December 26, 2010 - Exactly One Year!

It has been EXACTLY one year since I had my life change epiphany! I’m gonna start with my goals and talk at the end. I must say that I did better than I thought I would and I can’t wait to hit the list hard this year!

Health –
• lose 45 pounds => haha, not even close! Lost a couple, gained a lot of muscle but currently working on this one. It is the 2nd year in a row that I haven’t gained weight.
• go to the doctor more often => actually did go to doctor, found out my blood pressure was great. I must go more next year!

Job –
• find better paying job in atmosphere that I like.
• (or get raise at current job) >> I did in fact get more hours and a raise at my current job. I also got more responsibilities which should look good on my resume in the future!

Education –
• look into going back to school >> I did this. Looking to hopefully get into school this upcoming fall…
• and look into graduating ASAP! >> same as above!

Finances –
• Save money for wedding. >> yes, but need to save more!
• Spend less money on leisure. >> yes, but need to spend even less!
• Tithe comes first! >> proud to say that I only missed tithe on 3 or 4 checks but I have been faithful since april to give my tithe every week!
• Pay off loans! >> Definitely worked on this and paid off quite a bit. Repaired some of my damaged credit and will continue to do so!

Spirituality –
• Put God first at all times. >> I did better than last year. Definitely grew, need to grow closer to Jesus.
• Let Him work in ALL areas. >> same as above!
• Work towards becoming a pastor. >> did this! Researched going to a bible college, talked to pastors, going to dive deeper into figuring this out this year.
• Become more involved at church. >> tried to join worship team but didn’t. joined City Impact team. need to look for a new small group since most recent one got cancelled.

Friendship –
• forget about past friends (the bad ones). >> did a great job with this one. I feel like I matured greatly in this area!
• Make new friends. >> yes I did! Met a few older folks at church, and at the gym. Good guys!
• Get back in touch with old/good friends. Visit them more often. >> YES! Got back in touch with all my chico buddies and other friends.
* Lose your friends>> did good on this one as well! Don’t hang out much with my old crew. Only on rare occasions.

Dreams -
• Write more stories >> slow on writing stories but I will!
• Work on writing a novel >> need to do it this year. Will be praying about it!
• Research publication of written material >> haven’t done this!

Personal –
• Be more organized >> doing better with this. Worked on stopping hoarding!
• Wake up earlier and pray/ work out >> do wake up earlier but need to pray and workout!
• Go to sleep earlier >> nope! lol
• Read more books! (small goal: at least 2 per month [one spiritual book, one novel]) >> not at all. I read but I need to read more!
• Waste less time doing non- productive stuff >> I think I did this…?
• Learn a new instrument (piano or guitar) >>> nope! Will do it this year!

- Find more ways to get involved in the fight against Human Trafficking. >> went to trainings on it but I will do this!
- Start researching how to start a non-profit organization to help fight against social justice. >> didn’t do this! I need to…

** new goal. – in the near future, start a photography business! This includes research, improving skill, purchasing necessary materials, etc.


==èSo here’s the story:

I must disclose that this list is not just a list of resolutions for a single year. I did not start this on January first even though that was my original intention, rather I started it as soon as I had the revelation. This new Journey began one year ago today (December 26, 2009), and I am updating you all today (December 26, 2010), exactly one year since I started.
A year ago I had a break down, an epiphany, and a resulting decision. I decided to begin to re-write my own story, the story that God had given me, but that I had single handedly destroyed. There was so much wrong in my life that once every 2 or 3 months I was getting into these strange moods for 24 hour periods that were a mix of depression, anger, anxiousness, sadness, etc. Now That is WAAAAAY different!

I think I only had an “emo day” once this year. That in itself is a vast improvement! God has truly given me a great faith for the year! He has allowed me to move forward even when I felt discouraged. I was able to keep my eyes on improving my life even when i felt helpless. I persevered and I definitely see improvement in my life and that makes me happy! For the first time in a long time I am happy about the direction that my life is going. I honestly do believe that my life will be better in a couple of years, it will be different than it is now and WAAAY different than it was a year ago. I have not yet arrived where I want to be but I am well on my journey now and nothing can stop me but myself. With this post I would just like to thank anybody that has been praying for me, encouraging me, commenting and believing in me. May God bless you all and I wish you the best of luck in your own goals for the new year and in your new life! Change is possible!