January 2021

January Checkup: The Truth About Managing My Goals
- Lifestyle
How Did I Do This Month?

I wanted to let you know how I did this month with my goals.
A few of my goals were:
Being consistent
Daily Devotion and Prayer
Balancing work and fun
Write at least two books
Cooking more instead of eating out
I have cooked at least one meal per week. I didn’t start the first week of January to prepare myself and to look at different plans I wanted to cook. I cooked twice on the second week. I cooked chicken parmesan and spaghetti. The following week, I made shrimp and rice. The third week, I made crab legs and steamed veggies.
I am working on being consistent by doing a devotion daily and saying a prayer a day. I missed a couple of days. I felt a little overwhelmed with finding a bible plan and I also got sick due to second hand smoke. I have asthma. I believed I missed one or two days for daily devotional. I am also working on being consistent in my personal. What time I wake up in the morning and giving God thanks for waking me up, what time I take a nap, what time I go to bed, what time I take my vitamins and medicine, etc. I am working on figuring out what time I eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. The time fluctuate depending on numerous things. If I feel like eating, if I leave work on time, if there’s traffic going home, etc.
I haven’t found a good balance of working and having fun. I have been working a lot of hours because I am working on paying for an editor to publish my first book. I am also looking for someone to design my book cover. You can say I am slowly working on getting at least two books published.

What Did I Learn?

It is a slow process and I am figuring out the details of my goal as I go along. I need to remind at times that I will not have everything figured out just yet. It’s all about the journey and what you learn about yourself. I know that many people fall off on making any progress or keep up with the goals they have set out for them. I will be doing monthly check-ins to see how you and I are doing in maintain the goals we set for ourselves. If we fall out course, that’s okay. Just pick up for where you left off or start over. Remember, it’s about the journey not how many goals you can check off.
How was your progress with your goals this month?
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How I Improved My Heart Whisper In One Day
- Mental Health
Who or What Makes Your Heart Feel Lights?

Activities that make my heart feel light:
Watching cartoons shows
Writing in my journal
Taking naps when my body is tired
Driving safe at night while listening to instrumental music
Using a diffuser
Meditation
Reading the Bible
Who makes my heart light:
Jesus
My Friends
Family members who listen and not judge (i.e. my dad)
Church family

How Can You Open Your Heart Today?

Learning to let go of what people say to you that doesn’t reflect who you are
Taking deep, slow breaths to calm my nerves
Accept what emotions come to you without trying to push it away and acknowledge it

I got these questions from an author named Aimee Chase. If you like it, I can post more journal prompts like this. You can use these questions and answer them for yourself.
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Goals? It’s Easy If You Do It Smart
- Lifestyle
I should have started discussed how to make goals before for the year or in general before taking about habits. That’s okay. We live and we learn from our mistakes.

What are goals?

Goals are defined as an idea of the future or desired result of a person. For groups, goals are defined as am envision, plan and commit to achieve. I will be taking about goals for individual people.

Setting goals are important for many different reasons:
Keeps you focused and provides direction
Gives you a sense of self-mastery or satisfaction
Helps maintain motivation
Helps you prioritize change
Can set off new behaviors

Types of Goals

The types of goals will be broken into two groups :
Time-Based
Short-term goals: goals you want to accomplish immediate or the near future. That could a couple weeks, a month, six months or even a year. For example, a weekly goal of mine is to cook one meal.
Long-term goals: Requires more planning, effort, and time to achieve than a short-term goal. For example, one of my long term-goals is to obtain my doctorate in Clinical child/family psychology.
Lifetime goals: Any idea, dream, vision or purpose you have for yourself to achieve in your lifetime. For example, I want to travel to see some of the wonders of the world such as the pyramids, Great Wall of China, Taj Mahal, Petra, etc.
Life-Based: These can also be considered as stepping stones.
Career goals: professional ideas or visions that you want to achieve in your chosen career. For example, you want to get a promotion to a higher job or start your own business.
Personal/Personal development goals: Ways to improve yourself and become the best person you can be. A couple of personal goals are to write a book and to read more books.
Financial goals: Plan to help you manage your finances and control how you spend. You could create a monthly spending plan, save for retirement, pay off loans, etc.
Spiritual goals: An intention to aim on how to become closer to God. My goal: I want to work on daily devotionals, prayer, reading the Word.
Health goals: Maintaining health and being fit (physically and mentally) Examples of adding more fruits and vegetables to lunch and dinner. Drink more water a day. Exercise three times a week.
Relationship goals: A few examples could be spending more time with family, self-care, get married, have children and etc.
A lot of the types of goals can overlap with each other.

What Can You Do to Maintain Goals?

You can achieve your goals using the acronym SMART. SMART stand for specific, measureable, attainable, relevant, and time-based.
S: Specific. Be clear on the goal when you write it. Here are some questions you can ask yourself?
What do I want to accomplish?
Why is this goal important?
Who is involved?
What resources or lack of resources are involved?
M: Measureable. Tracking your progress and knowing what you accomplished.
How much?
How many?
A: Attainable. Making your goal realistic and achievable. Something that is not over the top but still challenging. You have what you need to reach the goal.
R: Relevant. To make sure that the goal matters to you, worth the time, your effort, and aligns with other goals you have.
T: Time-based. What is your ideal date for you to accomplish the goal. What is the deadline you want to focus toward?

Encouragement

Remember that your goals aren’t going to perfect and you can always mend your goals as you along. Just go with the process, take your time, and you will be able to accomplish what you set out to do. Hopefully, I helped you set some goals and some insight on how to make goals.

References

7 Types of Goals: The Ultimate Guide to Goal Categories. Develop Good Habits. (2020, October 28). https://www.developgoodhabits.com/types-of-goals/.
Healthie. (2020, February 13). 9 Benefits to Goal Setting for Client Success: Healthie Blog. Health Resources and Tips for Wellness Professionals | Healthie Blog. https://blog.gethealthie.com/2019/07/11/9-benefits-to-goal-setting-for-client-success/.
Ho, L. (2020, November 26). 9 Types of Goals to Get Your Life Moving in the Right Direction. Lifehack. https://www.lifehack.org/864425/types-of-goals.
Ho, L. (2021, January 17). What are Goals? Achieve More By Changing Your Perspectives. Lifehack. https://www.lifehack.org/863723/what-are-goals.
Mind Tools Content Team . SMART Goals: – How to Make Your Goals Achievable. Time Management Training From MindTools.com. https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/smart-goals.htm.
Personal Success. (2019, December 3). Importance of Goal Setting: 6 Reasons to Take Setting Goals Seriously. Brian Tracy’s Self Improvement & Professional Development Blog. https://www.briantracy.com/blog/personal-success/importance-of-goal-setting/.
Pullein, C. (2020, November 27). What Are SMART Goals (and How to Use Them to Be Successful). Lifehack. https://www.lifehack.org/759949/how-to-use-smart-goal.
Riopel, L. (2020, November 12). The Importance, Benefits, and Value of Goal Setting. PositivePsychology.com. https://positivepsychology.com/benefits-goal-setting/#:~:text=Setting%20goals%20helps%20trigger%20new,you%20don’t%20properly%20manage.
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Self-Care: Silent Car Rides
- Mental Health
I enjoy car rides.
Especially at night. Seeing the midnight sky with the white stars is nice.
It’s not actually midnight. It’s around 8 pm.
Listening to instrumental, calming music as I reflect on the day.
The good, bad and neutral.
Think about how I could have said things differently.
Taking car rides also help me cool off.
Especially if I am upset.
I release my steam by driving around town. Somewhere new and safe.
Just using my GPS to prevent getting lost and going with the flow.
I might park my car at a local park to write out my feelings.
Once I write everything down. I start the car back up and head home.
Silent cars are nice.
It helps me be present.

Encouragement

If you plan to plan to take a car ride. Be care on where you go. Be aware of your surroundings. If you are upset with your family or friend about what they said or the situation that occured. Leave a letter stating what you plan to do. I know not everyone can take car rides depending on if you have transportation, law enforcement, etc. Ride in safe environment. Bring someone to protect your such as mace.

It's also my birthday!

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What You Want to Know About Habits
- Lifestyle
On the New Year’s Day, I talked about my goals for this year. I mentioned that I wanted to change my goals into habits.

What's A Habit?

Habit is a pattern of behavior that is repeated until it becomes automatic.
For example:
Driving home. Once you learn the route home. You don’t have to think about what street to turn on to or using a GPS to find your way home.
Brushing your teeth. For me, I wet my toothbrush before putting on toothpaste. Then when I put the toothpaste on I know to start brushing my teeth.

How are Habits Formed?

Last year I read a book called The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. Duhigg explained that habits are formed by a three-step loop called the habit loop.
Duhigg Habit Loop from his book.
First is the cue: A cue is something that prompts your brain to know what a habit to use automatically.
For example: the alarm clock goes off
Next is the routine: The reaction itself. It could mental, physical, or emotional.
For example: Getting coffee
Finally, the reward. This is to make sure that the loop will be remembered for the future.
Example: You feel energized

How Do Create A Habit?

In order for something to become a habit, it takes at least 21 days. Some say in a month. Start off small and simple. Focus on one thing at a time.
Example: you want to make it a habit to get breakfast in the morning.
Write what you need for breakfast the day before if you are planning to cook. Make an list of ingredients. If you need to plan, then do so. Next, make reminders of yourself. If you plan to being consistent, try to eat for breakfast around the same time each day.
Plan for obstacles. Sticking with the breakfast example. Have breakfast bars if case you aren’t able to cook or if you are running late for work.
What makes the habit loop work, Duhigg said to create a craving. The cue must prompt a routine, that causes a craving for the reward to come.
Cue: Alarm goes off
Routine: Make breakfast
Reward: Feel energized, replenished, and alert.

Encouragement

Remember you are not perfect.
Reward yourself for the small steps taken. It could going to the movies or anything you happy or relaxed.
Have fun. If you are making breakfast, play music.
It’s not going to happen overnight. Be patient, enjoy the process and you will learn something new about yourself.

References

Dictionary.com. Habit. Dictionary.com. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/habit.
Duhigg, C. (2017, November 20). How Habits Work. Charles Duhigg. https://charlesduhigg.com/how-habits-work/.
Fresh Air. (2012, March 5). Habits: How They Form And How To Break Them. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2012/03/05/147192599/habits-how-they-form-and-how-to-break-them.
Scott, S. J. (2020, October 30). How to Form a New Habit (in 8 Easy Steps). Develop Good Habits. https://www.developgoodhabits.com/how-to-form-a-habit-in-8-easy-steps/.
Young, S. H. (2018, January 30). 18 Tricks to Make New Habits Stick. Lifehack. https://www.lifehack.org/articles/featured/18-tricks-to-make-new-habits-stick.html.
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New Year, New Goals
- Lifestyle
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I am blessed to know that we made it through 2020! And, now let’s take a big sigh of relief.

I am happy to know I made it through the year COVID-free. I made out with my health and in my right mind. Jesus gave life to my body to see a new year, meaning I still have purpose here on earth.

As you may know, many people made new year’s resolutions. And I know it can be hard to maintain those goals I set for ourselves. Sometimes our resolutions can be too-complex, not realistic, loss of motivation, poor planning, no support, etc.
I am one of many people who make goals and do not follow through on what I set out to do.

This year is going to be different for me.

Don’t know why, but I am determined.
What are my goals for this year?
Being consistent
Daily Devotion and Prayer
Balancing work and fun
Write at least two books
Cooking more instead of eating out
These aren’t in any particular order. Notice how I don’t have any deadlines or requirements telling myself to meet this goal by this date. Sometimes adding a deadline adds more anxiety, especially if I am not used to maintaining realistic goals. I say this because I procrastinate and push things to the last minute. Depending on the goal, a deadline can be good when you want to keep yourself driven and motivated. You can make short-term and long-term goals for yourself as long as you make them manageable and reachable.
For example, my goal is to include more healthy food in my diet.
Short-term goal: Prepare one to two budget-friendly meals for two weeks (meal planning).
After two weeks, I will reward myself with a treat (dessert).
Long-term goal: Cook five meals for the week.
This is manageable. Some of my goals I want to become a healthy habit for me. Like being consistent. Keeping myself accountable and motivated to know what to prioritize. I will talk habits more on Sunday.

Encouragement

When you make these goals, remind yourself to celebrate small victories and achievements. If you get off-track, that’s okay. Take a deep breath, pick yourself up, and continue on. Remember, you aren’t perfect. I have a hard remember that too.
Tweak your goals throughout the year, depending on how the year goes.
What new habits or goals do you have for this year?
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