Where Am I Going?
Where are you going? Evaluate where your life will be in 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years if nothing changes in the following categories:
1. Personal relationships
2. Career
3. Personal Health
Personal relationships
Having a better relationship with myself has helped me have better relationships with others. The Austin Stone has introduced me to great Christian men and women who have taught me about real community and how to be totally exposed to others. I used to fear intimacy, and the Recovery program has wiped that fear right out of me. As I learn to share my true thoughts and feelings, I gain deeper friendships with healthier, like-minded individuals and have learned to distance myself from unhealthy people. I still have much to learn about loving difficult people and confronting conflict, but that grows with time and maturity.
1 year- I think I will have stronger, better relationships in a year and possibly have let go of negative friendships or at least made amends. I may still struggle with trust and shyness, but I will be a little more open around close church friends. I may be willing to forgive more readily and brave enough to confront conflict.
3 years- I think I will have learned to love difficult people better and become more comfortable being away from family. I think I will be less shy and afraid and more confident in who God made me to be. I will probably always struggle with shyness to a certain extent because I tend to be an observer in social situations and only open up as I get to know people more. My trust issues will have died down a little more as I develop healthier friendships and learn God's grace.
5 years- I think I will have a better grasp on my emotions and fears and learned to overcome my fear of people and rejection. If I have a family, that will change things a bit. Having the love of my own family will give me strength and confidence, but I also need to find that on my own.
Career
1 year- I like my current job and wouldn't mind staying for another year. I could learn alot and build my portfolio and start searching for bigger opportunities. As far as my other ventures go, maybe one of them will work out in the next few months if I keep plugging along. My book will still be under way, and I should probably work on that a little more than I have been. Having a full-time job makes it difficult to pursue my true dreams.
3 years- I hope I'm not still at my current job in 3 years. I would like to grow more and find better opportunities in the design field, so I better get that portfolio up to par. With the other ventures, I will have either succeeded or found that I don't truly care about those dreams any longer. My book will still be under way because I'm not able to write much with a full-time job. I also need to learn how to manage my time better and work on my dreams even when I don't feel motivated to.
5 years- I would hope by now that one of my ventures would have worked out, and I'd be able to quit my day job. Not sure which one will pan out, and I hope the book will atleast be finished by now. I'm pretty satisfied with where my career life is headed, but it would be much easier if I didn't have to keep a full-time job.
Personal Health
1 year- My body is fairly healthy, and I've started eating better. My lack of exercise may catch up to me sooner or later, and if I don't start now, I may find some flab a year from now. Also, my body feels weak and lethargic sometimes, so working out could be a good start. I just really hate the gym.
3 years- I will be in my 30s by this time, and I'm sure my body will finally reap the consequences of no exercise. Better get on the ball game and also be a little more disciplined in the way I eat.
5 years- I should probably start taking vitamins too.
Assessment
We are now supposed to evaluate ourselves as if we are a character in a novel.
My character wants to build stronger relationships and open up more, but she has been hurt alot and lost trust in people. That trust is slowly coming back, but since she's away from her family, the healing is going slower than she'd like. God has closed the door on jobs back home for now, so she's aggravated that she can't go back to her safety net, but she trusts God to work out things for her good. Because she has no husband or children, she has enough time to pursue her passions and has worked hard on them, but she is losing momentum because the success is coming slower than she'd like. Some days she feels like giving up, and other days her desires and passions are strong enough to kick her into gear. She is getting a bit bored with the status quo and wants more excitement and adventure, but she also understands her need for stability, so she is waiting for God to provide that change at the proper time.
Maybe God is waiting on her to make that change herself, but right now, this character is not taking many risks because she has taken other risks that involved pain, so now she is staying on the "safe" side, and it's causing alot of complacency and aggravation in her life. She is learning to walk by faith as she realizes more and more that she really isn't in control of her life.
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