Simplifying and Specifying In 2018
Originally published on www.kesifelton.com
December 27, 2017
In these last few days of 2017, I want to encourage all of you to take a moment to reflect on your year and the growth (or lack thereof) that you experienced: How did you get more in (or out of) alignment with your goals? Who did you get closer to and how did they pour into you and vice versa? What relationships do you need to work on going in to the new year? This is a Twitter thread I found the other day and it includes some great questions to help you get started.
Since this will most likely be my last blog post of 2017, I want to take a moment to thank everyone that has read, shared or in any way engaged with my content this year. I'm grateful to have this space to share and refine my voice and I'm so grateful for the continued support. My focus for 2018 will be shifting to Better to Speak so stay tuned for announcements and opportunities on how your story can be included!
Hit "Read more" to check out how exactly I plan on creating my goals and intentions for 2018 and how you can too:
Habukkuk 2:2-3 reads, "And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry [/delay], wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry ."
As it pertains to goal setting, a lot of us will likely spend the next few days setting high goals for 2018. I even thought about what career goals I hope to accomplish in 2018, but then I thought, What do I want to do after I accomplish those goals? I'll check those things off my list and then what?
That is the biggest difference between setting goals and intentions. A goal is more of a destination, whereas an intention is the means for how we arrive at that destination, but isn't necessarily tied to a particular outcome. Both are important to determine for yourself and the person you hope to be in 2018. Check out this article which further explains the difference between goals and intentions.
Simplify
Before you sit down to set your intentions and goals for 2018, make sure everything that you set forth to accomplish is truly in alignment with what God wants you to do. Although we don't know His plan for us, taking the time to discard things from our list of goals that do not really resonate with us will help clear out the noise that we all experience. Do not attach yourself to these goals, and instead strive to accomplish them with your entire soul and appreciate it as apart of your journey regardless of the outcome.
Specify
Be extremely specific with want you want to accomplish, how you want to feel, and the person you want to be in 2018. Do not allow other people, circumstances, or even your own self-doubt to keep you from what God has in store for you. If you know you want to start the journey towards making your dreams a reality, write the vision and make it plain, then get to work. Don't water down your aspirations in order to make those around you comfortable. That will only cause you to waste time and become resentful that you aren't where you want to be.
I hope you all have enjoyed my End of the Year lineup! Let me know what your intentions are for 2018 in the comments or on Twitter @kesifelton for a chance to win a free copy of Danielle Murrel's Black Queen Colouring Book and a Better to Speak T-Shirt!
–kf
