In Which I Tell You My Goals

(photo credit:  http://www.celebquote.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ralph-waldo-emerson-quotes.jpg)

"Today I begin a new life. Today I shed my old skin, which hath, too long, suffered the bruises of failure and the wounds of mediocrity."~Og Mandino, The Greatest Salesman in the World, The Scroll Marked 1

So, I began a new life officially on Monday.  Well, actually, I would have to say it started a couple of years ago, but I decided to push it to a deeper level two weeks ago when another health coach shared the podcasts "Achieve Your Goals" by Hal Elrod.  He is the author of the Morning Miracle. (You can find it on Amazon.com).  When I started listening to his podcasts from 2014, something inside me sparked changed.  I decided that I was going to do this and get more serious about becoming who I want to become. 

Last week I wrote five specific goals and determined my mission for the rest of this year.  This week I decided I was going to start a morning routine -- the way Hal Elrod describes it.  This routine is helping me achieve several of my goals.  One of the things he recommends is journaling.  I've looked at several different apps and decided that I should just blog every day, even if it's really short, about what struck me that morning or on what I'm placing my focus for that day.  So, today, to get accountable, I'm going to list my mission and goals with you.  This is personal and hard, but I need to do it.

Mission: This year I will be a better wife and mother by being connected to my husband and children on a deeper level and reestablish trust so that our relationships will endure and last beyond this life.  I plan to accomplish this by keeping my committments to my husband children, setting aside time (dates) with them on a weekly basis, putting their needs FIRST, doing personal development, and by making a schedule to manage my time better.

Goal 1:  I will lose 30-40 pounds (I've gained 20 back) and establish a healthy lifestyle that I can maintain for the rest of my life.  I will do this by implementing the daily habits of health, exercising 6 days a week, recording my food daily in a food journal or app (MyFitnessPal - come find me there!), participating in the monthly health challenges, and planning my meals on a daily and weekly basis.

Goal 2:  I will complete the Personal Progress program by working on it each day for 15 minutes a morning and setting target dates for specific goals.  I will share on Sundays with the Young Women what I am doing and invite them to participate with me.

Goal 3:  I will achieve a new health coach rank in my business and be an empathetic coach by setting aside time each day to work and focusing intentionally on the tasks for the day and by doing personal development every day.  I will use the 4-square method to plan my tasks for each day.

Basically, Hal suggests that you set around 5 goals to focus on and then you decide your mission by picking which one or two goals mean the most to you.  If you could only "get around" to one or two things, those goals you pick become your mission and you spend the bulk of your time working on them.  I highly suggest listening to his podcasts as he goes into depth about how to get really clear on your goals and how you're going to accomplish them.  I won't go into detail here.

I wrote my goals a couple of weeks ago, and last week I realized I was feeling scattered trying to figure out how to structure it all until I watched (aka listened while folding laundry and cleaning) a seminar by Hal Elrod on YouTube.  It was then I decided to implement his Miracle Morning routine, although I have not read the book yet.  I know if I read the book, it will really help do a better job.

Anyway, I started on Monday.  I'm getting up at 5:00 a.m. each morning and doing a routine.  Right now my routine includes
1. Meditation: Saying my morning prayers and reading my scriptures (usually goes with Personal Progress).
2. Affirmation: Saying my daily affirmations.  I'm using Og Mandino's Scrolls from The Greatest Salesman in the World.
3. Visualization: (working on this a little bit more)  I re-evaluate my goals and picture my day.
4. Journaling:  I'm going to start doing a quick blurb here on my blog for that.
5. Reading: Sometimes this is my scripture study, but on the days I run I listen to a podcast.
6. Exercising: On MWF, I go for a 30 minute run; on TTHSat, I do resistance training at home.

Today I am on Day 3.  It was harder since Emily woke up at 3:00 a.m. to eat, and I had a hard time falling back asleep.  I knew it was going to be difficult, but I decided to get up and push through it.  If I want this to be a habit, I HAVE to get up every day.  I was SURE I didn't want to exercise, let alone go running, but as I sat there visualizing my day, I realized that on the days that I DO exercise, I have much more patience with my kids, especially Jackson, and am a much better mother who thinks rationally.  So, I went for a run.  I did feel better especially since I listened to another podcast.  The quote at the top of the page in the image was the motivation for today.  I choose who I'm going to become, and I love that.

It is now 10:40 a.m, and I am still tired.  My body is adjusting to this new routine.  I'm having a hard time getting those 7 hours of sleep that I need, but I will be getting them more and more.  I'm ready for bed earlier, and I'm going to be falling asleep sooner, I'm sure. 

I know my motivation is still high because I'm in the first week, but this is something I want.  I want to be and do better.  I'm going to have the life of my dreams because I'm going to make it.