January, you're half gone

2016 was rough, and I chose to make it that way.  Nothing bad "happened" to me, I just made bad choices and refused to let go of people and habits that were hurting me.  It was a step up from 2015 because I at least realized my need to let go and tried but I still failed.

2017 is here now.  That one particular thing that I had been grasping onto for far too long is finally gone, let go of, in the past.  I'm not going back this time.  I realize more than ever now that I can't be who I am, who I want to be, unless I let go.  I don't want the life that it brings, I never did but I thought I couldn't find anything better.

Last year I looked at other people's goals, a lot, on their pretty Instagram feeds.  This year I've created a list of goals that cover several areas, and each area has several practical things that I will do to achieve these goals.

Without listing every gritty detail, here's what I am working to make my 2017 look like:

Cultivating a deeper relationship with Jesus, investing in family and friends, being good to my body, being a good steward of my finances, reading at least one book a month, and developing a lifestyle of encouraging others.

In 14 days, I've unsuccessfully attempted to give blood, read 42 chapters of Genesis and roughly 14 of Proverbs, finished 2 books I started last year, successfully completed 14 days of a 3 month Contentment Challenge and started hand-writing my budget and sticking to it (mostly).

Nothing is going to change without a whole lotta Jesus and some gumption to make it happen.