2016 Resolution Recap and New Resolutions for 2017

Listen, 2016 was a fabulous year. The best of my life. But 2016 was rough in the resolutions department. To start with, I was pretty ambitious, setting eight goals in four categories. Then, I started dating, got engaged to, married, and starting living with Brandon all in 2016, which completely disrupted my routine and tossed my resolutions to the side. Honestly, it's not even really worth reviewing because I didn't accomplish any of them and wasn't even close on most. As a review, though, here's what they were:

Spiritual
1. Work on family history once a month. 
2. Weekly gospel application. 
3. Ponderize monthly. 

Personal
1. Practice piano once a week. 
2. Blog within the month. 
3. Letters to nieces and nephews. 

Financial
1. Check in with budget weekly. 

Physical
1. Reach goal weight. 

Rough. All great goals. And I did work on all of them at least somewhat, so at least there's that. But this year will be better.

Recently, President Russell M. Nelson gave a talk entitled, "Joy and Spiritual Survival." A couple weeks ago, as I was listening to the talk again, I was inspired by the message. One quote in particular I think sums up the message well, "My dear brothers and sisters, the joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives. When the focus of our lives is on God's plan of salvation and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening - or not happening - in our lives. Joy comes from and because of Him. He is the source of all joy."

My overall goal for this year is to focus myself more on Jesus Christ and His gospel, and to therefore enjoy deep satisfaction and joy regardless of what's happening. This past year, I lost my focus a bit - dating, engagement, wedding planning, and figuring out newlywed/step-motherhood life often trumped my relationship with Christ and that's something I want to get back this year. As a result, I've tried to set some resolutions that I think will help me do that. I also tried to simplify a bit - choose only a few goals that I really feel committed to - so hopefully I'll be able to direct my attention to being successful in those areas. Here's what I've got:

Spiritual
1. Family history once a month. This is a repeat from the last two years, and it's not too hard for me to do. I mostly just make it a goal to keep it visible so I don't forget to do it. I've got all Brandon's family line to do now, so I have plenty to keep me busy.
2. Attend the temple twice a month. The temple is only forty minutes away, and with Brandon being in class three nights a week and gone one weekend a month, there's really no reason I can't make it up there to do a session two out of thirty days. I have lots of different ordinances to do, so when Brandon's with me, this may be a baptismal session, or when I'm alone it may be an initiatory or endowment session. We will be getting sealed this year, so then we'll be able to do all the ordinances together.
3. Read the scriptures every day. This is not something I have ever had to make a written goal because it has been a habit for almost twenty years. My normal routine has been so disrupted this year, though, that there have been way too many days when scriptures didn't make it into the day. Not this year. I have learned so much from the scriptures and I need that daily nourishment.
4. Do a service project every month. These can be small or even joined up with others (we have four of these planned for Young Women this year). I really just want to have service in my brain on a regular basis so I can make it more of a habit.

Personal
1. Read a new book every other month. I haven't been reading much lately, again with the disrupted schedule, and I'd like to get back into it. That being said, I felt like one a month was probably too ambitious for me, so I'm going every other month. One benefit for this is that Brandon has also set this goal, so that will help. He is currently almost done with his first book, though, and I'm only about a chapter into mine, so...

Financial
1. Pay off credit card. We've consolidated our debt onto one card now, and our goal is to buy a house in about a year, so we're hoping to get the credit card taken care of before that. It's an ambitious goal, but we've got a plan, which includes putting the money saved from the rent (we're hoping to get into a cheaper place) straight onto the card, plus a set monthly amount, plus any extra money we get (refunds, pell grants, etc.).

Physical
1. Reach goal weight. Again. This was my goal last year and I was only fifteen pounds away. This year I'm about forty pounds away. Marriage has not agreed with my waistline and none of my clothes fit. I'm not loving this. I'm starting Weight Watchers again tomorrow, because it's always worked really well for me. I'm looking forward to being comfortable in my clothes again.

While setting these goals this year, I was simultaneously preparing a lesson for Young Women about why Jesus Christ is important in our lives. Among many things, one thing I'm so grateful for is the ability to change. The opportunity to identify things I want to improve and set goals and make plans to achieve what I've set out to do. Without Christ, change would not be an option and we would forever be set in our weak, selfish, carnal ways. I know that with His help, I can accomplish anything. I look forward to all 2017 will bring!