Daily Goals

Do you set yearly goals? 

How about monthly? 

When is the last time you set some goals for the day? 

Each morning, set your goals for that day and watch what you accomplish.

Fresh Start

Each day is a fresh start.  

Don't live in regret.  

Make the most of each moment, they are all gifts! 

Challenge Yourself To Be Wholly You

What WILL you do today to improve yourself?

One Step At A Time

One step at a time, 

          one choice at a time, 

               one day at a time. 

You can achieve your goals, 

overcome your fears, 

         and quiet your doubts.

Change Your Course

You are only one important decision away from a completely different life. One important decision can change your direction and put you an a whole new path. 

Do you need to change course today?  

Do You Need To Reboot Your Life?

Challenge yourself to learn or try something new or different each month.

Grab a book you would never normally read. 

Go somewhere new. 

Sign up for a class. 

Try a new hobby. 

Taste a new food.

Get out of your comfort zone and live your life.

Trying 12 new things a year challenges you in new and fun ways. 

It is not difficult to do and the commitment will make you feel more accomplished.

Life Theme for 2014

I posted the below post a year ago today.  I chose overcome for my 2013 theme, and I had many moments of overcoming.  I overcame some habits, I started to work out and reached goals in working out that I never imagined I would reach.  I haven't lost much weight, but I am stronger, feel better, and am continuing to build my strength. I overcame a fear of heights over water by walking across a swinging bridge that was close to 150 feet long and 100 feet high.  I overcame past hurts and found peace.  I could go on, but you get the idea.  

How about you?  Did you choose a word or theme last year?  How did yours go?  

What about this year?  Have you chosen a theme to live by for 2014?  I am sticking with overcome, and adding in intentional.  I want to be very intentional this year in relationships, in things I want to accomplish, and in the way I live my life.  

Join me, and share your theme/word.  I would love to hear your story!

From 2013:


What one word can become your focus for this year?  What one word do you want to be your life theme,  do you want to strive for, to describe your life in the year ahead? Put that word up in front of you, like on a mirror, a wall, your refrigerator, in your car, and live that word out each day.  Read books on that subject, look up quotes and verses that will inspire you to live that word out and make it your theme for changing something in yourself this year. 

My word is overcome.  It applies to many areas of my life already this year. 

Words have great power to change our lives.  

Here are a few words that may inspire you:

Courage     Hope     Overcome     Joy     Passion     Purpose     Forgiving    Worthy 

    Change     Discipline     Intentional     Empowered     Grateful     Transformation 

  Bold     Trust     Thankful     Health     Wisdom     Compassion   Balance 

     Perseverance     Simplify     Listen     Restore     Whole     Gentleness     Integrity

Fearless     Worship     Transparent     Friend     Quiet     Focus    Beauty

     Surrender     Humble     Action     Mercy     Laughter     Love     Grace     Peace

Selfless     Give     Content     Obedience   Truth    Faithful    

Worry-free     Organized     Strength

Self-esteem     Rest    Relentless



It doesn't matter if you haven't chosen a word yet this year, choose it now.  What is your word?  What will you do to live it out, to change things about your life?  Please share with me what word you will make your theme for 2013. 

Make A Difference, Work For Your Goals

“I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don’t set goals… and learn how to master the technique of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When you learn to master the principle of setting a goal, you will then be able to make a great difference in the results you attain.” –M. Russell Ballard



Have you set any goals yet this year?  Goal setting doesn't have to start at the beginning of the year.  As a matter of fact, it's best to set goals all year long.  A new year just reminds us of new beginnings, so it is a great time to set some goals.  

The way I am setting goals right now is month by month, broken down by the week.  Yes, I have long term goals, but I am focusing more on the short term, to achieve small steps of success in a shorter time.  When I look back in a few months, I hope to see many goals reached.  

I sat down last night and wrote out fitness, health, home, and personal goals.  I need to write out my goals on what I want to achieve in my faith life, my marriage, and occupationally.  I am sure I will come up with other areas, as well, but those are my main areas right now.  What are some areas you are focusing on?

I am writing my goals on 4 x 6 cards.  A couple of them focus on fitness.  I wrote out what I did at the gym yesterday...how long and how many strides on the elliptical, how many weighted crunches I did, the amount of weights I lifted and the number of reps, and how long I punched the punching bag.  I took those numbers and wrote out what I want to achieve within a week, then I wrote out what I want to achieve by the end of the month.  I kept my goals realistic, but not easy, because growth shouldn't be easy.  I took these same principles and applied them to what I want to achieve in my goals personally, in my home, and in improving my health.  

It's not difficult, it just requires taking the first step and writing down your goals, whether in a notebook, on cards, in your computer, or phone.  It is important to write them down and have them in a spot that is visible to keep them in front of you.  Goals require action, and follow through.  They  require effort, but the effort is so worth it.  

One way to write out your goals is to use the SMART acronym.  Are your goals:

S = Specific

M = Measurable

A = Attainable

R = Realistic

T = Timely

Will you join me in setting some smart goals this year, this month, this week?  Don't just go through your life, live out your purpose and live passionately.  Don't waste the precious gift of each new day that you are given.   You have a great potential to make a difference in this world, so start today!  You won't regret living out each moment of your life to the fullest. 

A New You

A new year....a clean slate, a fresh start, this year I am going to change, it's going to be different this year....

Are you hearing those statements a lot the last couple days?  I am.  We will continue to hear those words for the next couple weeks, but then what?  It seems people can lose their vision when setting 'resolutions' because they want the instant fix, the instant change and when that doesn't happen, they give up and go back to their old ways.  We live in a society that lives on the instant fix, the immediate details, the "I want it now" syndrome.  We would probably all like to drop a few pounds without having to work at it, and without being sick, but reality is that losing weight and keeping it off, takes making long term changes such as eating better and getting some exercise.  Most things we want to change requires some work, and definitely a change from how we are doing things at the current moment.  Unfortunately, many quit when it's not going the way they had planned.  Many people try to change for a couple weeks, but when they haven't achieved their goals in two weeks, they give up.  The great thing is, we can try start over, have a clean slate every day, not just once a year.  

2014 offers each of us 525,600 minutes.  Each of those minutes is a precious gift.  We each have a choice to decide how we will spend most of those moments.  Yes, we will all have things happen that we didn't expect, both good and bad. In the moments that lie ahead that are difficult, we can seek joy despite our circumstances, find peace in the not so peaceful times, and offer forgiveness and love to those in our lives, even when we feel they don't deserve it.  Life is too short to live in the what-if's, should have's, and to hold grudges and not offer forgiveness.  The past is behind us.  Let it go.  Today.  Move forward, don't live in the past.  

Want a better you? Start with overcoming things that personally bog you down in this new year and make your number one goal of change, to be a change of you, from the inside out.  Yes, fitness and eating better goals are important, but not as important as getting your heart right, to focus your attitude on joy, love, kindness, forgiveness, peace, and faith. Focusing on these things will bring the best you in 2014 and will impact the world around you in deep, personal ways. Remember, if you slip you can always start over.  Each day is a new beginning, a new chance to change.  

When Life Shatters, Turn It Into Something Beautiful

We all have a choice how we react and move on with life. We can either get stuck and lost, or pull the pieces together and move forward, turning the ugly into something beautiful.

Do And Say

Just read this: 


"Everything I do and say tells a story of who I am serving." 


What are your words and actions saying about who you serve and what's most important in your life?  Do areas need an adjustment?  Don't wait, make them today.  

Word Challenge, Overcome

The first word I am going to use in this new challenge is OVERCOME. Share with me what this word means to you, how you have overcome, whatever comes to your mind when you see this word. 

At the beginning of the year, I took a challenge of 'pick a word for the year that you want to be your theme,' and I picked overcome.  It has definitely been a theme for me, and I have overcome quite a few fears, challenges, attitudes that held me back.  I still have things to overcome, which has become very obvious the past few days, such as anxiety over unknowns or what if's, but I have overcome a lot in the past few months that used to hold me back.  

Here are three examples of things I have overcome this past year.  There are many more, but these are the big ones:

I started to work out, something I hadn't done at this level in years!  I had walked, done some hiking and bike riding, but I am actually going to the gym 3-4 days a week. The walking and hiking we do have become much easier and much more enjoyable.

There have been some past hurts that I have overcome, and by doing that, I have been more open to letting new people in my life, made new friends, and torn down walls around my heart.  I have become more outgoing, speak up more, and have been blessed with some wonderful new friendships because I overcame the past hurts and scars others left on my heart.  

On my birthday, I went across a narrow, swinging bride that ascends from rock to rock over the Kootenai River in Montana.  Fear had kept me from taking more than two steps on this bridge before.  I don't like heights, although that fear is going away, but heights over moving water, on a narrow, moving bridge was not my idea of fun.  I climbed the steps, determined to overcome this fear, took the first few steps, which are high up, but I was over rocks, not water.  I took a few more steps, slowly, clinging to the cable as tight as possible, and fear swept over me.  My husband and niece were part way across, cheering me on and waiting for me.  I froze for a bit, and just stood there.  I looked up at my niece, who is 8, and did not want her to think it's ok to quit something because of fear, so I took a few more steps.  At this point, one of the three boards under my feet moved, escalating my fear, but kept me moving forward!  When I got about half way across, the fear left, and I enjoyed each step of the journey across that bridge.  It was beautiful.  I felt very accomplished when I hit the stairs on the other side.  I felt free from the fear that had held me back so many other times before.  The trip back across was now easy.  I had overcome by putting fear behind me, and taking a risk to move forward.  With each step moving forward, the fear grew smaller and the confidence grew more and more, and I overcame a barrier that held me back for so many years. 

This only shows about 2/3 of the bridge, it is a long one!  

Be More

Today is the first day of school in our area, new beginnings, new things to learn, new friendships, a fresh start. We all could benefit from pursuing those today. If you need a new beginning, start over today, don't live in past regret and mistakes. We can all benefit from learning something new, taking a free online class, or from reading a book. New friendships are always a blessing so pursue one today by connecting with someone today. Be more and live your life passionately!