Prioritize. After a lot of thought and consideration, I chose to actively pursue the word prioritize during the year 2020. (Read more about this.) I chose to approach this word in four aspects of my life:

  1. In my Spiritual Life.
  2. In my Professional Life.
  3. In my Relational Life.
  4. In my Personal Life.

Prioritizing My Spiritual Life. Three ways in which I approached this goal included studying what I believe to outline and guide my personal beliefs and life principles; routinely meeting with my mentor to study and grow together, providing accountability; and staying off of my phone during such growth opportunities. Although I feel like there is always room for growth, I am proud of the many times that I chose to spend studying– whether this was scheduled into my daily routine or a spontaneous choice made during my day; the many continued discussions with my mentor; and the observed fruit of silencing and stowing my phone during learning opportunities.

Prioritizing My Professional Life. A couple of approaches that I took to meet this goal included seeking accountability in regularly meeting with mentors; and keeping to-do lists. Although I am very pleased with my mentorship and resulting accountability, I have noticed that I have yet to solidify a consistent to-do list format, and system for keeping myself accountable to my independently-set deadlines. I will definitely continue to work on this!

Prioritizing My Relational Life. 2020 has been a surprising and challenging year– particularly in regards to connecting with others. However, I am grateful for the quality time spent with those I love through activities such as laid-back home visits and extra-long phone calls; game nights and park walks; and Zoom calls and routine homemade family dinners. 

Prioritizing My Personal Life. Although the spring semester’s work weeks seemed to increase in hours due to working from home, my weekend hours appeared to increase as well. And with minimum to zero outings planned for awhile, I had extra time to catch up on several things including reading, sleep, and just overall rest and self-care! In an effort to continue one form of self-care, I even joined a workout group, once my town began to re-open. 

Although I see myself continuing to work on the word prioritize, I am proud of the accomplishments made during the year 2020. As for the word chosen for this year– 2021, stay tuned!

Sincerely,