Back in September, I mentioned writing down my dreams as suggested by Chip Ingram in his book Good To Great In God’s Eyes: Ten Practices Christians Have In Common. One of those ten practices is “Dream Great Dreams” and one of the action steps (at the end of each chapter) is to “write on four index cards one sentence that expresses your ultimate lifelong dream in each of these four categories: personal growth; singleness, marriage or family; professional career and church and ministry (p. 96).” Then on the back, you are to list the next three steps you believe you need to take to fulfill your dream and consider you can take immediately” (97).

I did that then, but didn’t share them specifically.  Now with the New Year approaching, I think it’s only appropriate that I now share those dreams, those goals, those resolutions, if you will.

Personal growth

I want discipline in my life.

1. Get up earlier each day.

2. Run…to which I will now add exercise, period, plus maintain diet and lose weight.

3. Organize/discard books.

Marriage

I  want to be more loving toward my wife than I have been.

1. Do dishes.

2. Plan time together.

3. Don’t just watch movies together and call that “together” time.

Career

I want to write about my continual quest to become a better person and how others can become that better person too.

1. Consolidate three blogs into one (this one).

2. Look for other opportunities, other avenues to promote message through articles, websites,  etc.

3. Connect with others with same vision, same goal of becoming better version of themselves and share with others what we have learned.

Church

I want to become a deacon in the Catholic Church.

1. Contact diocese about.

2. Talk to Deacon Jerry (a deacon at our parish) about.

3. Read about responsibilities and pray if this is right direction God wants me to go.

Along with these, which are enough in themselves, are a few simple things:

1. Body: Use only one website for continuing diet and exercise program, WeightWatchers, because that is what worked “the first time around.”  Drop other sites and politely decline offers from friends for other programs.

Also The Wife and I are getting a gym membership for the next three months of winter, as she says so eloquently “because walking outside when the chill is -4 F doesn’t just take cojones, it takes a certain flavor of stupid that I am just not cookin’ with.” This ought to help me get the new year off on the right foot.

2. Mind: As mentioned in October at Just A (Reading) Fool, “I am going to work toward the goal of considering a book before picking it from the shelf — and aim toward that ‘shelf’ being one of those already in our house before the library.” I also will not sign up for any other online reading challenges besides the ones I already have listed on  my page (needs to be updated, to include only three, Agatha Christie Reading Challenge, Really Old Classics Challenge and Pulitzer Project.

3. Soul: Continue to read the Liturgy of the Hours, with specific focus on including more of Evening Prayer (I already have a pretty good routine for Morning Prayer, but seem to have a problem including the other part of “the hinge”).

4. Grammar: Stop ending sentences with prepositions as seen in dreams listed above.

Looking for a dream/dreams clip to go along with this post, I couldn’t decide between these two so went with both:

although I must admit that going to the ball in a glittering gown is NOT one of my dreams…