Goal Setting for a New Year (2 Minute Read)
Daniel Crosby • December 15, 2022

Goal Setting for a New Year (2 Minute Read)


Maybe you’re dealing with the post-Christmas hangover, getting the kids ready to go back to school, or just trying not to freeze to death walking to the car.


In this post-holiday malaise you have a BIG decision to make.


Are you going to coast into the new year like you’ve done in the past or are you going to take charge this year and live intentionally?


Here are two ideas that might help you begin to consider what 2023 could look like for you.


1. A PRINCIPLE is “a concisely worded statement of truth that transcends circumstance.” (Alex Judd – “Path for Growth Podcast”)


2. An ACTION is “the accomplishment of a thing usually over a period of time, in stages, or with the possibility of repetition.” (Meriam Websters Dictionary)


So here’s your homework before January 1, 2023. I want you to answer these two questions and write down your answers on a piece of paper.


1. What PRINCIPLE do I want to focus on living out in 2023?


AND


 2. What ACTION am going to commit to repeating this year that strengthens that principle within me?


Here are two examples to get you started:


PRINCIPLE: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Prov 4:23 (NIV)


ACTION: I’m going to choose to turn off the news and talk radio this year because I think it creates more fear, worry, and anxiety within me.


Or


PRINCIPLE: We become like those we surround ourselves with.


ACTION: I’m going to start politely turning down the lunch invitations of my negative coworker this year and begin reading or listening to a personal growth podcast at lunch each day.


Let me know what some of the guiding principles are in your life and what actions you use to back them up and reinforce them.


If you feel lost in trying to find direction or if you just can’t get over that hump of putting that action into practice then maybe consider talking to a counselor.


Reach out today and start the year right. I’m here to help.


www.danielcrosbycounseling.com

"Uncomfortable" Book Review

By Daniel Crosby • May 7, 2025
“Uncomfortable: The Awkward and Essential Challenge of Christian Community” by Brett McCracken is a great book to read if you’re a church person or if you’ve become somewhat detached and frustrated with the church. McCracken challenges all of us, conservatives and progressives, to think about the WHY behind Christian community and one of the fundamentals of finding the WHY is approaching it with humility. Maybe you having it your way and telling everyone else they’re wrong wasn’t exactly what Christ had in mind when He instituted the church. iPhones and iPads seem to have morphed into iChurch in a sense. American culture has turned Christ’s church into a business that caters to our comforts aesthetically, relationally, and politically. It’s made us consumers, critics, and reviewers of the Church rather than servants of THE Kingdom. It’s not wrong to have preferences and to like some things better than others. Music, décor, and speaking style are all over the spectrum at different churches, but he argues that the point of picking a church and serving in it should be less about does it meet my needs and more about whether I’m showing up and using this place along with this group to glorify God. He annoyed me in parts because he steps on my toes but maybe we need that a little more often. If you’re disenfranchised with the status quo and you feel like it’d be good to be challenged about church then go grab “Uncomfortable” by Brett McCrackin.

Look for Beautiful Things

By Daniel Crosby • April 28, 2025
Look for beautiful things when you're restless, uncomfortable, or on edge. There's something about acknowledging the good around us that helps us reset and realize that it's not all bad. If you're struggling to see beautiful things in the world, come see me and we can talk more about it. www.danielcrosbycounseling.com

"The Needs of the Heart" Book Review

By Daniel Crosby • April 24, 2025
“The Needs of the Heart” by Chip Dodd is a book that will blow your mind. When I picked it up, it’s a very small thin book. Less than 100 pages. I assumed I’d breeze through it in a couple of hours. About a month later I finished digesting it. The truth is we cannot fully live the life God has called us to unless we acknowledge that we do have needs, that these needs are good, and discover the healthy ways of meeting these needs. Chip takes common human needs like Security and Accomplishment and he unpacks what they really are pointing us to in his typical concise but brilliant depth. There’s no fluff here. With chapters just 3-4 pages each, you’re going to want to have a highlighter ready to underline, to ponder these topics, and maybe then to discuss them with someone you know and trust. You’ll come away from this book with a deeper sense what is already fulfilled within you and ones that might be lacking where you need to go do a deep dive with a lot of prayer and introspection. If you liked Chip’s book “The Voice of the Heart,” this is one is your next read. Go grab “The Needs of the Heart” by Chip Dodd.