Strategic Planning

Towards the end of the year, our last three work days consisted of a series of "strategic planning" meetings. Strategic planning was a new concept for me, so in a professional sense it was a very educational and enlightening experience. Essentially, an organization creates a comprehensive document which includes, the mission statement, the goals, the objectives, the priorities, and the operating and decision-making procedures of the organization. This type of plan helps an organization be more successful at what they do, focus on their top issue priorities, and stay centered around its mission.

Strategic planning has also prompted me to reflect upon my own life. For the past few weeks, I have been contemplating the concept of "New Year's Resolutions" and what their purpose. Taken at face value, a Resolution is a goal that a person sets for herself. At heart, it reflects a deeper goal of self-improvement, which is something I strive for in my own life. But it occurred to me that while "self-improvement" is indeed a noble goal, you need to be aware of what you are "improving" towards. In other words, if you hope to improve yourself, you need to set a standard to strive for.

The consensus I have found from my research, both about New Years Resolutions and about the life-stage that I am currently experiencing, is that these are the years where I will decide what kind of person I am going to be. This "decision" takes place whether it is a conscious effort or whether it is an unconscious accumulation of qualities, values, activities and attitudes. So far I have opted for an intentional pursuit of myself.

To that end, I have been compiling, in my mind, a few things that I want to incorporate into my life, as values, attitudes, and priorities. Here are just a few that have made the short-list so far.

(1) Actively prioritize my faith. This is an area of my life that I have been meaning to work on for years, and I have always let other things take priority. So my new goal is to set aside time each day to read the Bible, reflect on what I read, and actively seek God's presence and guidance in my life. This is obviously a work in progress, and I am off to an erratic start so far.

(2) Keep my word. This is something else I struggle with. I want my word to be good. I want to be on time to  events and meetings. I want to get something done by the time I say I will. I want to build my credibility with friends, coworkers, colleagues, and myself. I am only as good as my word...

(3) Practice intentional hospitality. I have always felt a bit lacking in the area of hospitality, and honestly, I feel that it is because I am oblivious to the needs of the people I welcome into my home (whether it is my house, my dorm room, or my apartment). This means having my home be aesthetically welcoming, which includes being clean, having adequate seating/hang out space, and generally being a good space for spending quality time with quality people. For me, this also means being the person who offers a bed to a stray friend (or a visiting friend!); offering to help a friend in need, whether it's watching her children, making dinner, cleaning her house, whatever. I want to be there.This is both a short-term and long-term goal. Primarily long-term. Although most of these goals are long-term goals.

(4) Charitable giving. Tithe. I want to make this happen. I have also tried to find local organizations whose missions I really support. There are quite a few nonprofit organizations around the Mobile area that are doing incredible work, and I want to help further their work! More on this to come!

(5) Keep up with the news, nationally, locally, and within the community! I have been making an effort for the past few months to read a selection of articles from the New York Times and NPR (my two favorite sources presently) both related to my work, and on a variety of other subjects. I like to be aware of events happening domestically an abroad, within the environmental field and without. This has been very fulfilling for me in terms of feeling like a well-rounded person and in-tune with the world. This is also part of an effort to be a lifelong student.

I think that's enough for now. Thank you for reading. Please comment below (or elsewhere) about your thoughts about life goals and strategic planning. What kind of person do you want to be? How will you get there? What have you been meaning to do? Today is the day. Today! January 20. The time is now. Go!

Boo