In school we learned about SMART goals and some of you may be familiar with that concept.  (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-sensitive)

But we don’t do SMART goals around here.  Many of my goals are unmeasurable and pretty unspecific.

However, they’re notes for me to look on to keep myself accountable and remind myself what I’m doing.   

A pro of them not being specific is that maybe they could help you too.  

All of my goals are very entangled, but I tried to split it into the categories of my relationship with God, my relationship with others, our squad’s impact, and other personal goals.  Each category includes growth, which every SMART advocate would say isn’t a real goal, but I’m making it one.  

In the relationship with God category my main goals are dependence and trust.  I want to acknowledge that I can’t do anything on my own and as a result, continuously ask God for help.  I also want to follow God even when I have no idea what that means.  I stepped into this trip pretty blindly.  I didn’t do much research, I don’t know what to expect, and I don’t know what it will lead to.  All I know is that if God wants me here, that’s where I want to be.  

In my relationships with others I hope to grow in vulnerability and reliance.  I have historically struggled with being vulnerable and I am already seeing growth in that in the time that I’ve been here so far.  I don’t want to be closed off from all the lovely people that I’ve been blessed to have in my life.  I have also struggled with relying on others.  I like to call myself a strong, independent woman, but I’m learning that that doesn’t mean doing life alone.  God designed us to live in community and bear each other’s burdens.  

My squad’s impact is a huge thing to focus on because reaching people is the reason to go on a trip like this.  I want to be so focused on serving others and I want to see God change lives because I know He can.  1 Corinthians 3:7-9 says, “So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.” I want to take that posture into this trip and my life.  

My other personal goals are to focus on letting go and being present.  I want to release habits, thought processes, and comfortability that prohibit my growth and step into new.   I also want to remember to be present.  I have that word tattooed for a reason.  It’s a constant goal of mine, but it carries new weight on this trip.  It would be easy to spend most of my time talking to my boyfriend on the phone or taking the quiet time I think I ‘earned’ from being around people as an introvert.  Neither of those things are bad in themselves, but I don’t want to miss out on what God has for me here in new relationships and memories that come from being fully immersed. 

I know God will do amazing things on this trip and I want to be open to receive that.  I can’t wait to bring this post back in eight months and tell you what’s changed.  :)