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Halftime: Do you need to protect a lead, or do you need to make a comeback?

As we near the halfway point of 2020, I think we would all agree that this year hasn't gone quite as we had planned on New Year's Day.  Maybe you've been fortunate and had some major success this year despite the pandemic and turmoil taking place in our world right now.  But maybe you're the 28-3 Patriots and need to be staging a major comeback as the second half of this year begins.  I'm taking some time this morning to reflect on some of the goals I set for myself at the end of 2019 and see where I'm winning, where I'm losing, and where I just need a completely new gameplan.

  1. I had a goal of reading 15 or more books for 2020.  I actually had finished 8 by March.  Then, if you recall, mortgage rates dropped, PPP loans took over, and I had to go into survival mode for work and family and neglected much personal mental development.  I didn't finish reading my next book until June!  But, I'm back on track there with reading (working on #11 now) and should easily get 15 done for year and possibly more...if Britt will let me keep buying some.  Feel free to drop any good recommendations in the comments - I prefer personal development, faith based, or financial topics.
  2. I had a goal of being more present with my family.  This is one where I feel like I've scored a few touchdowns but also had a few fumbles.  I've had major ups and downs here of focusing on my wife and kids.  At times, I can be diligent in putting my phone away, playing with them and just having a good time.  But I've also allowed myself to get pre-occupied with work, church, and a number of other interests at times. 
  3. Weekly Bible verse memory.  Yeah, let's just be honest, I've completely let this one go.  It went for maybe two months.  I haven't gotten out of the Bible, just fallen short on focusing on memorization.  Thankfully, my overall spiritual life has been lifted up by having the opportunity to preach a few more times at church which has forced me to dig deeper into God's word and listen more attentively to what He has to say.
  4. Build deeper relationships.  I'd be lying if I said this one was where I wanted it to be.  Yes, I've certainly made some new friends and acquaintances but others still aren't nearly where I want them to be.  Relationships take time, communication, and presence - the last of which has been greatly hampered by quarantine and virus fears.  I've also noticed that you have to allow relationships to form organically, you can't force them.  This doesn't mean you shouldn't be intentional about them, rather that you're not the only one deciding if a friendship or partnership is worth investing in.
  5. Maintain health and fitness.  Wow!  I didn't know when I wrote that one that gyms would be closed for weeks/months!  I have to admit that during the closures, I didn't quite maintain, but I did keep from falling off too far.  I was able to run on the dark stretch of highway out here with a headlamp (I should thank God that I didn't die doing that more) and engineered some workout areas to at least attempt to maintain.  However, now that gyms are back open, I'm back to where I was and hopefully improving and trying to stay healthy.  After all, 40 is coming for me!
  6. Create 1-2 additional streams of income.  It's halftime and no new checks are coming in.  Is that a loss?  It doesn't' feel like it just yet.  I didn't actually turn down one smaller income source but that felt like the right thing to do given what it was for and what was required of me (I felt it to be just a way to serve and not for being paid).  So maybe it has taken 6 months, but now the conversations in our house have changed.  Britt and I have started looking at houses, discussing businesses, and I'm starting to learn better how to communicate to her the benefits, effort, risks, and potential rewards of real estate.  So much so that we may make a step towards that in the near future and possibly a leap here soon.  Heck, she may even start up her own small business - and y'all thought I married her just for her looks!

These were the goals that I set for myself, and put in writing, as 2019 came to an end.  Will I master each one of them in 2020?  Likely not.  But if I can lay the groundwork and begin putting the sytems and getting the finances and people in place, we can be ready to crush it in the 2020s.  We've all had major unknowns and curve balls thrown at us in 2020.  But as we near the halfway point, truly ask yourself - am I on schedule to accomplish my goals?  Or is it time to really step it up and get going before I get left behind?

Good luck in the 2nd half!!!

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