The New Year is a weird time. Other than needing a new calendar, there’s not really a big difference between December 31 and January 01. People may have stayed up a little later on December 31, but when a New Year strikes we’re still the same people we were at 11:59.
However, every time a New Year dawns, we are filled with a renewed sense of resolve and purpose. We believe that this year can be different from the last. All the resolutions we left by the wayside in the previous year can be dusted off, reclaimed and actually fulfilled. Most people experience this hopeful swell even though we all know that most resolutions fail and we’ll probably end up in the same place the next time the ball drops in Times Square.
That being said, 2016 finds me filled with a renewed sense of resolve and purpose. I believe this year will be different from the last. I am going to dust off, reclaim and actually fulfill all the resolutions and goals I left by the wayside last year. I feel a hopeful swell and I know that I will be in a different place the next time the ball drops in Times Square.
Last year was a transitional year in my life. I left my job as a youth pastor to pursue different dreams and goals. After leaving my job at the end of September, I spent the rest of 2015 trying to find some sort of balance in my new normal. All of the dreams and goals I had took a backseat to simply figuring out my life and mourning the job that I had left.
Perhaps three months is the right amount of time to readjust and it just happened to coincide with the New Year, or perhaps the excitement of a New Year is helping to propel me forward. I don’t know, but I’ve got some goals for 2016 and I want to share them with you.
- Get down to 160 pounds: If you followed along with the blog or the podcast last year, then you know Ron and I were involved in a weight loss competition. Ron won, but I lost 20 pounds. Unfortunately I found 10 of those pounds again so, to reach my goal, I need to lose 35 pounds instead of 25. But 35 is better than 45.
- Write a book: I want to write a book. I actually started writing a book once, but I didn’t get too far. I’ve got an idea at this point that I need to flesh out and see if there’s enough there, enough for me to write about and enough to keep me engaged.
- Double readers/listeners: This is the start of The Christian Nerd’s sixth year. Last year Ron and I started The Christian Nerd Podcast as another avenue to examine the intersection of the Christian faith and nerd culture. I love this website and all of its content; I believe that it can encourage people to better love God and see how he is engaging all of us through nerd culture. I would love for more people to be encouraged by this content, which is why I would love more readers and listeners.
- Write a lesson a week: One of my gifts and passions is writing curriculum for churches. It was one of my main responsibilities when I worked at my church. I want to continue that work by creating curriculum and content for churches. If I write one lesson per week, then by the end of the year I could have 12 new four-week series ready to share with churches looking for teaching material.
In the past I’ve started the New Year by sharing my nerdy resolutions, commitments to play more video games and watch more nerdy television shows. This year, though, I wanted to be more honest with my goals. In the past I’ve been scared to share my goals because, if I didn’t meet them, then everyone would know that I had failed.
I’m not scared of failure, though; I’m scared of not accomplishing the purposes for which I was created. I’ve been praying about these goals and asking God to help me accomplish them if they are indeed his will for my life. I don’t want to just make resolutions that will help me be a moderately better person in 2017. I want to achieve goals that see more of God’s will done on earth (and in my life) as it is in heaven.
What are your goals for 2016?
Leave a Comment