What Kind of Goal Maker Are You?

By Susan Allred

Several days ago, Marsha Ward discussed some of her writing goals for the upcoming year. As I read her blog, I got to thinking about what I will be doing in 2016.

I'm totally into goals. I have pages and pages of goals...or to-do lists...or both, strewn all over my house. It's a running joke in our family. My husband refuses to sit down with me when I'm bit by the goal-making bug for fear I will suck him into my frenzy. Instead, he rolls his eyes and exits the room as quickly as humanly possible, hoping I don't follow with pen and paper in hand.

At any given time, I have a list of financial goals, spiritual goals, educational goals, family goals, fitness goals, writing goals, etc. There are so many, I couldn't possibly hope to achieve them all in one year. But to me, it's more about organizing all my thoughts onto paper and focusing on what's truly important. Writing down desired outcomes helps me avoid the shiny penny syndrome which, admittedly, happens way more often than I'd care to admit.

This year, I'm opting to depart from my preferred methods, instead weeding through the cacophony of demands on my time to choose only three major goals. It's been nerve-wracking, but I've managed. I figure everything achieved beyond those goals will be icing on the metaphorical cake.

This year my goals are:

1. Go to the temple six times.
2. Hit goal weight.
3. Submit my first book to be published.

These will be written on a piece of paper and they won't get lost in the clutter of daily life. They'll stand like sentinels on my wall – big and bold – reminding me of my priorities and where my time and energy should be focused.

As you step in to the new year, what do you hope 2016 will have in store for you? Are your goals lofty and scary? Or is the goal to simplify and enjoy life more? Do you even make goals at the beginning of the year?

I'd love to hear what you have hope to achieve this year. It's exciting to hear the different stages each person is at in their lives and to cheer them on along the way. May 2016 be filled with adventure, happiness, love and peace. Happy New Year!!

What I love about Christmas

By Cassie Shiels

I love Christmas time. I know it is the same for many people and I am sure their reasons are similar to my own. I love the lights, I like snow (most of the time) I love all the fun treats, I love the music and I love sharing the joy and excitement with my kids.

My favorite time during Christmas time is Christmas eve. That night when I was little we decided to make extra special. It's what we all look forward to the most. One year when we were small we decided that we wanted to do a special performance for my parents. It would be a present from all of us. So we found some funny song and preformed to it. The laughter and joy we saw on our parents faces made a tradition out of it, and for every year since then we have added to our night.

We now read Luke 2 and act out the Christmas nativity story and we perform our kids' program as we call it. It makes for a fun night that we plan and plot all year long. We may look goofy but the whole idea is to make our parents smile. We do something different every year, which is causing us to keep getting more and more creative. We are adding the grandkids in to perform with us and it just keeps getting better because of that.

Isn't that what Christmas time should be about more? Bringing a light, a smile, a gut full of joy and laughter?

I like all the presents and things too. We do put out cookies and hot cocoa for Santa and do all of those fun things too. But nothing is better for us then seeing our parents eyes light up.

We had a fun year this year and as usual we got our parents to laugh and smile, as we dressed up as elves and sang, "we are Santa's elves," in goofy costumes. It was awesome!

How was your Christmas?

What is your favorite part of Christmas time?

How do you find your smiles and laughter?

A Picture of Christmas

by Kari Diane Pike

Delicate sugar cookies covered in mounds of icing and piled with red and green sprinkles (How does a five-year-old figure out how to get it all stay on there?).

Chewy ginger molasses cookies drizzled with white chocolate.

Hand-dipped chocolates--strawberry cream, peppermint, butter rum, vanilla and chocolate covered cherries--nestled in white paper cups.

Lights glowing on a tree covered with thirty-something years worth of macaroni wreaths, hand print reindeer,  clothes pin ballerinas, and  collections of angels and nativities. 

The house is filled with the scent of cinnamon, oranges, and ginger. Even better, the sound of children's voices once again echoes throughout the house as all of our children and grandchildren come and go, filling the days with family activities.  I love seeing how our married children work with their spouses to blend family traditions and create their own. I also appreciate how they always manage to set aside time to fulfill my yearly desire to go caroling. I know it's not easy to drag all the little ones around, in and out of the car, over and over. 

Today we will make our yearly trek to the Phoenix Zoo and gather in the evening to eat more yummy food and share the story of the Savior's birth. I love watching the faces of our grandchildren as they discover the wonders of the earth He created just for them. A couple of weeks ago we had a video chat and talked a bit about the symbolism found in the traditions and decorations at Christmas time. Candy canes, wreaths, red and green decorations, bells, bows, gifts, angels, and even jolly old Saint Nick himself. 

The moment I saw this picture, my heart melted. My cousin gave me permission to share this photo of her children with you. The first thing I noticed was the look of wonder and joy on Adi's face. I couldn't stop thinking about Heavenly Father giving me the the gift of His Firstborn Son. 

Maybe these pictures speak to me because I know of some of the struggles that took place before they were taken. That's not my story to tell. What I can say is this: I know that God lives. I know that He sent His Son, a newborn babe, to live and love and die and live again just for me! Because of this wondrous gift, I know that no matter what happens, everything is going to turn out alright. Trials come and go, like sunrises and sunsets. And wrapped inside every challenge is a glorious gift--because He loves me.

This coming year, how am I going to show my love for Him? 

Making Goals for 2016

by Marsha Ward @MarshaWard

I've talked about Goals and Goal Setting before. In 2012 I suggested that our goals be obtainable, that is, that we have control over the outcomes, and in 2013, I wrote about three categories into which I had broke down my writing business-related goals for the past year. I noted that writing down the goals in an achievable fashion made them so much easier to accomplish, and that I had completed many of them and had a productive year.

I continued making goal lists in 2014 and 2015, expanding the categories and seeing a lot of forward progress and accomplishments.

For 2016, I have further refined my categories, and have a very ambitious writing and publishing program outlined for myself [Lots of prayers needed for keeping my nose to the grindstone!].

Here are the categories I've defined for 2016 and roughly what they include:

WRITE (works in progress and proposed projects)
WORK WITH OTHERS (cover designers, mostly, but also possibly audio book narrators)
PREPARE/FORMAT (mostly book bundles or new print editions, with some solo releases of previously bundled stories)
MAKE COVER FOR (upcoming releases)
PUBLISH (proposed schedule)
MARKET (expand frequency of mailings to Reader List, updating product interiors, re-doing keywords/categories)
PROMOTE (advertising and co-op sales)
INTERNET PRESENCE (blogging commitments and website upkeep)
EVENTS (what I plan to attend or where I'll present)
SERVICE (how I will give back this year)

I also outlined several business questions I have to address during the coming year.

Now, these goals still have nothing to do with my life outside of writing: my family, church commitments, educational pursuits, friends, and social events. Someday I probably will work them onto the list, but for now, my written goals still focus on the business side of my life.

What process or method do you use to set yearly goals? Does it work to help you achieve them? If not, what changes will you make for 2016?