A List of "Hard Things" for 2009

1. Learn a language (I'll start off with French, probably) -
My course is Intercultural Studies; knowledge of other languages is a must. My Junior year (which is next school year) requires that I take a language course or two. I would prefer to start now (perhaps during the summer), so I can tackle other languages, Lord-willing, as soon as I am done.

2. Write more -
2008 was such a busy year (actually, I made a mistake by allowing it to be a busy one, foccusing on urgent matters instead of important ones). As I reflected on the things I'd done, I realized that I had accomplished much (some of them, things I'd never even dreamed of!)...but there's something missing, and it's this: I miss writing, especially for Godly Ladies in Training.

3. Get back to classical guitar -
Not only did the busyness of 2008 keep me from writing, it also kept me from pluckin' melodies on my classical guitar. I've decided to get back to it this year. Concerning the Praise & Worship Ministry in my church, that's something I'm still praying about.

4. Memorize verses -
Not just bits and phrases - chapters! God's Word is my daily bread, the lamp unto my feet and light unto my path (Psalm 119:105). It's so easy to have a "Bible" nowadays. We can have it in our cellphones and in our laptops, but we still need to hide it in our hearts (Psalm 119:11).

5. The 101 Percent Principle -
This comes from John Maxwell's Winning with People. We're currently taking up this book as part of our leadership course (LEAD 2 - Interpersonal Relationships). The 101 Percent Principle is just one of several principles in the book - helpful bits n' pieces of advice for those who want to develop wonderful relationships with other people. I found that this principle is the one I need to work on the most. It states that we must "Find the 1% we agree on and give it 100% of our effort." We don't always agree with people, and sometimes, we even look for things to disagree on! The 101% Principle, however, asks us to focus on the one thing - no matter how small - that we agree on (or that we have in common) and give it all our effort to make our relationship with that person grow.

6. ORB -
That's a term Christin and I coined for bringing the Rebelution to the Philippines by starting with Do Hard Things. It's my goal to spread the word more, through the bookstore and through other ways. The Philippines needs a Rebelution!