Goals | May 2020

As of yesterday, I am an unofficial high school graduate.  We are just awaiting the finalization of my grade in a college economics course, and then grades can be submitted for official graduation.  I’m thankful to have made it to the end of this chapter, but I cannot wait to see what God has for me in the future!

  Those of you who’ve stuck around awhile may recall that I used to run a series on my previous blog entitled, “My Goals.”  I am an avid list-maker and making monthly goals is one of the ways I stay organized.  I haven’t shared any personal goals for a very long time, so I thought I’d jump on and share some of my goals for May, especially since I now have a much weightier responsibility to manage my time wisely.

  Normally I spend the month of May working for a local Christian preschool (in addition to schoolwork, which I’ve always done year-round), but quarantine has obviously changed my plans, providing me with a lot of free time—more than I’ve ever had before.  As you think of it, I would appreciate your prayers as I seek to use my time in a profitable way these next for 4 months.

1.  Release a new music video to YouTube.

  Last month I arranged a medley of O Worship the King and All Creatures of Our God and King, which you can view here (or below).  This was my first time using a high-quality microphone for recording, and my brothers helped with video footage and editing.  I was so happy with the result!  I look forward to collaborating more in the future with my sibling crew.  My goal is to create another video in May.

2.  Read 2 books.

  I must confess that nearly all of my reading this year has been school-related.  My desire to read for pleasure has become stale, but I hope this month will allow me more time to revive that pastime.

3.  Lead a YouVersion devotional study.

  I do devotionals one-on-one with a friend on a semi-regular basis, but I’d like to expand my horizons and possibly head up a group study for some younger friends (not sure if this will work out, but I'd like to try).

4.  Write blog content for 2 months in advance (8-10 posts).

  Looking ahead to college, I don’t foresee having enough time to maintain my current blog schedule (although it is certainly my preference to stay consistent).  Hopefully I can spend some quality time working ahead on blog posts for this fall.

5.  Send out all graduation announcements.

  I’ve already sent out the first batch, but I need to finish the rest.  Some of the announcements will also be sent with personal letters, so I will be devoting time to that.

6.  Keep up with card lettering.

  Another hobby I don’t know if I will be able to maintain in college is card-making, so I’d like to have a collection stored up for use through the school year.

7.  Send 5 thank-you notes.

  I’d like to send personal thank-you notes to 5 people who have invested in my personal growth, whether that be spiritually, academically, musically, etc.

8.  Try 3 new recipes.

  I’d like to get into baking and cooking a little more, and hopefully use this to bless my family and others.

  P.S. Since we’ve been in quarantine, our family has enjoyed 5-6 loaves of banana bread, courtesy of our overripe bananas and my initiative. ;)  Thankfully, the fire alarm has only gone off once or twice!

9.  Invest more time into my string instruments.

  These instruments would be viola, erhu, guitar, and mandolin.  Today I created an impromptu arrangement for guitar, mandolin, and flute, which was a blast!  I hope to create many more multi-instrument arrangements over the summer.

10.  Study for my college theory placement test.

  This is one of my highest priorities for the summer.

11.  Do my Pinterest jean-painting project.

  I found a super cool example of painted jeans on Pinterest recently, and purchased some fabric paint last week.  My goal is to complete this project in the next week and a half.

  I would love to hear from you below!  What are your goals for May?