Monday Mush --2014 is here!

Happy 2014!!!  I hope everyone had an amazing holiday!  I know it seemed to fly by for me, but I was able to “let go” of work for a little bit.  So, for that I am very thankful!  It was nice to charge up and get prepared for the final sprint to the finish line. 

January is always a time for fresh starts and new beginnings.  It is a time of reflection and goal setting as well.  I love that time of year and that mindset.  It is a time where we are optimistic about the future and how to achieve our goals and desires.  Some people make resolutions….some people reflect on the past year…some people focus on one area to study or grow in.  But whatever the path you take, most people focus on becoming better in 2014 than they were in 2013.  Or, creating a way to make 2014 a stellar year.  That all takes goals…planning…sacrifice....determination. 

I don’t set traditional “resolutions” each year.  I find them to eventually be deflating.  If you have a goal to give up cokes, and then you have one on Jan 15^th, then your year is shot.  If you have a goal to lose 10 lbs, and by May you gained 5, you don’t focus on that anymore…you give it up.  You beat yourself up about it too, and you feel worse about yourself for not having the drive to complete your goal. 

I don’t think we need to focus on the actual resolution so much, but instead be more intentional.  I want that to be my focus for 2014.  It fits whatever your goal may be, but it gets to the heart of it.  If you make intentional decisions about things, they improve.  If you want to lose weight, you make intentional choices…no doughnuts…go to the gym…you see results.  If you want to learn French, you have to be intentional about setting time aside to practice…you have to plan for money to spend to immerse in the culture. 

I want to be more intentional about relationships.  I want to focus on people, not projects or goals.  I want to focus on relationships in all facets of my life.  That means that I make intentional decisions to be a better friend, dad, husband, boss, and employee.  I want to invest in people and make sure they know that.  It is a big goal for me because it isn’t my strong suit.  But, I can see a huge benefit, so I will choose to be intentional in 2014.

I hope you can join me in that.  Whatever your goal…choose to be intentional…make decisions that bring you closer each day to the vision that you see for yourself.  If people are roadblocks for you in achieving that, it may be a year to re-evaluate them in your lives.  Maybe you need to focus on other relationships…maybe you need to focus on you….

Thank you for investing intentionally with our students….thank you for all you do…2014 will be the greatest year for Huggins yet, and I thank you for being a part of this team.