Picking one WORD!

It has been over a month since our family did our annual FHE on our goals for the new year.  It is one of our favorite FHEs as a family.  We each write our goals for the year and then Brett and I list our Top 10 from the last year and make predictions for the new year.  Each of the kids write their goals and write some of their "favorite things" and then we measure them and see how much they have grown in a year.  It is fun to read the previous year's pages and see if we all accomplished our goals, see what predictions came true, and if the kids' favorites have changed in a year's time.
I wrote down my goals and through this last month I have come to love a talk given by President Monson in the January Ensign.  It was titled Living the Abundant Life.  He shared his "ABCs" for a new year and challenged us all to take a quest for what he calls the abundant life.  In his talk he shares his "ABCs" for an abundant life...A-Attitude, B-Believe in Yourself, C-Courage to face Challenges.  I LOVE this talk and have read it many times. 
As I thought about the goals I set for myself, and after reading this talk and some people's blogs that pick a word for the year to focus their goals around, I decided to try it for me.  I have always loved setting goals at the beginning of a new year.  I love writing things down and checking them off of my list.  However, this year I decided to try a "WORD" for the year that can encompass all of my goals and be my theme for the year, just as President Monson has his ABCs for the year. 
I have thought about my word for a month now and have come to the conclusion of what word I NEED for the year.  I have found scriptures that include my word and have decided that my word for the year will be...
DILIGENT!  I love this word and as I have studied it in the scriptures I have learned I LOVE it even more.  I want to be DILIGENT in ALL things that I do this year.  In the Book of Mormon index, words that are related to DILIGENT include earnest, endure, faithful, obedience, perseverance, steadfast, valiant, zeal.  I want to do things with diligence this year. 
It is easy to set goals and then let them fall by the wayside after a month or two.  It is easy to waste our time with things that may be "good", but may not be the "best" for us or the "best" use of our time.  I am finding things in my life like that that I am trying to eliminate.  I think it is easy to get caught up with "good" things, but by the amount of time we spend doing or viewing these things can be Satan's tool of making us spend too much time doing them and taking us away from our families...especially as mothers.
I am excited to try this new way of accomplishing my goals for the year and being specific in how I want to accomplish these goals.  Here are the goals that I have set for myself this year...
1. Attend the temple at least once a month with Brett. (It will be one of our dates each month.  We LOVE going on dates every week and we KNOW how important it is for a marriage!)

2. Finish my personal progress as a leader so I can get my medallion. (I did this as a young women, but you can do it again as a leader.  This was a goal for last year, but I didn't quite get there...so I want to finish it this year.)
3. Finish reading the Book of Mormon by myself (which will help me accomplish my Honor Bee in YW) and read the Book of Mormon again with Brett as our nightly scripture study.  (We were getting in the habit of just finding a verse or two and reading random passages at night.  We decided we need to be more diligent in reading the entire Book of Mormon again together.)
4. Lose weight and go on a cruise with Brett this fall for our 15 year wedding anniversary.  (This is a constant goal it seems like.  I was doing good on losing weight the last two years and then I slacked off and it snuck back on.  I really recognize the DILIGENCE this one takes your whole life!  Maybe not to lose weight, but to be at a point that you feel healthy and it becomes a lifestyle of good eating and exercise.  The exercise is easier for me than the eating part-that is the part I struggle with the most!  Too many good foods!)
5. Run a 5K, my first 10K this year, and run the Temple-to-Temple relay.
6. Take each of my kids on their own "date" with me.
7. Write in my journal at least once a week.  (I used to be a really good journal writer.  I love going back and reading my entries...I need to be more DILIGENT in this!)
Here are a few scriptures that I am really focusing on that go along with my word-DILIGENT this year!  I hope to read them every week and make them a focus to help me accomplish the things that I have set out to do this year!
Mosiah 7:33-"But if ye will turn tot he Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all diligence of mind, if ye do this, he will according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage."

The other scriptures I am just going to include the references-they are all GREAT!  When you have a minute go and read them!  They are so inspiring and motivating!  I know through Christ we can do all things!  He will walk by our side if we will let him.  He will help us if we ask, but we have to do our part too!

Alma 7:23-24, D&C 59:4, 75:29, and 104:79-Go ahead...look them up!  They will help you in anything you need!  So to all of you that have set your goals, keep working at them!  If you set them and haven't worked on them...start TODAY!  For anyone who hasn't set some-set them today!  It is never too late!
Try this with me...pick a word that can encompass your year!  What would be your theme word for the year?  I would love to hear it!  Please share!  Maybe you already do this!  I would love to hear your ideas too!  Have a great day!