Traditionally, the start of a New Year is perceived as a season for clean slates and new beginnings. Depending on your perspective, you might consider New Year’s Day as a time to turn over a new leaf, to start that post-holiday diet, to begin that exercise regimen, or to generally clean up your act and put your life in order.

I am not usually inclined to compose a list of goals for the New Year, but in 2017 there are some specific things I want to work on personally and professionally. As I prepare for 2017, here are ten goals I am targeting…more or less:

1. Eat a little less and exercise a little more. My physician keeps reminding me that I can increase the probability of enjoying prolonged good health if I begin now to eat a little less and to exercise more.
2. Talk less and listen more. Several times in children’s sermons I have emphasized that God created us with two ears and one mouth so that we could listen twice as much as we talk. As I grow older, I am discovering the need for me as an adult to limit my speech and to be more intentional and focused in my listening.
3. Meet less and serve more. Over the past few years, the church I serve has taken some strategic steps to minimize the number of meetings we ask leaders and workers to attend, and to increase the number of ministry opportunities we provide. Even as a church staff member, if I am not careful, my time can be consumed in meetings where my presence is not really needed. In 2017, I want to spend more time engaged in ministry action.
4. Criticize less and encourage more. Maybe it’s just the after effect of a malicious election year, but I have heard enough criticism and negativity in 2016 to last a life time. While constructive criticism may be of great value, negative and petty criticism tends to be contagious and demoralizing. Our local and national leaders, our ministers, and our neighbors need our prayers and encouragement more than they need darts of non-constructive criticism flying their way.
5. Spend less and save more. As I strive to be a more effective manager, and as I think about retirement scenarios down the road, I am persuaded that I need to spend a little less this year on frivolous things and to put a little more in savings to provide stability for the future.
6. Worry less and trust more. I am convinced worry is a genetic trait handed down to me from previous generations. I know that worry is a waste of time and energy, but a little voice in my head is wrongly convinced that worry is productive. This year I want to proactively address those things that are within my realm of responsibility, to cease worrying about those things over which I have no influence, and to trust God for daily guidance and provision.
7. Hurry less and focus more. Because my task list can get long, I tend to spend a lot of time hurrying from one task to the next. This year I want to slow the pace and focus on the present moment, even if that means I don’t check every task off my to-do list.
8. Watch TV less and read more. I enjoy good tv shows and good books. I especially enjoy watching Hawaii Five O, NCIS, and Last Man Standing. My personal downfall, however, is reruns. I spend too much time watching shows I’ve already seen, and that cuts into my reading time. Reading exercises and stretches the mind more than watching TV. This year I am determined to spend more time wrapped up in a good book and less time watching repeats.
9. Connect less and disconnect more. Electronic communication can be a technological blessing and social networking can be the next best thing to being there. However, staying connected 24 hours a day can be counterproductive and may increase stress, reduce productivity, and incite attention deficit. This year I want to maximize the benefits of being connected by strategically choosing times to disconnect.
10. Reminisce less and engage more. Reminiscing about the past can be inspiring and educational. But when I become preoccupied with the past, I end up becoming a curator of yesterday’s blessings rather than envisioning new possibilities and working toward a positive future. Reminiscing helps me to treasure the experiences of yesteryear. But there comes a time to put the past behind me and the future before me and to engage the challenges and opportunities that are knocking at the door this year.

As I welcome 2017, I want to maximize the opportunities, navigate the obstacles, and “press toward the mark of the high calling” with hope and determination.

(Barry Howard serves as Senior Minister of the First Baptist Church of Pensacola.)