We are a few weeks into the new year and I spent the last two weeks-ish thinking and praying over my goals for this year. I realize that may seem silly but I am a doer and a finisher and once it’s down on paper I have a hard time not finishing something, even when God is saying no.

Realizing this hiccup in my DNA, I thought it best to sit on it for even a few days. To ponder and wait and pray and make sure that these goals were not of my own doing but what God had for me this year. I trust in a God who is much bigger than my refusal to stop when He says stop or move when He says move; it’s not that I thought I could thwart God’s plans with my severe type A tendencies, my heart’s desire was to just slow down and listen, to ask what His desires were for me this year, to be patient in hearing from Him and ask Him to establish my steps as I moved forward.

The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.
Proverbs 16:9

My hope in sharing these goals with you is two-fold: 1. To be a source of accountability for me and 2. To increase your belief in a God who hears and answers prayer. Much of what I’m hoping to see this year are God size dreams, as in, I’m scared to death because the problem-solver-planner-girl in me cannot figure out on my own how to make these dreams happen. I’m putting it out there so that when God provides the resources or the ideas or the creativity or makes the dreams happen, your faith will grow right alongside mine. (For an extreme example of answered prayers resulting in faith growing, read Answers to Prayer by George Mueller.)

Below are the 10 big goals, but under each I have very specific action steps that will prayerfully and hopefully drive me closer to the overall goal. (P.S. I cannot recommend the Powersheets process enough for goal setting. It helps break down big, impossible goals into small chunks that are actually doable.)

2017 GOALS

1. Build a life-giving home through intentional and purposeful rhythms, routines and spaces.
   • Morning devotions with the kids
   • Create rhythms for intentional prayer & bible memory verse with the kids
   • Nightly family bible story and family reading (Chronicles of Narnia)
   • Simplifying & Decluttering
   • Create creative space for the kids
   • Create reading space for the kids
   • Makeover master bedroom & bathroom
   • Clean-up lanai/outdoor space
2. Build an intentional, intimate, and fun marriage.
   • Morning prayer times before work
   • Dating nights 2x a month
   • Quarterly day away together
   • Weekly family meeting
   • Planning and executing Aaron’s 40th (!!!) birthday.
3. Build my family legacy through photo albums & family video.
   • Family albums for years 2013-2016
   • Child specific year birthday albums
   • Family video via the One Second Everyday app
   • Convert old home movies to DVD
4. Deepen my spiritual walk.
   • In-depth study of Proverbs
   • Read one Psalm in the evening, before bed.
   • Greek daily study
   • Practice silence & meditation (I want to work through this and this.  This was also helpful this summer.)
   • Study the “25 Truths About Your Identity in Christ”
5. Invest in my personal growth.
   • Read 12-16 books
   • Find and attend an art class
   • Spanish lessons (10 minutes a day)
   • Learn Calligraphy
6. Care for my body through healthy eating, exercise & rest.
   • Train for and run 2 races in 2017
   • Run 2x a week
   • Strength train 2x a week
   • Go to bed! Sleep 7-8 hours a night
7. Develop, build and grow The Morning.
   • Daily prayer
   • Find a mentor/coach
   • Begin blogging weekly
8. Develop, build and grow Wise Girls. (More on this soon!)
   • Study Proverbs
9. Rebrand Ashlee Proffitt to be a cohesive source of wisdom, encouragement & inspiration for business owners and working mamas.
   • Weekly newsletters
   • Regular blog posts
   • Create coaching / mentoring program
   • Study speaking, become a better speaker
   • Manage business finances well
   • Develop a product or course to serve business owners
10. Steward well finances, save wisely and give generously.
    • Monthly business finance tasks: profit & loss, taxes, tithes
    • Weekly family finances tasks
    • Spend less. Save more.

January Goals

For January I’ll break down some of these bigger goals into small action steps.

MONTHLY

• Plan spring break family trip
• Take Nancy Ray’s “Organize Your Family Photos” course
• Create reading list of 2017 books to read
• Research local art classes
• Sign up for Charleston Bridge Run (with Aaron!)
• Simplify and declutter pantry and junk drawers
• Create creative space for the kids: we don’t have a playroom and all the art supplies are always strewn about the house. I’m thinking this housed in our walk-in pantry would be a great solution.
• Work on master bedroom: hang curtains, paint nightstands, add two chairs & rug
• Content Calendar for this blog and The Morning
• Create speaking outline for Pursuit Retreat
• Read this, this, this, and this on public speaking
• Business finances
• Create and launch 2 brands!!

WEEKLY

• Start race training
• Run 2x a week
• Strength train 2x a week
• Blogging 2-3 posts Ashlee Proffitt, 1 post The Morning
• Family business meeting
• Family finances

DAILY

• Study Proverbs morning, read one Psalm in the evening
• Silence & meditation during quiet time
• Pray for The Morning, direction, wisdom, mentor
• Morning devos with the kids
• Intentional prayer time method with the kids
• Nightly family bible story and family reading (Chronicles of Narnia)
• Go to bed! Sleep 7-8 hours a night
• Spanish lessons (10 minutes a day)
• Find simple ways to be a blessing to my husband, my kids, my friends, family and strangers.