This past year has been quite the roller coaster ride. There were lots of changes, lots of loss, and lots of gains. Next year, 2017, promises to be an amazing year for me, and there are a number of things I want to accomplish, a number of goals I want to meet, a number of.. dare I say it.. resolutions.
Stop Smoking
Yeah, I want to quit smoking. It’s a nasty habit, and I don’t like doing it. Not only does it make my clothes smell funky, and cost a small fortune, but it makes it harder for me to breathe. With asthma, that’s a stupid combination anyway, right? But it’s so hard to quit. I have zero motivation, zero willpower, when it comes to quitting. But, it’s something I need to do, so I’ll figure it out somehow. I’ve tried the patch, the gum, the lozenges, and even the dreaded Chantix.. twice. It was horrible, and I don’t think I want to do it again. I’ll probably have to just go.. gasp!.. cold turkey like I did before. I’ll probably go absolutely insane, too. Or piss people off when I get cranky. God, I hope not. But, I need to quit.
Revamp the Website
Aliens has been a great little website for the past year (or however long it’s been since I rebranded) but it’s getting a little bit stale. I want to revamp it, spruce it up, liven it up a little bit, make it better. Maybe I’ll go with a new theme, although I like a lot of the options available with DIVI. I guess we’ll see soon, if I can just manage to find a little bit of time to work on it. Time seems to be something I don’t have much of these days, and when I do have free time, I generally choose to do other things with it, not stay glued to a computer screen. But, since I’ve gotten into blogging again (mostly with some prodding and pushing), it only makes sense that I revamp it a bit.
Grow in My Walk with God
2016 has been a long, winding year in regards to my walk with Christ. I spent the first half of the year hating, then disavowing the existence of God. Then, when things started happening in my life, I started to find my faith again. I’ve been slowly growing, but I need to do more. I need to spend more time in prayer. I need to attend church more than occasionally (I’m getting there). I need to start thinking with more of a Godly mind and heart, and not let my human nature take over. That’s one of the most important things to me. I’ve spent far too long doing my own thing, doing what I wanted, hating God because I needed to try and justify things, but I can’t be that person anymore. God has given me another chance, and I will not let him down.
Find my Church Home
In my previous post, I talked about having an internal battle, a conflict of sorts, between two churches. One where I’ve vowed to remain, the other where I feel more at home. One that gives me the peace and tranquility that I need, the other that offers fulfillment. This year, I will make a choice. I will find my church home. I will pray about it, and I will go wherever it is that God leads. Sure, we could continue to go to two churches, but is that okay? Is that the right thing to do? After all, as the Bible says (Matthew 6:24): “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” Sure, this verse isn’t exactly talking about choosing a church, but it’s still a valid point. How can I split my energy between two churches? Shouldn’t I devote myself to one or the other? For now, I’m Catholic. I may always be Catholic. We’ll see. But somehow, this year, I will make that choice.
Better Myself
I’m not a horrible person, but I have my faults. I want to work on them this year. I want to be a better person. I want to be more financially stable. I want to have the things I deserve, and not just dream about them. I’ve done pretty well this year, honestly. I bought and paid off my truck. I paid off some debt. Not all of it, of course, but I can work on that. I want to make a better salary (good luck with that, at my current job, but I guess it’s not the only option in the world).
Build My Relationship
One of the most important things to me in this coming year is to build my relationship with my girlfriend. She’s a remarkable woman, and she deserves someone who can treat her like a queen. I try my best, but I’m not perfect. I can do so much better. I want to grow with her and be the man she deserves. Sure, it will take some learning along the way, but that’s kinda the point, isn’t it? To learn each other, the little quirks, what makes them tick, likes and dislikes. Yes, I know a lot of that already. After all, we’re quite similar in many things. The journey with her promises to be an exciting one. I look forward to the next year with her, and seeing where God takes us.
So far, those are my goals. Will I find others as times goes by? Sure, I probably will. Will I accomplish all of these? I hope so, but we all know how New Years resolutions are, right? Okay, so let’s just not call them resolutions. Let’s stick with goals. Easier to not screw them up that way, I think.
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