I’ve written about this before so it
should come as no surprise: I’m a goal-setter, a list-maker, and a box-checker.
I like to write my goals on paper in a list so I can check them off. When
working with daily goals or weekend projects, I even draw little boxes beside
each item so I have a place to put my checkmark.
I prefer to set goals that I have a
solid chance to achieve, and goals that I can measure. For example, I never set
abstract goals to be a better person or impossible goals to learn Einstein’s
Theory of General Relativity. I wouldn’t know how to begin with Einstein, and I
wouldn’t know if I was successful at becoming a better person.
I also believe in incremental
improvement over a lifetime, so I don’t mind if my goals are small. I know that
small changes today equal big differences tomorrow. As long as I make goals
that are sustainable and repeatable, they’ll add up over time to shape new
habits and new life. That’s my plan.
So, as has been my habit, I have a
list of goals for 2010. They are a subset of my big list of 100 Life Goals,
which, if you are interested, can be found at: http://journalentries.typepad.com/journal-entries/life-goals.html
Send my next book to my editor, and
publish it this year.
Start working on book #3. I already
have a broad idea in my head and I am ready to start working on it.
Run a marathon this spring, and an
ultramarathon next fall. I know this depends on staying healthy and keeping my
knee safe, so it is actually an every-day goal.
Continue my 2009 weight loss plan (I
went from 220 down to 195), moving down to 175 pounds. I don’t know if I can go
that low (I haven’t weighed that since high school), but I would like to try it
to see if it helps my knee. The bit I lost in 2009 helped me do almost
everything better.
Spend time backpacking in
in the summer.
Read several books by Hemmingway, as
part of my long-term study of great storytellers. I hope, by reading their
stories, I will get better at telling mine.
Build a chin-up bar in the garage
and pursue one of my life goals of doing my age in pull-ups, sit-ups, and
push-ups. The sit-ups and push-ups are hard, but doable. The pull-ups are a
killer, but I have located a plan and I think I can do it.
Play my trombone more often. I took
most of 2009 off because of my extra deacon duties at my church, but those are
now over and I want to reengage. I am afraid if I leave my horn in the case too
long it will stay there forever, and I am not ready for that yet.
Have lunch with at least one of my
guys at least once a week. God has surrounded me with great guys and I need
more one-on-one time with them
Update our wills. Our current wills
were written when both children were very young; it’s high time we caught up to
this stage of our life. This has actually been on my list of goals for a couple
of years now, and I’ve made no progress other than placing the forms on top of
my desk to remind me of what I haven’t done. This is the year to get it done.
Read 60 books on various topics, and
read through the Bible. This is actually a yearly goal for me that never
changes.
Think about the possibility of maybe
beginning to consider learning Spanish. I’m not sure how to go about this, so I
am open to suggestions.
Print at least one family photo
album. This project has been on my list for a couple of years, but I keep
finding more photos in shoe boxes and old albums and in the bottom of desk
drawers and I’ve been afraid to start, thinking there must be even more photos
somewhere. It is time to move on with this.
Do you have a list? Do you have any
goals for 2010? What are they?
“I run in the path of Your
commands, for You have set my heart free.” Psalm 119:32
To learn more about
With God:” http://www.runningwithgodonline.com/
Follow
Berry directly: berry@stonefoot.org
To
post a comment or subscribe to this free journal: http://journalentries.typepad.com/journal-entries/
