48 Days – Day 9

Over the next 48 days, I am reading Dan Miller’s 48 Days to the Work You Love: Preparing for the New Normal. The book contains a checklist of activities to do over those days in order to discover more about who God made you to be. This post is about how I complete the items on the checklist. For more information, check out the other articles here.

In this installment, I will be answering questions from the end of chapter 4. These questions are about setting goals and taking action.

1. Are you a goal setter? Do you typically set goals at the first of the year. If not, why not?
   I am a goal setter.  I tend to set goals for everything. This goes with me being a spreadsheet guy as well. I love to map out plans and try and make achievements. In reality, when I do not achieve a goal, it tends to make me upset. I am pretty drive and it takes a lot for me not to do something.
   New years day tends to be a day I do think about what I want the next year to look like. Many of my goals are similar or superficial. I did spend extra time this year thinking about what I wanted this year to look like. I could write another, longer post on those goals.
   
2. How would you describe your current focus on work?
   I have started to come out of a time when I was not focused on the task(s) at hand. I experienced months of failures, one right after another. For a time last winter, I lost focus. I had no goals to reach for, nothing I hoped to obtain. I was frustrated and felt there was no real way out. For the most part, I really stopped focusing on anything. It was one of those times when I let life happen to me. I did not try to do anything within my calling.
   This has changed. By the grace of God I have discovered there are things to do, even if they are not how I envisioned them, to spread the Gospel.
   
3. What hobbies do you have? What other skills and interests do you have?
   My hobbies range from blogging (obviously) and writing, to playing my guitar, to reading. I also enjoy playing with IT and networking. My interests, which I am not as active in, include landscaping, hiking, and camping.
   As for skills, I honestly do not know if I have anything I really excel in. One area I do think I have gifting in is preaching, however, I do not know if I do it overly well. I have not spent enough time honing this skill. Other than that, I do not do a lot of things really well. This is not a “poor little ol’ me” sentiment, but I do not really do a lot of things well. You could say I am a jack of all trades, yet master of none.
   
4. How are you involved in community?
   I am involved with my church to a great degree. I spend time with my community group and some of the men at our church.  At times we take classes together or hang out. I hope to continue to grow with my community.
   
5. What was your father’s or mother’s attitude toward work and how has that affected you?
   I am pretty sure both of my parents were pretty hard workers. My dad is the kind of guy who takes pride in his work and has always done an excellent job. I believe my mom to be the same way. they both impressed upon me from an early age that I needed to work hard in order to be a productive member of society.

There you have it. I am a goal setter. I think at times I am too easily distracted from my goals. If I decide I am going to go for something, I will, with everything inside of me. If I get distracted in any way, I will usually put it (my goal) on hiatus. Setting goals is not the problem, I think at times I set too many. I need to simplify my life a little and make sure I am doing what God has called me to do, and not everything else.

-Don-