2009 GOALS: What Am I Going to STOP Doing

Goals are great.  I make lots of them.  But what often happens is that I make a huge list of goals only to find that by mid-year, there's no possible way I can achieve them because I lack 

TIME (clock capacity) or 

PASSION (emotional capacity) or 

RESOURCES (people, talent, $$$ capacity)

I love the Subway commercials where buttons are popping off people and pants are spliting.  It illustrates that our bodies only hold a certain capacity of food.  When we stretch that capacity, we become unhealthy.

It's like my life is a plate of 1/2 dessert and 1/2 pasta.  I know I need to eat more veggies (aka my 2009 goals) but there's no room on my plate.  So, I'll just plop the veggies on top and try to eat the whole plate.  Unfortunately, one of two things happen:

1) Something unintentionally falls off the plate: when I pile things on my plate, something inevitably falls off.  It would be better to strategically figure out how something is going to fall off rather than to "just let it slide".  If I'm strategic and intentional, I can be in control of achieving my goals.

2) I try to do it all only to realize I'm giving myself an ulcer.  I need to stop listening to the lie that says "I can do it all" because I can't possibly do it all.

Whether it's setting goals as a team or setting your own personal goals, we need to make a list of what we are NOT going to do.

Here's mine:

1. I'm not going to check my email and google reader 3x per day.  Usually, I jump online first thing in the morning, during lunch and before I go home.  This is a time killer.  I'm going to set aside 1 hour per day to check emails, google reader and reply to emails.

2. I'm not going to be on the phone all day.  I will set aside a part of my day to make, receive and return phone calls.

3. I'm not going to take my member's ideas and run with them.  Recently, a couple of church members had the idea of doing a progressive dinner.  Great idea!  But guess who took the idea, ran with it and implemented the whole thing: you guessed it!  The idiot whose blog you're reading.  I take peoples' ideas because I worry that it won't accomplish the vision of our church.  So I vow to listen to someone's ideas and coach them on how to best implement it so that it will accomplish the vision of our church.

4. I'm not going to read books.  Ok, well you know me too well.  I'm always reading at least 4 books at one time.  But I also have this goal to read the whole Bible this year.  So, I'm going to read less of my other books and read more of the Bible.  It'll disappoint Amazon.com but I think it'll be worth it.

5. I'm not going to do ministry by myself.  I am going to delegate and empower more peole this year so they are more of a part of ministry.  

What's your 2009 STOP doing list?