How Firm a Foundation: My Goals for 2018

I don’t know about you, but I get REALLY excited for New Year’s Resolutions.

I guess it has to do with being a perfectionist or something? Overachiever? I am a complete failure at being an overachiever, by the way, but I constantly have to feel like I’m making PROGRESS somehow, and without goals I really sort of waste away into sadness and despair.

Yes, it gets that dramatic. Complete with wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Well, okay, no gnashing. But sometimes wailing.

Aaaanywayyy…

This year I decided I wanted there to be an overall THEME to my goals.

And the theme I picked was

HOW FIRM A FOUNDATION

If you aren’t LDS, perhaps you don’t know the significance of the phrase, but I think it is well summed up in this hymn. (Lyrics are here.)

You may be wondering, why this theme?

Well, to be honest, God has been telling me to firm up that foundation for about two years now, and I have very lazily ignored him.

And then, when I was feeling sad and alone and without any foundation, I said, “Hey God? What gives?”

And he gave me the usual talk of, “Well, if you’d listened…”

So it’s about time I listened.

A HUGE chunk of my goals this year are about trying to firm up my foundation: praying daily, reading and journaling my scriptures, attending the temple more regularly, serving others, etc.

The more we involve Christ and Heavenly Father in our goals, the more we will accomplish that. As someone who hasn’t been involving them nearly enough, I really truly believe this. I know that sounds counterintuitive. But I’ve had their help before, and it’s done wonders. I know I’ll make more progress on all my goals with them on my side than trying to do it on my own.

Heck, my goals may start even aligning with their goals a little better.

I whipped up (ha, yeah, it took a while, I’m still mastering this whole “Excel” thing) this template, which I filled in for myself but I’m giving you the blank version.

I have five categories of goals because I can’t just do one goal at a time because I’m crazy. But each goal category has a space for the goal itself, followed by a bigger box to put an associated scripture in. That way, even when your goals aren’t necessarily spiritual ones, they are still pulling you back to that foundation of scripture. You can use the space as you will, but that’s how I used it.

Here’s an example:

Yes, yes, it’s a lot…and you can add/delete as necessary!

I also have sort of a “mission statement” area underneath each category. It’s kind of my long-term goal, which I then break down into smaller steps. I left what I had for you as a reminder, but you download it and change them to whatever suits YOU best. Or, we can be goal twins and you can keep them the same. Whatever floats your boat!

Here’s the template!

And just a recap of How Firm a Foundation, because HOW DOES THIS NOT INSPIRE YOU:

Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by my righteous, upheld by my righteous,
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.

The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose
I will not, I cannot, desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, I’ll never, no never,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake!