Photo by S O C I A L . C U T on Unsplash

Has anyone else wondered where January went? One minute, it's NYE complete with ringing in the new year with old lang syne. Ok, I'll be honest, I was totally asleep by midnight on NYE this year. Next thing I know, the year has kicked off and well, it's been a hot month for me. 

Dog healthcare situations, work travel, work in general, and the "cold winter weather" blues, complete with 3 inches of snow and ice for Wilmington, certainly made it feel like a long month.

Not one to really make "resolutions" per se, I've thought about some intentions and perhaps even goals for the year. I often make internal and external goals for work, but leave little room for personal development or growth. Or maybe I'm just too exhausted to think about improvement outside my career & vocation. After attending a conference this past weekend, I've been thinking about the upcoming months, career and vocational goals, and areas personally I'd like to dive into some more. 

Here's the top 5 areas I would like to be more intentional about at least in the spring, if not in all of 2025. Most relate to each other in some fashion and/ or tie hand-in-hand. 

1) Time. I have found myself wasting a lot of time-consuming media content. Mindless doomsday scrolling through comments, videos, and articles has eaten a lot of time, even without it being intentional or meaning too. I've been reading a book called The Anxious Generation (for work purposes) that talks about social media consumption and the impact on our Gen Z kids. 

I'd dare say that social media consumption affects adults almost as much as Gen Z. Even though many of us didn't grow up with it, it consumes us now. Be honest. How many of you can't leave your phone in a different room for more than 10 minutes before you start looking for it? 

Yep. Me too. So I want to be intentional about time. About time away from social media, phones, and media consumption in general. It will be hard because after all, that's what we do for you on MBP, that's part of my work responsibilities, but I think in doing so, I won't stay up as late and will be mindful of patterns I've created. 

Also, time away from being accessible, too. In a world where we are always accessible and on, it can be hard to just rest. Picking up the phone and checking email, or responding to that 9pm work text from a parent, or late-night artwork sesh's on Canva all impact me, my sleep, and all the other things on this list! 

2) Hobbies. When I think of hobbies, I think of retired men messing in their garages or ladies at their quilting circles. In reality, hobbies are anything that we do regularly in leisure time. Now, I recognize that hobbies are hard for those of you with littles that are constantly on the go all the time. Yet, cultivating that "time" to "do" the things you love is really important and part of taking care of your self. I don't know what it looks like for me yet. I have a few ideas. I've been wanting to take cookie decorating classes for years, and several are being offered in the upcoming months. Brushing up on my cooking game in creative ways would be fun as well. Perhaps even a random workshop or two from our local lecturers. There's still an Outlander tour that I desperately want to do but work timing has been off on that!

3) Finances. Finances are difficult. We all have limited budgets and a finite supply of income. While I wish I won the lottery (wait.. I'd actually have to PLAY the lottery to win) or met some random billionaire, the likelihood is that I need to work with what I got. Being creative about paying off vet and healthcare bills along with general life (sigh, here's to you car maintenance with your cracked windshield and need for new tires) means that I gotta figure out what's important. Which goes hand in hand with hobbies. While I'd like to do it all, financially, I can't. These nonprofit youth director dollars stretch more than I anticipate, but I would like debt to be going bye-bye!

4) Community. I just attended a conference full of Lutheran youth pastors, deacons, leaders, and even volunteers. One thing that we all were reminded of is the value of "people" in our lives. Our people. The people that we can be real and honest too. For those of us in a variety of professions, we are "on" a lot, which means we can't be "real" towards everyone. No matter whether it's a church or a room full of students, you have to watch your reactions, interactions, and sayings. 

Finding people that we can just be ourselves with is highly important. Maybe not quite Thelma and Louise, but you get my drift. My people, while they live all over the place, can be difficult to get a hold of and some I haven't seen in person in a while. I would like to be intentional about cultivating those friendships further, and perhaps even attempting in person visits this year!

5) Faith. This should go without saying, but we can't fill others from an empty cup. No matter your faith or religious backgrounds, it is important to find the right fit of spirituality for you. As a church youth leader, I am constantly teaching and engaging, but this year, I'd like to find opportunities and ways for my own self to be challenged and to grow. 

Home devotionals and YouTube sermons are fine, but I am looking forward to finding books and perhaps even lectures that help me think about the world and God in new, exciting, and perhaps challenging ways. 

We all have areas of our lives that we work on, or want to work on, so I hope that these life areas might challenge you some! 

Happy 2025!