goals | Anita Mathias: Dreaming Beneath the Spires

On “Defining Decisions” Rather Than New Year’s Resolutions

Anita Mathias — Sat, 09 Jan 2016 12:03:08 +0000

Image Credit Mark Batterson, in The Circle-Maker, a fascinating book on a prayer, praises “defining decisions,” that set the course of your life, sort of like choosing whether you drive to Slovenia (which our family did last summer), or to Scotland (which we might do this summer). I made three defining decisions in my twenties. […]

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In praise of tiny goals

Anita Mathias — Thu, 28 May 2015 13:35:40 +0000

I know many people who want to write books they haven’t completed—and I, alas, am one of them. The standard advice for writing a book? Ray Bradbury, Stephen King or Donald Miller recommend 1000 words a day. If people did that, they’d publish 4-6 books in a year, Miller says. More commonly, writing gurus recommend […]

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Goodbye to Everest

Anita Mathias — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 18:34:46 +0000

When I was six years old, I wanted to be the first woman to climb Everest. Well, I won’t be. That was Junko Tabei, a Japanese woman–a record which will forever be hers. And neither will be I be the oldest person to climb Everest. That’s Yuichiro Muira, who climbed Everest aged 80. Nope, not […]

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One Work Goal for 2105: Focus

Anita Mathias — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 10:54:12 +0000

I enjoy the One Word project. Instead of a resolution, one asks God for a prophetic word as a guide for the year. My word for 2014 was alignment. I have chosen Joy as the word to return to this year. When I find myself stressed, distressed, angry, worried or simply sad, I am learning […]

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My One Word for 2015 : Joy

Anita Mathias — Mon, 19 Jan 2015 14:04:31 +0000

I had wanted to choose “Accelerate” as my One Word for 2014 but God impressed “Alignment” on my heart, and it proved to have been useful through a tumultuous year—a cancer diagnosis, and surgery, the death of my beloved border collie Jake from cancer, a burglary. And some nice things too… being invited to Cambodia […]

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The Creative’s Planner, 2016

Anita Mathias — Tue, 09 Dec 2014 20:13:12 +0000

I have designed my own 2016 Planner to plan and organise my creative work, and the other things I want to keep track of. I used the blueprint in 2014, and found it brought clarity to my day and increased my productivity. Here it is if you’d like to order a copy. On Amazon.com and on […]

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New Year’s Resolutions, 2014 : A Long Obedience in the Same Direction

Anita Mathias — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 17:40:03 +0000

“The essential thing “in heaven and in earth” is that there should be long OBEDIENCE in the same direction, there thereby results, and has always resulted in the long run, something which has made life worth living; for instance, virtue, art, music, dancing, reason, spirituality– anything whatever that is transfiguring, refined, foolish, or divine.” Nietzsche, […]

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