2012 Targets
January 1, 2012
2011 is over and 2012 is here; we now have a fresh 366 days ahead of us (yup, it’s a leap year). Here are a few things I’m going to be focusing on this year. These aren’t resolutions, but more like personal targets that will contribute to my health and growth. Maybe these will encourage you to come up with some of your own targets; or you might even want to try some of the following:
1. Live in the moment: Over the last few years, I’ve spent more and more time distracted from what I’m doing. Frankly, much of that has to do with technology. It used to be, when I spent time with people, I was giving them my undivided attention; when I was working I’d be giving it all I had; even when watching a movie or game, my entire focus would be on that.
But I’ve noticed that I, and many around me, are mostly only half there—even when just taking a walk or watching a mindless show, we don’t fully enjoy it, because we are trying to do more, think about more, or handle a few more things at a time. I want to focus on living in the moment and fully embracing the life that is before me.
2. Stop multitasking: That is the “part 2” of the first target. We multitask because we think we will get more done, but the truth is, at least for me, multitasking doesn’t work that well anyways. There have been studies that show our brain capacity actually diminishes when we continuously multitask. It will be challenging, but I’lll attempt to trade doing it all at once (and doing it poorly) with working on one thing at a time (but doing it as well as possible).
3. Rule my email, don’t let it rule me: This is one of my biggest multitasking culprits. I often check and respond to email all day long, even though I know better. I feel like if I don’t do this, I’ll never catch up with the constant barrage coming in. But on those rare times when I can’t access my email all day because of meetings, and I spend some time at the end of the day reading and responding to my email, I can actually get it done rather quickly.
So for me, this is going to mean setting a schedule to read and respond to email 3 or 4 times a day, and then sticking to it.
4. Enjoy a Sabbath: Enjoying the Sabbath has always been a challenge for me, but I’ve long understood that it can be a key to my health. One day a week turning off my productive mind and turning off all the tools of my work assignment (especially email and my cell phone), reminds me that I am not God, that God is God, and that if He could cease from His important work one day out of seven, I need to embrace His call for me to stop, too. My family, my friends, my work, and my health will benefit.
5. Laugh at myself: I’m going to start looking for an opportunity to laugh at myself every day; I think that keeping a sense of humor is vital to our health and while we should take our God and our faith very seriously, we should never take ourselves too seriously. I can tend to take everything too seriously, though, so I find it helps me loosen up if I can recognize my own absurdity and remind myself that it’s not all about me, and that all the great things I have are a total gift from God anyways!
Finally, my big idea for this year is hearing a word from God out of the Word of God every day. For the next 366 days, I’m looking forward to not only reading the Bible (I use the Life Journal plan) but also to hearing the voice of the Lord tell me something that I can reflect on all day, and look for opportunities to share and act on that one thing.
Those are a few of my targets. How about you? What are some things that you are looking to embrace for your health in 2012?