One of my goals this semester is to have a set budget. I may still be commuting from home right now, but soon enough I will be out on my own in the world. My parents taught my brothers and I about saving money since we were very young, but there was no real need to do it. One of the things that opened my eyes this semester was realizing how much I was spending on lunch at school every week versus how much I was tithing at church. Add on future bills and I was not looking too good. I want to establish great financial habits now where I can have a little room to slip up and my parents to give me advice to stay on track.
Another goal is to relax a little in my studies. Usually I am all about getting the best grade possible no matter what, but I have learned it is better to be able to apply concepts to real life than to memorize definitions and throw them out on a test. This does not mean I am going to stop working for straight A's, but rather, I am going to focus on the application more and let the grades come naturally instead of stressing out over them.
One of my goals for the first half of the school year was to achieve a balance between work, school, and teaching Bible study. There are still ways I can improve upon this, but things have been flowing much smoother. My mom helped me realize it's ok to delegate and ask for help when you are overloaded. I now have someone who helps teach one of my Bible study groups and I am getting more sleep. I used to stay up very late to get everything accomplished for the day, but I have better learned how to manage my time. I also realized getting enough sleep needs to come first if I want to give 100% in whatever task I am trying to accomplish.
Sadly, I did not get the internship which was a part of my second goal for the first half of the school year. I am looking on the bright side, though. One: I will have an opportunity to apply every summer until I get it. Two: if God did not have this great internship planned for me this summer, I cannot wait to see what is even better than it. Just because one door has closed (for now) does not mean I won't have more opportunities to live out my calling.
