Reflection: My 2016 Goals Part Two

A few days ago, I started sharing my top goals for 2016. I felt like my post was getting a little long, and so I divided it up into two sections. If you want to get the rest of the list, check out my previous post. Each year I like to develop a list of overarching goals that inform my life mission and help me bring my best into every day. Here are a few of the goals I have set for 2016. If you are not a goal setter, I want to encourage you to set some goals for your 2016 as well. Below is the second half of my goals for 2016. Please, when you can send me a note to encourage me along the way--I always appreciate it!

Make healthier dietary choices. The data is out there. Sugar is terrible for you (beyond tooth decay), and it is EVERYWHERE! Jamie and I have been pretty disciplined in our food and beverage choices, but we plan to step it up even more in 2016 and part of that means making more meals at home, finding healthy snacks, and taking our vitamins!

Vacation. This is something I have historically been horrible with. I do not take time for vacation. Many times when I actually do take vacation, I still find myself doing work and hopping online to check emails or answer "urgent" requests. This year, I'm committed to planning for and using the vacation time that has been given me. At the forefront, I will take time off to go "off the grid" and celebrate five AMAZING years together with Jamie! Separately, I have gotten out of rhythm with regard to Sabbath. This year, I am working toward renewing my personal commitment to Sabbath. The irony of a general cultural desire to uphold the majority of the Ten Commandments is that we treat the commandment about Sabbath as an exception. 

Simplify. Every year Jamie and I make small inroads toward pushing things out the door that we have acquired over the years. And this year, we are already starting to go through our clothes, books, etc. and donate them so other people can enjoy them. Several years ago I started amassing quite a library, and while I have enjoyed reading just about every book on my shelves, the reality is that I am highly unlikely to read the majority of them a second time. So...I am planning to push many of these tomes out the door. Of course another aspect of simplifying means lowering my footprint, walking instead of driving, and turning off electronics, and lights when not in use. 

Pursue formal training to be a certified coach. This one is a new one in some ways. My entire life I have benefitted from being around people who were smarter than me, more talented than me, and who provided incredible mentorship to me. And at the core of my being, I think one of the things that brings me great joy is helping others bring their very best to the world. As a result, this year I'm pursuing formal training to become a better executive/leadership/life coach and mentor. As one of my personal mentors pointed out to me in a recent conversation, "You already do this stuff--getting trained will help you to do it better."

Play more. I believe this could probably be connected to vacation, simplifying and other goals, but when I think about this goal, it has more to do with seeking to do some activities purely for enjoyment. Whether that is playing a game of cards, playing H-O-R-S-E with Jamie on a local playground, or throwing a baseball in the yard, I want to be intentional in finding time to play in 2016. Life is pretty serious. The work we are doing at Nuru is pretty serious too. But play keeps our hearts light and and makes the serious work a little easier to push through. I don't have a specific goal for the frequency with which I want to play, but I know that I want to pursue more activities than I currently do simply for the sake of enjoying them.

So what are your goals? What will you do to bring your very best in 2016? May we each bring forth our very best for the glory of God and for the good of humanity in the year ahead.

Review: The Daniel Plan By Rick Warren, Daniel Amen, and Mark Hyman

Back in 2011, Saddleback Church launched a holistic wellness program called The Daniel Plan. As a church, thousands of parishioners participated in this program, and even some people remotely based participated in the program as well. I was among that group. I had tuned in to a webcast that my dad told me about, and I was pretty amazed about what I discovered with regard to diet and wellness.  Three months after starting the program, I had changed my diet pretty significantly, started an exercise program, and I had lost 25 pounds along the way.

Three years later, I was excited to see that The Daniel Plan had become a book, and was featured on The Dr. Oz Show. And, although I haven't "fully" participated in the full-fledged Daniel Plan, I highly recommend the five-fold focus of the plan. I feel like the holistic nature of it makes it pretty unique.

Faith--This component makes the program pretty unique. The plan is built on the foundation of faith, with the idea that God gives us the ability to do what we can't do on our own through the power of His Spirit.
Food--Of course any wellness plan requires a dietary change. This plan takes the focus away from any type of "fad" foods or supplements and focuses on whole foods over processed foods, and reducing sugar among other things.
Fitness--This part of the plan builds on the foundation of faith and food, and encourages simple fitness efforts like walking for 30 minutes each day with en emphasis on walking with purpose and as though late, and making the fitness efforts fun.
Focus--With the Daniel Plan there is an additional aspect of developing a habit of mental wellness, eliminating negative thought patterns and cultivating gratitude and mental wellness.
Friends--Any wellness plan becomes more likely to be successful when conducted with friends. The Daniel Plan encourages individuals to develop a community to help motivate one another toward their wellness goals.

Looking for a tool to help you pursue mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual wellness in community? Check out The Daniel Plan. I think it is a strong guide to diet, fitness, faith, mental focus, and growth in the context of community.