Goals for 2015

I love accomplishing tasks. At the end of the day, I feel good when I have knocked out all most of my to-do list. You may be like me, and I assume I'm not much different than most people in this area.

I am rarely satisfied with my performance or with how I view the world around me. This is good in that I am driven to work and to make things better. This is bad in that my heart struggles to rest and find contentment.

That being said, my list of goals / resolutions for 2015 will be . . . nothing.

Well, not really nothing. But close enough for me.

Putting Aside Myself

I was all set to make some new goals for 2015. I had a list of ideas that I pulled from other blogs that I follow. If you knew my Small Things goal (2013) and my New Skills goal (2014), you would not be surprised.

I am not turning anti-goals. I think goals and resolutions are helpful. As Christina Fox wrote, "We ought to be purposeful, intentional, and determined in the way we live." And in 2015, I will continue to aim to live intentionally and purposefully.

However, I noticed over the past couple of years that my goals have become too much of a focus for me. I don't regret what I've done, as my goals have stretched me in new ways (and have provided fodder for discussion among my family and friends).

I just feel like I need to get my focus off myself.

My Goals

It's not like I am giving up on goals. I expect that next year (or the following), my pendulum will swing the other direction and I'll get full blast back into specific, measurable, and challenging goals.

And it's not like I'll be doing nothing at all. I will, in fact, work on two things in my life, stemming off of my desire to focus my family on the Bible. I will strive to love God and love others.

I'll write more about this in the future, of how I plan to live out love. But here is the sneak preview of what I'm thinking:

• Love God:  This will be focused on my Bible reading plan, and on prayer. 
• Love Others:  More than anything, I have been realizing that I need to love my family (my wife and kids) more. And I also need to grow in my love for my church, my neighborhood, and my community.

That's it. That's my focus for 2015: Love God and Love Others. Simple for me, and powerful by the grace of God.

"And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. . . . You shall love your neighbor as yourself."   (Mark 12:30-31)

One More Tool 

This isn't really a goal, but I wanted to try something else to challenge me. I will be be using a journal (from the Art of Manliness) that will mimic Benjamin Franklin's pursuit of the virtuous life. Of course, I disagree with Franklin's philosophy that we can make ourselves to be morally-perfect people purely by our own efforts. But I also know that we are called to aim for holiness (Matthew 5:48; I Peter 1:16).

I bought the journal inserts (not the leatherbound version), and will follow this 13-week plan. Please feel free to ask me how it's going, since we all need encouragement and accountability.


What about you? Do you have any goals / resolutions / plans for 2015? I'd love to hear in the comments below.

Photo credit: Lυвαιв / iW / CC BY-NC-SA