Theme and goals for 2015

Personal experience has shown that I do better with my goals when I write them down and evaluate. So  here you go, all three people that still read my blog--I'm asking you to help me be accountable this year :).

A couple years ago I decided to create a theme for myself for the year. My 2014 theme was two fold:

"Come Unto Christ, and be perfected in Him; and deny yourselves of all ungodliness"

Moroni 10:32

***

Diligence

Work

and Self-Discipline

How do you accomplish the goals in that scripture in one year?? The answer is easy. You don't. It's a lifelong process, and one that I still will never fully achieve. I will always have a little bit of ungodliness in me--hopefully less and less each year though. What mattered this year was that I TRIED. I really focused on my relationship with my Savior this past year. I learned so much about the Atonement. I discovered so much in my life that isn't necessary. So much that keeps me distracted, disobedient, or discouraged--all tools from Satan. I really tried to eliminate distractions from my life and while I still have a long way to go, I've made some good strides. 

I have come to love this scripture because I honestly applied it in some form to my daily life last year. I feel closer to Christ now than I did at the beginning of 2014, which was my overall goal. That has required LOTS of lessons in humility, which unfortunately I'm still learning. When will I ever just get it?? But overall I've progressed, so I think the year was a success.

The other half of my theme...yeah I think I could definitely carry those into this year. I'm still nowhere near where I want to be. One of my biggest shortcomings is lacking self-motivation to accomplish tasks I don't like.  I think the key for me is to be anxiously engaged in a good cause. Those qualities (diligence, work and self-discipline) come naturally to me when I'm busy. I struggle with them when I'm idle. So I'm excited to continue working on my personal development there in the context of my new theme this year: 

"O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve Him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day."

D&C 4:2

I LOVE that this is the mutual theme and I'm amazed that it includes everything that I need to work on personally. That's just another witness to me that I am serving where I should be in the church right now. I need the focus of this theme in my life, personally as well as for my calling. I have loved studying and pondering the different parts of this scripture--it is jam PACKED with things to work on. I have some great plans for myself! Here's a highlight:

• Obedience with exactness to all commandments and church guidelines outlined in the handbook
• Index 200 names--about one sit-down session a month (I only did 40 last year, so this is a worthy goal for me)
• Find at least one family name to take to the temple in July
• Fully live our stake's mission plan
• Find one new way to focus on serving others each month
• Invite a friend to two ward or stake activities/conferences/sacrament meetings
• Prepare a friend to be taught by the missionaries
• Read the entire Book of Mormon
• Complete my Personal Progress

That seems intense, but most of those are goals that our stake youth came up with to accomplish in 2015. I am impressed with their desire to be righteous and I want to join on their journey this year. I just continue to feel in this calling that I can't ask anyone to do anything I'm not willing to do myself. So here I go! It's going to be a busy year!

We also have some family goals that we formed around Elder Scott's October 2014 conference talk. We set some specific plans in the following areas: 

• Personal and family prayer
• Personal and family scripture study
• Family Home Evening
• Temple attendance

We also have family plans for travel and activities, but let's be honest, those aren't goals because we know we're going to make them happen. We're kind of crazy that way and like to play too hard :)

I only have two somewhat secular goals, which are still family oriented, but are things I REALLY struggle with and so therefore need to limit my focus. 

• budgeting
• menu planning

Oh man, how I hate hate hate menu planning!! And regularly updating/reconciling the budget! I don't know why I'm so bad at them! They are my least favorite chores by far. But obviously those things are not going to magically disappear from my life, so 2015 is the year I master them! Or at least develop a better system for them. I can't put it off any longer. Any tips or advice there?? I'd greatly appreciate it!