I know age is only a number, but I’m not satisfied for my 30s to simply be a duplicate of my 20s. In an effort to grow, I’ve put together some goals for my next decade. Some of these are more general aspirations, but you’ll get the idea.
- As a family, define, establish and live by our family mission and values.
- Get up earlier to start my day earlier.
- Consistently arrive home before supper-hour.
- Delegate my general roles; protect my unique roles.
- Schedule and protect personal hobby time.
- Make exercise and physical activity a priority.
- Schedule and protect time with my kids.
- Love their mother (Deidre, my wife) so they learn what to expect from a relationship.
- Build value in them so they learn self-respect.
- Teach them that God loves them no matter what!
- Teach them that ministry is our response to God’s love, and not God’s love itself.
- Make the first day of school as special as possible (Sept 2019; Sept 2021).
- Love Deidre during this transition (ie. Make sure she has a tea from Tim Hortons).
- Make it a habit to pick them up from school.
- Find a need and volunteer at their school.
- Continue to tell Deidre how much I love her every day.
- Protect date night.
- Plan something incredible for our 10 year wedding anniversary (July 2019).
- Live closer to “enough;” less in “excess.”
- Become more strategically generous.
- Pay final student loan payment (2020).
- Become a home owner (2025).
- Be a continual learner.
- Continue to take healthy risks.
- Make the most of every opportunity.
- Don’t let every opportunity take the best out of me.
- Become better at learning, remembering and using people’s names.
- Be faithful with the ministry I’m called to lead.
- Annually increase engagement with my blog (The Journey Holm).
- Write a book (2024).
To make sure these goals and aspirations become a reality, I’m going to need to do a few things:
- Stay in line with SCRIPTURE – These goals are important to me, but if I leave what I believe and value the most behind, my success in these 30 will be in vain.
- Add SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE and TIME-ORIENTED goals – this public list shows my intent, but it doesn’t completely capture the “how.” In order for me to succeed, I have to write how and when I’m going to accomplish them.1
- Ensure ACCOUNTABILITY – I always ask God’s Spirit to keep me in line and I’ve made my list public (that helps), but I also need honest people in my life (wife, friends, mentors…) to hold me accountable so that the next ten years are actually a success. Let’s face it, the Spirit prompts us, but often has to use someone else to nudge us.
Your turn…
So now that I’ve been pretty open and transparent, it’s your turn to challenge yourself!
What do you hope to accomplish in the next stage of your life? How and when will you make it happen?
I would love to hear from you! Feel free to comment below, on social media, or by email (andrewholm@gmail.com). SUBSCRIBE HERE!
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