Life Target Areas & Goals for 2014

hello, twenty-fourteen.

I've been waiting for you. Glad to finally meet you :)

ha. okay, so it's a new year & I know we're all OVER the whole "new year, new me" schpeel.

 been there. done that. repetitiously.

I'm tired. geesh. I said it. I'm tired of making goals that I either:

1. never reach.

2. never keep.

3. or simply never start.

So instead of trying to give myself a complete life makeover, I've decided to just excel-lent-ify (I think I just made that up! lol) certain areas in my life that I feel God tugging on the most. & It's not to just water down the challenge of reaching goals because honestly, I'm usually pretty good at whatever I set my mind to. But sometimes, I think we all can agree here, we simply set unrealistic goals for ourselves while we neglect the areas that are totally possible to reach and are usually the areas that need the perfecting the most. can I get a A-MAN!? haha.

If you follow me on facebook, (& if you don't, you're more than welcome to), I made a post on new year's eve talking about how I feel that a lot of times we do not reach our pre-planned goals for the new year because our goals simply do not line up with God's plan for us for that year. Ah, yeah I know good point, right? I said the same thing when God laid it on my heart when I, myself, was making goals for twenty-fourteen in my pretty notebook and pink pen. It struck me. hard.  So I tore out the page and sat there; asking God to reveal to me areas in my life where he is ALREADY at work and what can I do to make those areas excellent?

So, we sat, I prayed, and he drew me to 5 specific areas in which I feel my life is truly based around these days. I like to call these my life's "target areas."

my life target areas are:

Body . Mind . Spirit . Ministry . & Everyday Life.

1. Body: Okay, so just like any normal gal, I struggle in this area; probably more than I should. So this year, I really want to work towards making my temple excellent for God and myself. & no, I do not mean 6 pack abs and a muscle booty. I'm talking more about taking care of myself more. LOVING who I am and appreciating the body God graciously created for me. So in this year I want to:

develop a healthy & fit lifestyle.

So that means, getting up and being active more.

& most of all, cutting my terrible, terrible eating habit.

bye bye delicious, calorie filled cupcakes. *sighs*

take more time towards making myself "pretty"

This is by no means conceited. But this is a challenge to actually putting more effort into how I look. Since I started college last year, I've gravitated more towards t-shirts & sweats more than my cute clothes that I spent hard working dollars on. Back in highschool I really took time and effort into how I looked, but college, eh. it is what it is right? lol

wrong.

I can testify that your confidence boosts (in a good, humble way) when you actually look good. However, a lot of my self-esteem dropped when I gained a  bit of extra weight since I was in high school. I mean I went from being a size 7/8 to a 9 and then to like a 10/11. So I limited myself as much as possible from wearing jeans. UGH I hated them and how they made me feel.

But now, I miss them and cute nice fitted shirts.

SO I'm going back to them, and I'm going full force.

I even want to put more effort into my makeup routine. Maybe putting in a few extra dollars for the fancier makeup rather than the cheapest & least products I can find and use lol.

Okay, well Mary Kay isn't all that cheap. BUT it ain't Mac or Sephora. 

So, my point. 

love myself & who God created me to be.

this is simply what the title says itself. I do not have to go into much detail on this one.

I'm going to work towards applauding myself more instead of knocking myself all of the time. I'm not perfect at all, but I'm not all the way bad either. & neither are you!

We must do better ladies. Criticizing ourselves is basically criticizing God to his face about the masterpiece in which He created himself, with his own thoughts, hands, and love.

*sighs*

I'm sorry, Daddy.

2. Mind: So our minds are a very vital part of our lives. We are what we think. Our minds, along with our tongues, are very, very powerful. Therefore, I'm putting my mind in check this year!

start thinking "young adult"

I'm no longer a teenager, so now it is imperative that I must start thinking more towards young adulthood. Everything that I set my mind to  this year and the years to come will be focused around my present but most importantly my future! I'm on track to graduate college next year so I want to make sure that I'm starting to make steps towards making sure everything is together when I officially hit the real, working world.

work more towards establishing myself financially

I already pay my own car payment to my parents, so I have some sort of huge financial responsibility already. & I'm usually pretty good with money. However, right at the end of last year I got myself in a little doozy when it came to spending. I went a little crazy with my money for the first time, and was totally in a bind at the end of the year. Which was my first time in years that I've ever had to watch what I spent super tight. I'm talking about I had $100 to last me for like 3 weeks. Thank God he saw me through! Although my parents have always been there for me financially, I still try my best to not ask them for any money for my personal wants when I work and make my own money. However, I promised that I did not want to ever do that to myself again without having any type of money to back myself up for hard times. I learned my lesson.

So this year:

 I want to start a savings account

& make some type of purchase that allows me to establish my credit.

(the credit is more for when I graduate college and get ready to get my own place and such)

think, act, and speak positivity and life into every situation.

I need to work towards this each and every day. I can be such a scrooge at times.

So, by the grace of God, I'm going to try my best to see and be JESUS in every situation.

choosing him is truly the better part.

choosing jasmine always gets me in trouble.

3. Spirit: This is the most important target of all. If this target isn't developed or work towards, then everything else is irrelevant. I really want this year to revolve around Jesus more than any year has ever. I want to really be used like never before in every area in my life. But I must start with myself first before I can go any further.

I NEED & MUST:

spend SO much more time with God

develop a better, deeper prayer life

find a bible study routine that actually works for me

start paying tithes regularly

4. Ministry:  I desire to be used by God. Point. Blank. Period. But I feel as if I've been half-stepping. Can I be real? Not every day I wake up saying "Okay God, where can I be used for you today?" I mean, that's what I wish I did, but in reality I just wasn't. But this year is different. I want to please God with my life and that means giving him everything I've got. So this year I will strive to:

really put my whole heart into Aspire31 ministry

making sure I'm really seeking God for what he wants me to do for the girls rather what I want to. making sure I'm praying for my girls on a regular. organizing events ahead of time rather than the week of or such. & doing all I can to be a part of my girls lives outside of our events.

blog & write with consistency.

enough said.

volunteer

I want to really put my life to use this year. So I'll be in search of ways that I can be of some type of help to my community.

5. Everyday Life. Last, this is a target that I really want to do just to make everyday life more enjoyable. So with that being said in twenty-fourteen I want to:

organize.

Everything needs to be organized in my life. my room. my car. my school stuff. just everything lol. I struggle sometimes in this area.

send love.

I'm a HUGE giver. I love, love, looooooovvvvve to give. & this year I really want to make the little things count in others lives. So I want to send birthday cards, thank you cards, and little gifts to people who I really appreciate in life. & also even to the ones who I do not even know. I want to share the love of Christ in me to those around me. I want people know that I truly love & care.

enjoy myself & others.

This year I want to have fun, whether it is by myself or with others. I just want to enjoy everyday life. I know not all 365 days are not going to be cupcakes & rainbows, but I'd like to make the most of every single day given. I want to be around smiles, hugs, & laughter.



So there we have it. My target areas & goals for the year! I pray that these are truly in the will of God and he gives me the ability to reach each of these in the days to come! I will definitely keep everyone updated throughout the year on how I'm doing on these goals.

This was me on New Year's Eve getting ready to go to church! 

I wish you all well on your 2014 goals! 

The best is yet to come!!!

lots of hugs & love,