Being Purposeful

So I have never been one to make (eeer... well keep) new years resolutions. However, I do have some things I am hoping to change and it just so happens to be the new year. Lately I have been praying about being purposeful. Purposeful with my words, thoughts, actions, and get this... even with the food I eat! UGH. I know. Purposeful with what you put in your mouth. But, I really feel this strong desire to be a healthier more purpose driven self. So, this leads to my goals for 2012...

1. eat better. this doesnt mean cut out sweets or never eats carbs. It means be purposeful with what I eat. Make sure I am getting the fruits and veggies I need. Have a cookie (or two!) but dont do it everyday and for every meal (yes, I have been known to do this. Its a miracle I do not weight 600lbs.)

2. exercise more. When I got pregnant I stopped exercising all together.  I know. That's horrible. But I felt like (excuse me) hell for 9 months and it was all I could do to get out of bed some days. So, I really lost that habit. My goal is just to start walking again. I hate gyms. I hate having to get dressed, get in the car, work out in front of other people (I am not a pretty work out person. I grunt, sweat, and smell), and then get back in my car bla bla bla. Nope. It's just not appealing to me. I actually LOVE to walk outside! The summer before my wedding I walked 1-2 hours a day. I also walked 20+ pounds off of me. So, needless to say. I enjoy it, it makes me happy, and I want to do it more. Thankfully we have a treadmill (thanks to my grandma) and I am able to use it on days when its ugly outside.The goal is to walk 4 times a week.


3. invite God. Tyler and I have been examining our finances and we have realized we spend money how and when we want to. Sure, we tithe. But outside of that we rarely pray about how and where to spend money. We have come to the conclusion that we need to invite God into our finances. We need to be purposeful with our spending and this includes coming to God with each pay check and asking him, how do you want us to give, spend, and invest. No, we are not trying to over spiritualize it. We just realized this Christmas that we could have given so much more if we had of just been more purposeful with our purchases. It really sucks that we were not able to give more to a family in need because I "just had to have" that shirt that was originally $190 and now $29.99 at Marshalls. Low point. So, be more financially aware and purposeful is at the top of our new years goals.


4. more time. I was reflecting on the time in my life when I was the most spiritually fit. I know the correct answer should be "now" because we should always be growing and never sitting stagnant. But unfortunately, I have been in a lull for the past few months.  I just have not been making it a priority to read and spend time with God which needs to change. In examining my spiritual walk, the times in my life when I was the most spiritually fit where the times when I kept a prayer journal. I wrote in that thing constantly. I love going back and reading entries and seeing how God worked everything for his plan and purpose. So, I have decided to start journaling (according to spell check that's not a word but I am making it a word) again. This is long overdue and I am excited about it. 


So, there are some goals Ty Ty and I have for the future. I'll keep you posted on our progress.