study vocab
piano--have one hymn or song at all times to practice daily
exercise--move in some form at least 5-6 days/week for 30 minutes
diet--whole grains, fruits, and veggies; watch sugar intake
Home and family:
continue to organize and fix up/replace/repair
garden [I started the seeds, but Glen and Alex did everything else]
clean up yard
work on getting kids ready to live on their own
be more supportive of Glen
stop criticizing
regular FHE and family scripture study
Financial:
sub 2-3 times/week
figure out how much to put in IRAs and savings monthly
Spiritual:
VT--real contact with each sister each month
temple--continue to find names and go at least 3 times/month when kids are in school
scriptures--read daily and memorize scriptures with the senior Primary children
serve more
