My five best decisions of 2010

1. Financial Peace University – My wife Meredith and I took this course and it has changed how we approach our finances.  I’ll be honest, at first I didn’t want to go because we were doing well at managing our personal finances.  “What are they going to teach me that I don’t already know?” I would murmur.  What the course gave us was a platform to talk with each other about what we valued and a framework for making money decisions.  It also gave us very concrete, ‘sticky’ principles to apply.  I thought we were doing well, but this course showed me we had improvements to make.  The instructor, Dave Ramsey, is hilarious, but at the same time pushed us in many great ways.  I recommend having all your employees take this course.  The course runs all across North America, so find one near you!

2. YouVersion Essential 100 Reading Plan – Let’s be honest.  Many of us want to read and explore the Bible but fail to do so.  The YouVersion Bible App makes this easy.  I picked the “100 essential” plan to help me learn more about the Bible.  Over 100 days, it has guided me through the top 100 passages in the Bible.  I’m at day 95 and have totally loved this tool for engaging with the Bible.  There is a myriad of reading plans, so pick one and start exploring the Bible today.

3. Android – I’ve already written on why I chose Android.  Having a smart-phone will change your workflow.  It’s hard for me to remember what things were like before I had a powerful smartphone.

4. Ran a 10k – I need external motivation to exercise.  I’m glad a friend challenged me to join him in a race.  When I run I’m able to clear my mind and process a lot of things.  I sleep better, feel better, eat better and work better when I’m getting good exercise.  Being forced to set aside time for training also helps me be more disciplined in work and time management.

5. Benevolence fund – My siblings and I set aside 20% of our Christmas budget for ‘good causes’.  We intend to do this each year moving forward.  This year we’re using our money to help an entrepreneur start a business through Kiva.  It’ll be fun to watch our Christmas money grow and be used for meaningful endeavors, not just accumulating personal belongings.  This helps us keep our focus on what Christmas is actually about.