New Year Goals, don't let Failure stop you.

So This year I didn't make any New Year resolutions. "Why not?" you ask. Because I know I will probably fail to keep them and I hate! Hate! HATE! failing. Which is funny considering how often I fail at things, come up short, or fall short of all the expectations I have for my life. The more I thought about how much I hate failing I realized because of my hate or maybe its a fear of failing I've stopped trying as many bold and crazy new things. Some where along the way I think part of me stopped searching to experience more of this wonderful gift of life God gives us because the more I explore and learn and try new things the more I realize how prone to mistakes I am. Every new thing I have ever tried I have messed up at one point or another. Some of them for make for funny stories liked Dropping a motorcycle during a test drive. Some of them have left some scars. Some of them I don't even want to think about. But I've learned for each failure I've moved forward I've learned and grown smarter for the next attempt. I was listening to a podcast from Perry Noble (the link is below) He mentioned how when a baby gets up and takes its first few steps and falls Parents get all kinds of excited, They break out cameras and call it walking, even though its really falling forward. It encouraged me to get up and try some new things and to keep working on some old things. I thought about how far I've come with God even though my walk has had more falls than I care to count. Even if it was only a few steps and a fall forward at a time that's all a Father needs to get exited about his kid taking a few steps. (It's also all you need to march a football down a field for a touch down)

This year instead of Resolutions (lets be real who actually keeps those for long) I decided to add some Goals to this year. Goals: "the object of a person's ambition or effort; an aim or desired result."  Goals are different than resolutions "a firm decision to do or not to do something." Decisions change and I now how easy it is to loose resolve. A resolution to lose weight doesn't stay the same when faced with a maple bacon doughnut, or birthday brownies. Goals however can stay the same even if you get knocked off track for a bit. I want to move in the direction of the Goal and even just some progress in that direction will be a small win.

So this New year I want to encourage you to make some Goals reach for something new, know that God is walking with you. Know that like the good loving Father that He is God is excited for you to take your new steps even if you stumble and fall He just wants to see you get up and keep trying. He believes in you, and So do I. p.s. Give yourself some Grace we're running a Marathon and not sprint If your still alive you still have a chance to get back up and take another step (I'll be making a post about getting back up soon)

Here are my New years Goals and steps I plan on taking to accomplish them feel free to borrow them:

• Spend more time with God
• Set my morning alarm clock 10 mins earlier to wake up and have more time to pray
• Go to a remote / isolated place once a week to pray
• Sidenote: this has worked for me in the past If you're not wired that way don't feel like your life should look like mine 
• Spend more time in the Word
• Set a devotional on the table where I eat breakfast to star the day in the word.
• p.s. You can get one on your phone, check the bible app.
• Confession: I've never been great at sticking to daily devotionals, pray for me.
• Read More books
• Love / Encourage More People More often.
• Do one unusual act of Love or encouragement each week
• Ask friends to ask you if you've accomplished that each week.
• Get Healthier
• Eat at least one vegetable every day (baby steps)

Here is a Link to that Sermon from Perry Noble its Pretty Good I'd encourage you to check it out:

http://newspring.cc/watch/thejourney/how-to-have-the-best-year-of-your-life-2014