My BHAGs

When we are motivated by goals that have deep meaning, by dreams that need completion, by pure love that needs expressing, then we truly live life. --Greg Anderson

One thing (of many) my church does that I like is that they maintain of list of what are called BHAGs. This acronym (which is used by others as well) stands for Big Hairy Audacious Goals.

Goals are something I've often lacked in my life. I tend to go from day to day. I really don't know what I want to be doing in five years, or ten. I focus on what I'm doing now. Part of what I want to use this resource for is to set some personal goals and keep track of them. I've seen many bloggers do this, Rebekah, for instance, even has a permanent link  to her "Insane Goals."

This is a very personal and revealing thing to publish online. It lets anyone track your failures, but also your successes. Because this site is new, and I'm just starting to evaluate where I'm at, I'm not going to go too insane. But at the same time I want to challenge myself.

Here are a few goals I'll begin with, along with when I'd like to accomplish them and how I'll track my progress:

Make daily devotions a lifestyle.
I've always been hot and cold when it comes to taking time to read my Bible and spend time in prayer. More cold than hot, sadly. I'll usually do great for a few weeks, then get distracted and neglect them for a month or two. I read recently that it takes about 30 days to make (or break) a habit and 90 days to create a lifestyle change. I've gotten close to 30, never 90.

My greatest struggle is usually finding a regular time, I work at different times, my wife works at different times, nothing is ever consistent. This also becomes an excuse not to do it. So I really just need to pick a time, surrender what I'm doing and get to it.

Time frame: Now
Measure: Post daily readings to Twitter

Read a book a month.
This may not sound hairy and audacious, but I average maybe two or three books a year. I want to start spending more time reading and learning and get my mind functioning better again. I don't do fiction, I love non-fiction. I already have a book list started:
48 Days to the Work You Love by Dan Miller (picked this up at the library yesterday)
Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman
Quitter by Jon Acuff
God's Story, Your Story by Max Lucado
The trick is for me to actually read them.

Time frame: Now
Measure: Post reviews on the blog when finished

Be Debt Free
My wife and I are currently taking Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. We had already completed Baby Step 1 (have an emergency fund of at least $1000 in the bank) before we started, so now we're gung ho on Baby Step 2: pay off all debt except the house. We've been fortunate enough to never accumulate any credit card debt, so we've already paid off our car and now we've gone all in on giving Sallie Mae her eviction papers. We've tailored our budget to have extra money to pay every month, we've began selling stuff, we're talking about the possibility of extra shifts at work, we've said no to going out to eat and buying a dining table and chairs we stumbled upon at World Market. We want Sallie Mae gone.

Time frame: 12-18 months (hairy and audacious, but that's the point)
Measure: Sallie Mae no longer taking our income!

Get Baptized
I'll cover this further in another post. It's a long story and has been kind of a big deal for me.

Time frame: End of May or June 2012
Measure: Kind of obvious.

These four things are a start. I need to set health goals, but I know I need more of a mindset change before that's going to work. These will take enough time and effort as it is for now. So, today begins a new start, this time with public failure as an added motivational tool!