This week I am blogging about the goals I set myself for 2009. Yesterday I gave the reasons why I set myself some goals and how they have had a huge impact on my life. For the rest of the week I want to share with you the actual five goals I set myself, how I achieved them and also how they impacted my life this year. So today is goals number one and two. These were goals that would help me in my professional life:

Goal 1: Read at least 12 books throughout 2009.

So some of you are thinking that isn’t much of a goal! Well, maybe not for you, but I have never been a reader. I went through my whole college experience without reading one book, and I graduated! I think that is a bit of an achievement considering degrees are supposed to be about lots of reading!

My aim was to read six books that would help me in areas of weakness in my professional work and six books that would help me go to another level in my personal life and areas where I am strong in my professional life. Well, go figure, I smashed this goal my the end of February! I became a book-worm in 2009 and have read a little over 45 books this year! However, it wasn’t about the number of books that I read,  but the types of books. I chose authors who lives I respected. People who had gone down the path my life was heading and had achieved great things. I wanted to learn from the best. Yes there were some books that I was disappointed in, but others blew my mind. This goal gave me insight into ways of thinking I have never thought before. It gave me necessary materials and also advice I would have never sort. Reading is now one of my favorite things to do. Not because it is so fun, but because I get to spend several hours (depending on the size of the book!) having a one on one with some of the best leaders, thinkers, Pastors and innovators who have ever lived!

Goal 2: Write a book!

So I have a confession to make! I didn’t actually achieve this goal. I wrote an introduction and hated it! However, the purpose behind this goal was achieved. I wanted to write a book to help me with my communication skills. I realize that the one area of my life with the most potential is with my verbal communication (not saying I am the greatest speaker, but I believe there is possible potential there). The problem with most verbal communicators is that they don’t know when to stop! They talk too much! I realized that if I could start to write and try to condense what I wanted to say verbally into written format that it would teach me to say things in a more clear and concise way.

Instead of writing a book, on April 1st 2009 I started a little blog about life called alexpenduck.com. Well, here I am seven months later having written 108 posts, some good, some very bad! I believe I am starting to say things in a more clear and thoughtful way, still trying to condense what I say though. This blog has helped me to process how I say things verbally. I have found blogging to be very liberating, testing and incredibly rewarding. However, it has helped, and will continue to help me become a better speaker, thinker and I pray a better pastor!  I do not think I will be writing a book in 2010!