I’ve been thinking about my goals from 2013, and I didn’t hit very many of them. BUT, I did reach farther than I would have without them. With that said, I’m re-evaluating how I’m doing it.

I’ve come up with a list of 12 things that I want to accomplish or work on this year. One problem I had last year was trying to START too many things at the same time. This year, I’m going to look at these loosely defined goals to see what I can work on that would be the most important and make the most impact for that month. I would then break the looser goals down into a more defined, actionable plan for the month. I kind of did this last year, but (again) tried to start too many at once.

A focus that I’m having for myself, my blog, and podcast can be summarized by the phrase: “Sharpen Your Ax.”

This leads me to the title, “Blacksmith.” When I think of a blacksmith, I think of someone that is both forging new things and repairing older ones. He is working with the fire, hammering against the anvil to mold the piece into something useful. He would be the one to create the ax and temper it to make it better and stronger. And, yes, sharper.

I’m reminded of Abraham Lincoln’s statement when asked what he would do if he had 6 hours to chop down a tree: he would spend the first 4 hours sharpening his ax.

So, I will be working on fine-tuning and developing my skills more. Diving deeper than I’ve been able to before.

I will be working on sharpening my ax. I’m a blacksmith.

Here’s my goals for 2014:

1. Prayer journal
2. Exercise routine
3. Reduce pop intake
4. Cut back on eating out
5. Read 10 new books
6. Review 10 previous books
7. Gazelle intense on paying off mortgage
8. Dedicate time each week for family
9. Dedicate time each week for Dev By JR
10. Improve marketing
11. Deeper connections with people
12. Have other families over

How did you go on your goals for 2013? What are some goals you plan on attacking during this first part of 2014?