Resolved...

This post is called "Resolved" because it seems to tie together several themes, and I really don't know how else to begin blogging again other than to just start writing and see what happens.

Theme #1: New Year Resolutions.  January is a time when most people think about goals and self improvement.  Since I am in the middle of some self-improvement projects, this seems a good time to put them on paper to see where I am going and how I plan to get there.  
Last summer I started looking at options for continuing education and updating my resume.  I spent the summer studying for a Family Life Educator certificate, and passed the exam.  Now I have 5 years to get some work hours so I can upgrade my status from provisional to fully certified.  I don't really have any intention to find full or even part time employment.  Part of my motivation was realizing that even with a Master's degree, I am so far out of the employment loop that I would be hard-pressed to use my skills professionally if something ever kept Daniel from being our family's financial provider.  The other part of my motivation was the feeling that my education has primarily blessed me in negotiating difficult family situations, but I am not really in a place where my education is used to help anyone else.  I spend most of my time at home with my kids.  If I really want to serve, I need to create opportunities that put me in a wider context, otherwise the light (of truth and experience) is hiding under my proverbial basket.

Theme #2: Resolved (the book).  I started reading a book last week called "Resolved", it is part of a much longer story.  I recently became involved with a leadership organization group/business that a friend is working in.  As I previously mentioned, I don't really want to get a job, but I do like knowing all about things that interest me.  My friend has been telling me about the personal growth she and her husband have seen in their lives and business and how they would sometime like to replace their current employment situation with what they are now doing part time.  Since I know people who are struggling financially and in their personal lives, I thought it would be good to know more about what their business involves so I could make recommendations if I met someone looking for those types of improvement.  
Since then, I have been reading and listening to tapes borrowed from my friend on a nearly constant basis. The areas of self-improvement overlap my family-life background (personal finance, marriage, parenting, etc,), so I wanted to know whether their material would be something I could feel good recommending.  I have gone over the Financial Fitness information and am slowly working to apply what I have read in my own budget.  Next, I started the Mental Fitness Challenge.  The point of this program is to focus on personal development in specific areas of my life, starting first with personal achievements and eventually learning how to be a leader in more public arenas (such as my Family Life Education). Each day I read, listen, and do something directed toward accomplishing the goal I have selected.  I have partners that are notified when I meet my daily goals.  "Resolved" is the first book, and the first week is focused on helping me discover my purpose, something that inspires me to help others and is centered on my specific talents and interests.  The first chapter sparked me to read "A Purpose Driven Life" and "Man's Search for Meaning".  (This wasn't assigned reading, I just like to read and happened to have the books on my shelf.)
 The challenge lasts for 90 days and covers 13 different resolutions, one per week.  By the end of the challenge, I hope to have strengthened some of the areas I am weak in, and to be better at applying my unique strengths in overcoming challenges and meeting personal goals.