Goals

I really liked the visual this picture painted!  Not only are we covered in the Armor of God, but we're heading in to battle to slay our goals!  We are conquiring fears of the unknown, self doubt, and making good positive things happen!  

Two weeks ago I began a blog series called "Evaluating the Past Year and Setting Goals Moving Forward."  Last week, I began breaking down 3 of the 7 areas below.

1). Fitness

2). Finance

3). Family

4). Field

5). Faith

6). Friends

7). Fun

That post can be found at "Slaying our Goals"  Moving on with numbers 4 through 7 today complete with our oils to help us!  

Now, when you're thinking of your field, that's equivalent to your occupation, or your job.  I would like to get some Highest Potential on my body, so I'm going to apply a drop on my crown (Place your hand on the top of your head and slide it down approximately 1.5-2 inches down the back side of your head.  That's your crown.)  And I'm going to place a drop of Magnify Your Purpose in my hand, rub together between my hands in a clockwise rotation, cup over my nose, and inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds and hold for 4 seconds--repeating as many times as I need to. 

Additionally, I'm going to add Motivation Essential Oil Blend to my Haven Diffuser to help me move through these goals quickly and easily. 

S-Specific Goals--Share the YL products, how to use them, and educate folks on their uses to thousands of people.

M-Measureable--Yes!  

A-Attainable--Yes!

R-Relevant--Yes, every single product is relevant, helpful in a variety of situations, and with all kinds of people's needs.

T-Time Bound--Assess monthly.

**If you would like to start a Young Living Business as a Brand Partner, you can start by simply reading about it!  Click the link "Brand Partner" and it will take you right to where you can read all about it, watch videos and begin.**

*~*Because I shared about the Young Living Business, as a part of Policies and Proceedures, I need to share the Income Disclosure Guide for 2020 as well as the Compensation Plan.*~*

Take a look at them and let me know if you have any questions! 

Now, moving on to the next one--Faith.  I love this particular area of setting goals!  I begin this by simply praying.  I anoint my head with Abundance Essential Oil Blend while praying.  I add a drop in to my hands and cup it over my nose and mouth.  You could do this with any of the Oils of Ancient Scripture as well. 

Add 4 drops of  Hyssop and 2 drops of Citrus Fresh to your Lantern Diffuser and just sit quietly in prayer for a few minutes.

I have found that when I do this, praising and thanking God for His goodness, guidance, and direction, He guides my steps and shows me areas where HE wants to bring me closer to Him! 

Alright, let's begin...

S-Specific Goals--I would like to purposely make more prayer time.

M-Measureable--I guess I could measure this by how much closer I feel to my Abba Father.  (Yes, some goals are like this).

A-Attainable--Absolutely!  

R-Relevant--As I move along through this life "earth side", I"m finding more and more people to pray for.  In my "Field" above, every single one of those thousands of people will find their names on my prayer list as well as each of their families, their finances, their physical/mental/spiritual health as well.  This is one of those areas that cross over in to others, so it's important to recognise that and embrace it!  

T-Time Bound--2022 and beyond, continually adding more people to my list.

This is only "one" goal in my Faith area, so rest assured there are many others!  

S-Specific Goals--Find special and precious things to do for 12 friends that not only speaks their love language, but also is specific to them.

M-Measureable--One thing--whatever that is--per friend for 2022.  Or it could be one action for all 12 monthly or quarterly.  More prayer for guidance and direction in this is necessary.  It's likely going to look like, "God please show me how I can show YOUR love to _____ in this season!" 

A-Attainable--Yes!  It requires listening and studying my dear sweet friends, their hopes and desires.

R-Relevant--Absolutely!  Everyone loves getting together, getting something in the mail, & etc "just because." 

T-Time Bound--Reassess and adjust as needed.  

There are a host of things you could do with these goals!  I know for me, I've been lacking in the Fun area, at least I've felt that way lately, so I've set the goal to do something fun once a month!  Does that mean the same thing each month?  No!  

S-Specific Goals--Do something fun monthly!  (Birthday Party, Serving on a Missions Project, Taking our Grandson to the Aquarium or Zoo, Hiking, or Walking Trails at one of the state parks.) 

M-Measureable--12 fun things monthly.  We could do it weekly, but that depends on the budget.

A-Attainable--Yes!  

R-Relevant--Yes!  

T-Time Bound--Reassess and adjust if needed in 2 weeks.  (This is truly my own saving grace because sometimes things change).

So there you have all 7 of the areas of setting goals that I work on throughout the year.  Notice the reassessing every 2 weeks is truly what happens.  It helps me to nip and tuck, expand or scrap until a later date as needed. 

What are some of the goals you're thinking of right now?  Don't wait to make the resolution because those will be broken usually within the first few weeks of the year.  Set some realistic goals and use the S.M.A.R.T. system of setting goals and see how much MORE you accomplish! 

Love and God Bless,

Regina Graham...with Ginger who not only is snuggling in the picture below, but as I type this she's right beside me. 

Last week I wrote about the 7 areas of balance for our lives.  The reason these resonated with me is that they were complete.  They covered every area that I had concerns with, and even concerns I didn't even know I had!  

So this week we're going to cover the first 3, with the last 4 being next week.  

Before we begin, grab your Valor, add a drop to your hand, put your hands together and move in a clockwise rotation.  This gets the one drop all over your hands, it starts soaking in to your body and when you cup your hands over your nose and mouth to breathe deeply, it gets into your body in 2 ways--topical and aromatic.  The Valor is in your brain in 3 seconds.  It is found in your bloodstream in measureable amounts in 26 seconds.  Valor is known to be an oil of bravery and confidence.  So, we're going to confidently "slay" these goals!

1). Fitness

2). Finance

3). Family

These 3 areas are usually the most thought of in the "resolution" arena.  The others we'll discuss next week, but let's focus on a couple of "SMART" ways to make goals in these areas that not only make sense, but have a greater probability of success.

This is the system I use when I set goals for myself.  So, let's begin.  You can begin with me, too, so you can look at your fitness goals like I am currently.

S-Specific Goals--I need to gain greater strength in my abdomen. (Just being real here, folks!)

M-Measureable--How can I measure this?  It's more than just losing inches, but better posture, less pain when I'm working around the house, and longer work sessions--longevity. 

A-Attainable--Seek out a variety of back and abdominal exercises that are not super hard, but something I can do in 5 minutes repeatedly throughout the day building up my repetitions.

R-Relevant--I don't want to be tethered to a 2 hour a day workout routine.  Five minutes a couple times a day would work.

T-Time Bound--Reassess and adjust if needed in 2 weeks.  

Are you still with me?  What are your fitness goals?

Now, grab yourself a bottle of Peppermint Essential oil and open it up, smell it!  It will help you wake up for this!

FINANCE--There can be more than one goal in each area.  This is just a sample of one of many potential goals in this area.

S-Specific Goals--Pay off highest interest credit card in 6 months.

M-Measureable--How can I measure this?  It's more than just paying as much as possible on the credit card.  It's going to take sacrificing in one or more areas in order to pay off this credit card.  What can I cut from the grocery list to make this happen?  Where else can I cut, even if it's just a few dollars?  So, if my highest rate credit card balance is $1,500 that is $250 each month that I need to pay on that card.  However, interest is added each month, so I'll need to pay all of the interest each month too.  So, if the interest is $30 each month, I need to add that amount to my payment to make sure I attain my goal.  
A-Attainable--What else can I do to make this goal a reality?  I can offer to watch someone's kids while they have a date night.  I can teach more classes.  I can tutor in the evenings.  I can also clean people's houses.  All this to help get extra money to pay off that debt! 

R-Relevant--This is a short period of time where I need to be focused and driven to pay off this debt.  Of course other family members need to be on board to make this a reality as well.   All in agreement that nothing gets put on the credit card for any reason.  If it's a need, we find another way.  We're doing this to eventually free up this $280/month to pay off the next thing, then eventually be debt free! 

T-Time Bound--Paid off in 6 months.  Reassess in 3 to see how far we've come to achieving the goal. 

Are you still with me?  Ok, this is such a wide area that you could literally do anything with it!  So, I'll suggest you grab Gathering Essential Oil blend to work on this area.  Sometimes when dealing with family, there may be some issues, so if we diffuse or just open the bottle and take a 4 second inhale, hold it for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, then repeat that process a couple more times, then you'll notice an ability to set goals to get working on those family relationships--even if it's just going for a walk. 

FAMILY--This is one of my many family related goals.  You could have something like this or a host of different ideas.

S-Specific Goals--I want to save $1,500 for an anniversary weekend away with my husband. 

M-Measureable--How can I measure this?  How much do I need to save every week/month in order to make this happen?  What can I cut from another area to help fund this trip?  As it turns out, it's roughly $65/week until our anniversary. 

A-Attainable--I need to make reservations in advance, so I need to have money for that up front.  I need to board the dogs for the weekend.  I need to make sure we have enough good food on hand.  Make sure all of our medical considerations are thought of, pack our bags, gas up the vehicle, and go!

R-Relevant--Building on our relationship, spending time together, away from every day life, just relaxing and having fun.

T-Time Bound--Reassess and adjust if needed in 2 weeks.  

These are just examples of specific goals for each area.  Only you know where your weak areas are.  This manner of addressing those weak areas gives structure and reassessement of those goals in a reasonable time frame.  

The interesting thing about these goals is that often times they overlap in to other areas, like the weekend away with my husband also overlaps in to the finance area.  

Start with these 3 areas and see what you come up with.  If you're married, talk with you spouse about all the different things you'd like to accomplish.  Encourage them to come up with something they'd like to accomplish as well and see if you can mesh them together at some points and work together on them.  Not all of them will be able to be meshed together, but in some ways you can.  Don't be afraid to reassess after 2 weeks.  Keep a journal of how you're doing and what you hope to accomplish with these goals.  

Remember, we're not doing resolutions, but goals.  Resolutions are for the year.  Goals can be long or short term, just remember to use the S.M.A.R.T. system as a framework and you'll see more of your goals accomplished this year than you thought you ever could accomplish!  

Let me know how you're doing!  I'd love to compare notes and encourage you! 

Love & God Bless,

Regina

My apologies for the silence for the past 2 weeks!  It's been a very busy time!

I stopped making resolutions years ago.  

There!  I said it!

I kept thinking to myself, "Why am I making these rediculous resolutions, breaking them by the 2nd week, and they're ancient history by March?"  This was leaving behind such pangs of guilt that would rival the highest peaks of the Himalayas!!

Instead I said to myself, "Goals are much easier!  Let's set some good, affirming, life giving goals!"

So I began!  

Or...rather....I began again, and again, and again!

But this time, I wasn't breaking resolutions.  I was looking at my goals realistically, reviewing my progress, reassessing any needs I may have and making needed changes to help with my progress.

Did I fail?!  

YES!!!! 

Did I give up?!  No!

Sometimes when I came to a difficult realization, I had to reassess all things about these particular goals.  For example, I made the goal of getting up before everyone and reading my Bible every day.  It was a wonderful goal.  It called for discipline to get up around 6AM and get my Bible read.  Interestingly, sleep, or the lack thereof got in the way.  So, I looked at the situation and reassessed my own needs and desires.  As much as I wanted to marinade in the Word for a couple of hours, it just wasn't realistic.  I had to deal with pangs of guilt and ask for forgiveness, but I came up with a plan that worked well.  I read for 10 minutes after lunch while the kids cleaned up the kitchen.  Ten minutes was better than Zero!  So at that point in my life, that worked.

What about now?

Now, my husband and I are teetering on the precipice of being completely emtpy nesters.  What a new and novel thing for us to be faced with!  

What will happen?  I don't know, but I have 7 areas that I will be working on in the coming weeks because this will be happening before we know it!  

1). Fitness

2). Finance

3). Family

4). Field

5). Faith

6). Friends

7). Fun

You can find these concepts in the Oola books.  There is their flagship book called Oola:  Finding Balance in an Unbalanced World.  There is Oola for Women, Oola for Christians, and a couple Oola books for business.  

I have 3 of their books and I do love them.  I'm finding that, like everything else, I'm tweaking their thoughts just a wee bit with regard to my own.  

With these areas I've found with other trainings I've attended that they touch on very similar topics.  Balance!  If one area does not get the right amount of attention, it's going to suffer.  So, I need to become stronger in that area to not just succeed, but to bring in a good balance to my life.  

I could tell you my own personal goals for each of the 7 areas, but I have one other concern:  accountability.  To whom can I be accountable?

A mentor...

My husband...

My best friend...

My dog...

...ok, that last one was supposed to be funny! LOL  

Well, anyway, who can be a mentor to me in all of those areas combined?  Truth is that usually only one person can be a mentor in one to three areas...

...usually...

Do I have a mentor?  Truthfully, No, I do not.  I would like to find one.  I've been praying for a Titus 2 Godly mentor for years.  I do have someone in mind, but I'm waiting for God to confirm that to me.

As for evaluating this past year, I look at the 7 areas I listed above and truthfully look at every area, scrutinizing them honestly and say, "Did I put forth my all in this area?  Could I have done better?  What specifically could I improve?  How do I do that?  What tools do I need to accomplish that?"  and so forth.  I started looking at the acronymn SMART. 

So many of us, I know, are just spinning our wheels in life, not truly working toward a goal or a target in any area, just hoping to hit something when we shoot that arrow.  Is it any wonder there is no progress?!   

I learned a long time ago that in order to make progress in my life, I had to make a concerted effort daily in small chunks of time, to hit the larger goal of "XYZ" in any given area.  

It takes focus, determination, and grit to persevere toward those goals!  Setting goals, I need to be SMART about it.  

Did I hit all my goals this year?  No.  But, I'm not giving up!  I've made progress toward a greater goal in many areas of my life.  I'm improving steadily, adjusting my goals and making tweaks as I go.  

What about you?  Let me know how you're coming with your goals!  I'd love to hear from you!

Love & God Bless,

Regina