Starting Steps: Why Bigger Isn’t Always Better

Bigger is better. It’s a lie we find ourselves believing at times, whether we realize it or not. It silently permeates itself into our culture: a bigger home, more clothes, a heftier bank account, and over time, we start to see it play out in our own lives.

But when it comes to our goals, less is more and smaller is better!

You don’t have to know the whole plan when you set your PowerSheets goals for the year—you just need to write out your specific starting steps and, in general, what has to happen after that. A bonus? Breaking down goals feels good because you experience tangible hope and momentum as you get those goals moving!

For some added inspiration, our team is sharing one of our 2018 PowerSheets goals and our first three starting steps below! You’ll see that these starting steps are simple, tangible, and can be easily added to our Monthly Tending List! We hope you find some inspiration to start making progress on your goals, and buck the statistic. We hope you’re encouraged!

Amber Housley, Marketing Director
Goal: Read 24 books this year that support my other PowerSheets goals
Why: Reading is a form of self-care for me. It destresses me, and it helps influence my creativity.

1. Print out wildcard page
2. Make an inventory of current books on my shelf and review current Amazon wish list. Add these to my wildcard pages.
3. Choose my next 2 books for the upcoming weeks

Casey Marchbanks, Designer

Goal: Find a church home in our new city!
Why: To find life-giving community for my family. To have a place to serve regularly. To grow my relationship with the Lord and with others!

Starting Steps:
1. Research & create a list of churches in our area that align with our beliefs
2. Visit a church from our list every Sunday
3. Go to a discovery class, or meet with a Pastor at the church that God leads us to!

Catherine Marks, Editor
Goal: Create a life-giving home in our new house
Why: Our little space is the domain God gave us to steward and shepherd well. It is the backdrop for our family’s life and a resource we can use to bless others.

Starting Steps:
1. Kon-mari (purge and tidy) every inch of our space so we have only the things we need and love (plus a place for everything and everything in its place)
2. Create a family goal and schedule wall where we can keep our mission statement and calendar, as well as track our goal progress
3. Order photos of our daughter to update our gallery wall to include her!

Emily Thomas, Creative Director
Goal: Refine our home
Why: Our home is the arena for learning, growth, ad unconditional love, and nothing matters more than love. If we can make it better, we should.

Starting Steps:
1. Walk our home and make a list of areas to be purged and decluttered. Use the PowerSheets Wildcard page.
2. Schedule each area of my calendar–no more than one per week
3. Pull together a new inspiration board for our first floor’s color scheme.

Jess Metcalf, Community and Content Manager
Goal: Phone down, eyes up
Why: Life is too short to be tied to your phone, and I want those around me to know how much I love and value them.

Starting Steps:
1. Set phone hours/boundaries
2. Order an alarm clock
3. Make a to-be-read list of books to read instead of mindlessly scrolling

Kaylee Hobbs, Customer Delight and Operations Manager

Goal: Find time and space to use my creative gifts
Why: This fuels my excitement for life, and I feel energized when I’m learning more about a creative hobby.

Starting Steps:
1. Set up a regular meeting time with a friend who encourages me to use these gifts!
2. Create an inspiration collection on Instagram.
3. Read a blog post related to furthering a creative skill–in this case, photography!

Kristin Winchester, MTH Conference Chief Encourager
Goal: Intentionally take care of myself.
Why: Filling my tank will make me a better wife, mama, daughter, sister, and friend. It will give me the ability to pour out and love all of my people well.

1. Block off one morning a month on the calendar and make sure someone can watch the babies so I can go do something on my ‘fires me up list’ (i.e. coffee with a friend, a manicure, etc.).
2. Schedule an at-home date night with KPW in February to review calendars and try to schedule a summer vacation.
3. Pick out 6 for-fun books to read this year.

Lara Casey, Founder
Goal: Pray the Word of God while reading through the Chronological reading plan again. Study Psalm 119. Use my prayer journal, say my prayers out loud, or record my prayers to my phone notes.
Why: To directly connect with God and to align my life, expectations, and value with the truth of the Word of God, not the ways of the world. To grow my faith, the faith of my family, and to build up the faith of others.

Starting Steps:
1. Sign up for the Chronological reading plan again
2. Print Psalm 119 and put on flashcards and in phone album
3. Set up 2018 prayer journal

I know what you’re thinking! These are great examples, but where do I start? You’re in luck! We created Goal Action Plan Guides full of ideas to help you cultivate some broader goals! Check them out for some starting steps for yourPowerSheets Tending List:

• Finance Goals
• Business Goals
• Relationship Goals
• Parenting Goals
• Nutrition Goals
• Faith Goals
• Fitness Goals

We’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment and share one of your goals and your first three starting steps below. I’ll choose one lucky commenter to win a Goal-Setting Sticker Book on Monday!

Having trouble coming up with starting steps? That’s okay! We can help each other on in the comments and offer suggestions!

Use the code LETSCULTIVATE for 25% off your entire shop order this week! Stock up on stickers, one of our companion goal guides, Lara’s books, or our best-selling Write the Word journals!