"goals"

Jonathan Edwards and New Year's Resolutions


New Year's resolutions inevitably remind me of Jonathan Edwards.

Dude was intense.

He outlined 70 Resolutions to guide him in becoming a better, more holy person.

And even though, as a good Wesleyan, the "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" preacher Jonathan Edwards is probably one of the last people I'd choose as a life coach, some of these Resolutions really resonate with me. 

Here are some of my favorites:

  • Resolved, that I will live so as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.
  • Resolved, always to do what I can towards making, maintaining and establishing peace
  • Let there be something of benevolence, in all that I speak.
  • Resolved, never to suffer the least motions of anger to irrational beings. (This one would definitely come in handy when reading Facebook and blog comments...)
I appreciate that, instead of just saying "Be perfect," or "Don't screw up," he created seventy line items of ways to do that. And he committed to re-read them every week to remind himself of his goals. I'm a hugely goal-oriented person--I love the whole process of setting goals and the satisfaction of achieving them--and it's so important to make them realistic, manageable, and focused. 

I don't have a complete list for the year drafted, but some of my new year's goals include getting another piece published, doing more book reviews, and saving money for a house. Who knows, maybe I'll even try to read Jonathan Edwards's Resolutions every week too.

What are some of your goals for 2013?