Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe we’re standing toe to toe with a new year and decade. As I have the last couple years, I’ve been thinking through my goals and intentions for 2020 with Lara Casey’s PowerSheets. It’s such an amazing tool to cultivate what matters and count fruit – even if it feels small.
My process of setting goals, always starts out with a word that I feel like the Lord is whispering to me. This year, I was telling Kevin his word should be “open” although I had no reason why and then I took it back because in that exact moment I was like, actually that’s my word. It was the most interesting way of a word coming up for me but I’m excited to run with it. As I let the word marinate through December, open really felt like an invitation for me. Here is the note I took on my phone over the course of a couple weeks:
Open is an invitation to let my guard down, to experience vulnerability, and to invite people in.
Open is an invitation into wonder and delight. To get outside, go for drives, and take in the natural beauty around me.
Open is an invitation to enjoy rhythms over routines. To try new things. To allow flexibility and spontaneity.
Open is an invitation to dig deeper into God’s word and truly experience solitude with the Lord.
Open is an invitation to really live in the margins. To stop scrolling and spend my time doing things that fill my cup.
Open is an invitation to a peaceful, deep, and joy-filled 2020.
Here are my 2020 Goals for the year of OPEN.
Goal 1: Prioritize my health – physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, environmental, and social.
Why? To change the trajectory of my life. To live strong. To be who God made me to be.
The positive affect taking action on this goal may have on me and others: Taking action on this goal will affect all areas of my life, decision making, sleep, energy levels and, of course, the people around me.
Mini Goals:
Create good nutrition habits and portion sizes.
Move my body and challenge myself in my workouts.
Decrease stress through simplification and removing barriers of decision making.
Purchase more second-hand and ethically sourced items.
Starting Steps (and when I’ll do them): download new app for tracking food (12/29); try a cycling class (1/2020); add workouts to my calendar weekly (1/2020)
Goal 2: Allow open to be an invitation to live intentionally.
Why? Being open to change and vulnerability as well as growth of faith will help me to be a better follower of Christ who deeply and intentionally impacts the lives of others.
The positive affect taking action on this goal may have on me and others: Taking action on this goal will allow me to cultivate the fruit of the Spirit, glorify the Lord, and bear fruit in my life and that of others.
Mini Goals:
Experience solitude with God through Bible reading and deeper prayer.
Choose vulnerability with my people to go deeper in relationships.
Love on my people by celebrating and hosting them well.
Invest in daily/weekly/monthly/quarterly rhythms over routines.
Starting Steps (and when I’ll do them): clean off my desk/raskog cart (12/31); order Hobonichi Weeks to be used for Bible Study, gratitude, and church notes (12/30); create a social media mantra (2/2020); plan a trip to see Brittany and Taylor (1/2020)
Happy 2020! I just love the fresh start feeling of the New Year as it’s always a great reminder to reflect and celebrate victories of the previous year, or in this case the previous decade. Each year, I look forward to these posts as a way to count the fruit. You can read previous posts here: 2018 and 2017.
January
I kicked off my One Little Word rest in hopes of prioritizing resting secure in God, cultivating a life of less, drawing from an overflow of rest, listening to my body and heard, and resting and rejoicing in growth and change.
Our sweet Chloe turned 5!
We survived snowpocalypse 2019 – about 20 inches of snow.
I started watching The Office after finishing up Friends in 2018.
Kevin and I tried some new restaurants. Le Bao and 44 Canteen were two of our favorites.
We were regulars at Fuzzy’s Trivia on Thursday nights.
February
I started meeting with a counselor on a weekly basis.
I went to California with Mom and Grandma to celebrate my cousin Mia’s birthday. I was in love with the lemon trees growing fruit in the winter.
My small group friends and I make prayer binders for a craft night.
I made the best watch face of all time.
I worked lots of overtime.
March
Kevin and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary the best way we know how – with some amazing food!
I created a gallery wall (with my absolute favorite photos) that brings a smile to my face every single time I see it.
We tried Mod Pizza with our friends, Jeff and Taylor. Somehow I ended up with dairy free cheese.
I started using Monat hair products and saw huge changes in my curls.
April
We celebrated our Three Year Highridge Ranch-iversary. I just love this space that’s all ours.
Our friend, Taylor, moved in with us. It was such a sweet season of spending time together and watching all the Bachelorette and Fixer Upper.
I ripped out the roses in our front garden beds.
May
Taylor and Jeff left Columbia for the last time as residents.
Kevin and I bought a Honda CRV!
I listened to Sabbath Practice podcast from Bridgetown Church (it was amazing!).
The Stanley Cup Finals put me in a state of anxiety during every single game.
I took a watercoloring class with Bohemia’s School of Artistry and learned so much about light and blending.
June
WE WON THE STANLEY CUP!
We went to the Stanley Cup parade in Downtown St. Louis – the best.
Books Read: The Five Intentions: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully, Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Bread Bad Ones, The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own, and Everybody Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People, The Path Between Us: An Enneagram Journey to Healthy Relationships
July
We celebrated 4th of July in Hamilton with Sarah, Cole, Andrew, Alexa, and Josh.
We went to Weston, MO for a distillery tour, delicious BBQ, and cave bars.
We celebrated Grandma’s 75th Birthday!
I committed to volunteering with Compass 31.
Book Read: Girl, Stop Apologizing
August
I celebrated my 28th Birthday (and make white chocolate raspberry cheesecake to celebrate!)
Mom and Dad took the family to the Lake of the Ozarks for a long weekend.
Kev’s students moved to campus and he officially became “coach”.
We wrapped up the month with the annual Family Golf Tournament.
Kevin and I invested in a record player and spent time searching for gems at the record store in town. Our faves: Eric Church, Billy Joel, and Paul Simon.
Kevin got me a legit Poloroid camera.
I graduated from weekly counseling to only going on an as needed basis.
Books Read: The Coddling of the American Mind, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, A Love Letter Life: Pursue Creatively. Date Intentionally. Love Faithfully.
September
Kevin and I celebrated 10 years together!
Willow gets a forever home and Chloe gets a new best friend.
My first Compass 31 product launch went live with all new products in their shop.
I started leading a college juniors small group at our home.
October
Sarah and Cole sold their house next door and officially move; it was the most sad.
We helped host a dope homecoming tailgate.
First snow of the season (WHY THOUGH?)
My team celebrates me well with Ketchup on Bosses Day.
Books Read: Afraid of All the Things, Just Open the Door: How One Invitation Can Change a Generation
November
Kevin’s Rocket League team wons the NACE Championship and was undefeated in their inaugural season!
We put up the Christmas Tree.
I participated in the Live2Lead Event at work and got to see Rachel Hollis speak – I’m a fan.
We spent Thanksgiving with Claire and Michael and I made my first pumpkin pie.
I went to VU’s Feast Forum and got teary-eyed over the gratitude and goodness of my workplace. I’m so thankful.
I spent Black Friday with Grandma and we shopped til we dropped.
I tried my hand at cooking vegan at home and found some new recipes to incorporate into our regular routine.
Book Read: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
December
I watched 12 Christmas movies before Christmas.
I completely caught up on Project Life – so now I have printed photos from 2013 – present.
Mom and I dressed our dogs up in matching PJs.
VU hosted an incredible Holiday Party, as always!
We made gingerbread houses at work.
Books Read: Grateful American: A Journey from Self to Service, In His Image, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World
I feel like fall came a little later than normal for Missouri this year, but I was happy to start seeing the leaves change colors. I wouldn’t consider fall my favorite season, but the colors sure do make me question myself. October was full of so many good things including Mizzou football, saying “see ya later” to the best neighbors, lots of walks, our first snowfall of the year, and lots of exciting wins for Mizzou Esports.
A lot of people I know seem to be starting to put up Christmas trees, and to be honest, it feels wrong!
November Goals
Monthly Goals:
Schedule at least 2 days of PTO – I have lots of time that I need to take off, so I’m just wanting to start thinking about how I plan to use that.
Meet with each of my small group girls in November – I started leading a small group at the beginning of fall, and I’d like to do a check in with each of my girls before the end of the month.
Weekly Goals:
Exercise 3x/week – simply just making this a habit
Daily Goals
Close Apple Watch Rings
Bible Reading
Meditate using Headspace
October Goals
Monthly Goals
Host a DOPE Tailgate for Mizzou’s Homecoming – Done! So thankful to get everyone together to party. And Mizzou won, so that’s a win-win.
Wrap Up Current Reads – Boom! Just a couple more books to go until I’ve read everything on my shelf.
Delete Podcasts – The amount of freedom taking un-listened to episodes off my “to-do” list, was kind of incredible. On to find more things to pare down.
Decorate the house with autumn decor – Easy, peasy.
Regularly post on my blog and Instagram – Could have done better, but I got a couple out there.
Create a work and personal Trello board – Yes! This was a huge win.
Visit the sunflowers @ MU South Farm – I didn’t make it again this year…maybe 2020!
Weekly Goals
Prep in advance for Compass 31 Launches – Weekly prep just makes the week of launches that much easier. I’m hoping to continue this into the new year by building it into my weekly habits.
Prep our meal plan each week and use pick up for groceries – Meal prep, yes. Pick up groceries, nope.
Weekly Sabbath – Yes!
Daily Goals
No spend – I could always do better in this area, but helpful for tracking.
Weigh ins – Yep!
Close Apple Watch Rings – Hit the move goal 18/31 days in October
At the beginning of last year, I made a goal to spend the entire year focusing on connecting with God in prayer. I read a couple books and did topical bible studies based on prayer and in August, I upped my game by creating a prayer binder. It has easily been one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done to invest in my quiet time with God. Now that I’ve had some time with it, I thought it might be a good time to share it here, too.
First things first, a prayer binder is a tool that helps to keep all of the things I want to pray for in one place. The best thing about using a binder, as opposed to a journal, is that it can always be evolving. Throughout the past 5 months, I’ve rotated and changed things out so that the flow of prayer comes naturally to me. My prayer binder now incorporates prayers (both written by me and by others), scripture, photos, and a couple embellishments here and there. I’m really into paper-crafting, so I had a lot of supplies on hand that I used to get started. Even though mine has lots of patterned paper and decorative bits, it can also be as plain as you want it to be. Here are the supplies I used:
When you get down to it, my binder is comprised of 4 main parts that are made up by the acronym PRAY: Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield. I also have a resources section to keep random information and notes. Each day, I start by praying my way through both the praise and repent sections. When I get to the ask section, it’s set up into daily and weekly prayers. There are things I pray for each day, an then a rotating list of things I pray for weekly. This process give me a more reasonable amount of things to pray for each day and it helps remind me of specific details that I may forget without notes in front of me. This is followed by a section where I yield and being still before God. Throughout all sections, I write my prayers on sticky notes so that they are easily movable. It’s a way for me to wait expectantly, because when God answers the prayers, they get moved to the praise section. This way, I can continually see the work he’s done and the prayers he has answered. Here’s a look into what I’ve included in each of the sections:
I pray specifically for the sin in my life and for my eyes to be opened to the things that I need to bring before the Lord.
A – Ask – Daily
I use an “emergency room” section (an idea from The Reset Girl) which is a spot for anything that is urgent, needs daily prayers, or for specific and upcoming prayer requests.
Bible Verses I include with the “emergency room” section
I pray daily for myself, my heart, goals, divine appointments, and my relationships as they relate to the prayers for the next section.
A – Ask – Weekly
Monday – Our Marriage
Even though I pray for Kevin and our marriage daily, I include it on Mondays as well in more of a ministry type of way and the way we welcome people into our house and life. This is also a catch-all for anything else related to our marriage that doesn’t fall into the daily section. For example:
Our House
Hospitality
Our goals
Tuesday – Friends, Small Group
This is easily my most robust section, as it includes both photos of each person/couple, scripture I pray over each, and any prayer requests or things going on in their lives that I want to pray for. It brings me so much joy to see their sweet faces as I’m lifting them up in prayer.
Wednesday – Non-Believers, Social Media/Influence, Blog
The third day of the week is all about praying for non-believers all over the world and non-believers we interact with on daily basis. I pray for interactions with non-believers and the people we may have influence on in terms of social media, the blog, etc.
Thursday – Our Jobs, Work, Stewardship/Finances, Military
This is a big one – I pray for our specific roles and interactions at work as well as the way we steward our money and pay off our student loans. I ask God to continually give us direction in these things. I specifically work with people who have served in the military, so i’ve included that in this section as well.
This is pretty self explanatory, but I also have pictures, verses, and specific things I am praying for for each person in my immediate family and my relationship with them.
Saturday – Kevin’s Family
This is the exact same set up as I have for my family, except with Kevin’s side.
Sunday – Government, Our Community, The Crossing (Our Church), Missionaries, Ministries and Organizations we Support
This is also quite the doozy of a section. I originally had these split apart but I kept feeling myself overlapping them in prayer, so I put them all together. I’ve found a couple really great prayers online for each of these.
Enneagram Quote about Resting in God’s Presence – As I have studied the Enneagram, I have learned a lot about the impact it has on my faith and some of the things that I have a hard time with. For me, that is being still before God. No question that this has always been a struggle, but I had just always called it a distraction or wandering brain. I picked out a couple quotes from The Sacred Enneagram and some images from @xoenneagram on Instagram that relate to this topic and the Enneagram.
I’ve drawn a lot of inspiration from Cori the Reset Girl (her video is below), but there are tons of great resources on the internet.
Mysa Home Styling’s Setting the Table – you have to sign up for emails to get this little guide, but I’m telling you, it’s worth it. I keep this in the front of my prayer binder and it’s been a good reminder to make my home more comfortable for others.
For the past three years, I’ve set goals for the year (and month) using the Cultivate What Matters Powersheets. It is always such an incredible experience of reviewing the victories, fruit, and down falls of the previous year in order to make intentional goals for the next. I typically carve out time between Christmas and New Years to sit down and work on the Prep Pages. Writing it all out really helps me to solidify my plan and hold myself accountable.
My process for setting goals, always starts with a word of intention, or a One Little Word. I mentioned last year that I’ve chosen six words so far, and 2019 is no different. The word Rest starting whispering itself to me in September and I officially decided on it in November. As I considered this word, I really had a couple things in mind for why I chose it and how I wanted it to impact my 2019 goals. Here are some of the overarching themes for this year:
Resting secure in God.
Cultivating a life of less.
Drawing from an overflow of rest.
Listening to my body and heart.
Resting and rejoicing in change and growth.
This is likely going to be the most challenging one little word, but I can’t wait for all that this year holds.
Here are my 2019 Goals for the year of REST.
Goal 1: Cultivate a life-giving home and marriage.
Why? To continue growing our marriage and make our home a place of rest.
The positive affect taking action on this goal may have on me and others: I want our home to be a place of comfort and rest for everyone. 2018 brought a lot of opportunities to have friends and family in our home and I would LOVE to continue that into 2019. I also want to make it more of a place for us by hanging and making sentimental items more visible.
Mini Goals:
Love + serve
Be present at home
Create a gallery wall of our favorite places + family photos
Get professional photos taken
Regular date nights
3 Starting Steps (and when I’ll do them): Paint the craft room in gracious greige (12/31/2018), find a basket or a place to put my phone while I’m at home (by 1/31/2018), and browse through gallery walls online (12/29/2018)
Encouraging Words: Proverbs 31:10-31, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, 1 Peter 4:8-9
How I’ll celebrate at the end of 2019: Host a gathering and thank God for a place for people.
Goal 2: Intentionally limit consumption of social media and self-help information.
Why? The information I take in from social media and non-fiction books tends to lead to more mental clutter and longer to-do lists. As I consider what it looks like to rest, limiting these things seems like it could make a big difference in this area.
The positive affect taking action on this goal may have on me and others: This could completely change my life and my relationships. I often feel like I want to slow down my pace of life and I think this would be a great way to start.
Mini Goals:
Limit non-fiction (specifically self-help) books to 2 for the whole year
Limit screen time and scrolling
Unsubscribe from emails
Refrain from taking on new creative projects
3 Starting Steps (and when I’ll do them): Deactivate Facebook (12/31/2018), unsubscribe from emails as they come through (1/1/2018), and review current list of podcasts and narrow down (12/30/2018).
Encouraging Words: Proverbs 4:23
How I’ll celebrate at the end of 2019: Happy dance, because this one is ALWAYS on my list.
Goal 3: Focus on deeper Bible study and prayer.
Why? To cultivate a stronger relationship with the Lord at a slower pace than I have in the past.
The positive affect taking action on this goal may have on me and others: This changes everything because it will help me to have a more in tune relationship with the Lord and help me to live it out and be more willing to share his Word. More Joy.
Mini Goals:
New morning routine
Deeper study of 3 books of the Bible
Scripture Memorization
3 Starting Steps (and when I’ll do them): Research habits and morning routines (by 1/31/2018), prayerfully choose 3 books of the Bible to study(12/31/2018), prep my prayer binder for the new year (12/29/2018).
Encouraging Words: Psalm 16:11
How I’ll celebrate at the end of 2019: A day full of random acts of kindness.
Goal 4: Steward and take better care of my body.
Why? To live a more healthy lifestyle and live in better stewardship of this body that the Lord has given me.
The positive affect taking action on this goal may have on me and others: I’ll increase my time outside and moving my body, which will create an overall healthier lifestyle and more self-confidence. Plus, Chloe will enjoy lots more walks.
Mini Goals:
Kick the soda habit
Meal Prep Sundays
Exercise goals (10K with Mom in March)
Oils
3 Starting Steps (and when I’ll do them): Start weening off caffeine (12/15/2018), create a loose exercise plan for the year (1/1/2019), and buy meal prep containers (by 1/31/2019).
Encouraging Words: Romas 12:1, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
How I’ll celebrate at the end of 2019: I’d love to celebrate with an awesome hike.
Goal 5: Love things above, not of this word.
Why? To steward our money well and continue paying down our debt quickly.
The positive affect taking action on this goal may have on me and others: Our debt prevents us from saying “yes” to things we’d like to. Having financial freedom would be a game changer on so many amazing levels.
Mini Goals:
No spend month(s)
Capsule Wardrobe
More ethical purchases
Intentional gift giving
3 Starting Steps (and when I’ll do them): Print off a Debt Free chart and fill it out (12/1/2018), review current budget (12/29/2018), and review our debt snowball plan (1/1/2019)
Encouraging Words: Matthew 6:19-21
How I’ll celebrate at the end of 2019: I’d love to celebrate meeting financial goals by enjoying a fancy dinner out.
Goal 6: Cultivate rest by having a weekly Sabbath.
Why? To practice rest as a rhythm and not a rescue and to fill up my cup before it’s empty.
The positive affect taking action on this goal may have on me and others: There are so many good things to come from this. I’ll be more refueled and refreshed to do His good work, which will positively affect all of my relationships and interactions.
Mini Goals:
Take each Sunday as a day set aside for the Lord – limiting work, social media, and shopping on Sundays in order to leave time to get outside, go on dates, and do fun things.
Study what the Word has to say about Sabbath.
3 Starting Steps (and when I’ll do them): Research Sabbath in the Bible and online (by 1/31/2019) , start praying for my weekly Sabbath (1/1/2019) and mark Sabbath days on my calendar (1/6/2019)!
Encouraging Words: Hebrews 4
How I’ll celebrate at the end of 2019: I’ll celebrate with a day-long retreat and thank God for a wonderful year of resting in Him!
Shout out to Taylor for painting me the most beautiful Bible to make my word visible every. single. day. this year.
There you have it – six (admittedly) huge goals all aimed at finding rest in Him throughout 2019. Cheers to an amazing year.
