I still believe that, to paraphrase Brian Tracy, “Only 3% of people have written goals and the other 97% work for them.” While I am not dying to have lots of people working for me, I think the principle applies to success in general. We are more likely to succeed when we document our goals (and seek accountability).
Somewhere along the way, I stopped writing my goals down. Six years ago apparently. SIX. YEARS. AGO. My last “here are my goals” post was in 2011.
Now it is 2017, and a couple of catalysts are calling me out of the goal-less quagmire:
My friend Laura Petrolino wrote this post that outlines the four reasons we fail to reach our goals (hey! I’m 4 for 4!).
My friend (and Laura’s boss) Gini shared a motivational recording with the PR Dream Team that gave me a kick in the butt.
My personal aspirations the last three years have become increasingly hemmed in by my father-in-law’s caregiving needs. As his time with us is finite, I am going to wake up in the not-too-distant future and ……be free of the obligations/excuses/responsibilities that come with caregiving.
It’s long past time to write down some goals
Number One: Improve my Spanish
The “become fluent in Spanish” goal began long, long ago when our family was stationed in Puerto Rico. As a kindergartner, I took Spanish. The seed was planted.
Even though I took Spanish in high school, and minored in Spanish in college, I am nowhere near fluent. I joined a bilingual Toastmasters club to improve. Although the club is great, and my speakings skills improved significantly, it wasn’t the best choice to improve my Spanish specifically (we were allowed to give speeches in English and frankly I defaulted to that 90% of the time — it takes a long time to put together a speech in Spanish.)
The plan: I’m going to do Berlitz’s online self-paced program, partially because I can get an initial assessment that will give me some type of objective bar for improvement. I’m still going to seek some local (and less costly) option for conversation practice.
Number Two: Improve my nutrition
I am heavier than I have ever been. Heavier than during either pregnancy. I haven’t made peace with my inability to run due to multifocal atrial tachycardia but it’s time for the excuses to stop. Maybe the issue is I have been running to the refrigerator instead of around the block!
I’ve tried to explain emotional/stress eating to a couple of significant people in my life, and a not uncommon response is “just stop eating.” I wish it were that easy!
The plan: For now, I’m starting with a very small, but hopefully beneficial step. I’m increasing the amount of fruit I eat per day. This involves (gasp!) buying healthy food in advance at the grocery store. Publix, here I come.
Number Three: Reinvigorate my exercise routine
Numbers two and three are closely related, Exercise should probably precede nutrition, but they are connected. Running is out for now and I can finally say that without crying, But the list of things that are not out is much longer than I have been willing to acknowledge: walking (duh), yoga, indoor cycling, most boot camp/rowing activities as long as I take my beta blocker in advance and swallow my pride when I have to sit out a running drill.
The plan: For now, walk a mile every day.
Goals in the Wings
If you are reading this, I would love your involvement in keeping me accountable for the three above! Hablo español conmigo, eat healthy things with me, or let’s go for a walk.
But the three-goal trio is not all. Here are two other goals.
More Learning!
I am always up for more learning. Always. But to be specific. I am considering getting a Pharmacy Tech certificate so there is something flexible and easily accessible I can do once Dad passes away.
Secondly, I love my freelance work for Smartbrief and want to position myself to do similar/more responsible work with them or another similar organization. I mean, I managed to break up with the Oxford comma (painfully) so why not keep drinking the AP Style koolaid?
Book
Ironically, my freelance job at Weaving Influence revolves around helping authors expand their digital presence. I love helping authors promote their books, but in the back of my head, always is a little writerly voice asking, “when are you going to be promoting your own work?”
I have kind of evolved from considering writing about Camp Gordon Johnson to writing about caregiving, with an emphasis on the ironic humor of the whole caregiving situation but a healthy dose of useful advice too.
What now?
I scrolled through Pinterest (What? You go elsewhere for inspiration?!) and this quote from The.Success.Club struck me:
Let’s call this blog the “announcements part.”
Now it’s time for the moves.
Wife of one, Mom of two, Friend of many. My pronouns are she/her/hers.
Oh, I understand the “emotional-eating-while-in-caregiver-mode” part. God bless you. I attend boot camp 2 x a week, Wednesday night at 6 and Saturday morning at 10. 1 HR for $10. No running involved. I’ll email you the details of you are interested. It’s a very encouraging crowd of 12-15 people there. Great idea about the fruit and the best fruits are in season now. Good luck. Thanks for reminding me of goals. I’ve not been as focused as I should be and revisiting my “why” is always helpful. 🙂
Hi Pam, thank you for your comment …. and for your support — I know you get the caregiving part, for sure. The “why” is so important — I’m reading a book called The Power of Habit right now that delves into the “why” (while simultaneously explaining if you change the sequence, regardless of the why, you can change your habits). Anyway, yes I’d love to hear about your boot camps. Maybe I’ll see you there! 🙂
I would be more specific with your goals. “I will walk one mile every day.” Or “I will eat three servings of fruit a day.” SMART help you be successful!
I agree, Colleen. Having at least the whisper of them in my purse, with me at all times, is a start but specifics matter!
I totally understand and actually share most of these. Doing Duolingo for Spanish but need to step it up a notch.
Duolingo is a GREAT start! I would love to do an immersion program. A goal setter can dream! Hugs to you and thanks for your support.
Paula, as always you speak truth! I urge you to consider an OLLI membership. We have the BEST Spanish Club – meets weekly and the convo is – you guessed it – in Spanish. All levels. Plus one meeting a month at a local restaurant where Spanish is spoken. And we have Walking Club (all levels), Writer’s Group (the best critique group ever), Book Club – and so much more. Lots of what happens is in addition to our classes, and all clubs are a benefit of membership. Best of all, if you are searching for your tribe, we are just waiting for you to find us!
Oh Nancy you are so right! (I didn’t realize OLLI had so many Spanish offerings). I’ll look into it! Thanks!
I’ll be sharing a ton of healthy recipes in the very near future—I’m hear to help you to support your goals, lady!
*here* even! 😉
HI! And yes — can’t wait to see the recipes. Thank you so much for your support (and for the fun of #ContentChat — it was so nice of everyone at my house to stay alive, literally, so that it could happen!).
Oh my gosh I’m laughing that apparently I’m trying to project my goals on you because it took me three times reading your goal of improving nutrition to stop seeing my own goal of improving my intuition!!!!
It’s funny the older I get the more I think: I’m actually OK working for someone else’s dream it will give me time to just be present in my own life. I don’t know if that makes sense but it does in my head. And I guess that’s what’s important 🙂
It does make sense, Carla. I love supporting others in their dreams. I was talking to someone the other day about writing a book and I literally said, “what I really love is helping others promote their books” BUT at the same time, every time I hear an author talk about THEIR book, I want to be in their place, talking about mine (the one I haven’t written yet!). Now I’m the one uncertain I’m making sense but there you go!
Funny, its not Jan 1st and two people are making lists and goals…and I decided this morning when I woke up to do the same…cause what I have been doing so far this year isn’t working very well. Lets hold each other accountable! We are already friends on FB so it wouldn’t be hard to check in from time to time…lets do this…
Yes, let’s! I have a friend who is writing a book, and every night she posts her word count. She is enlisting us in holding her accountable and it feels like the biggest privilege ever (while also helping her).
I’m still working on the “running is out without crying” step. 🙁
Me too, if I am being completely honest. To be clear, I haven’t shed literal tears but this has been the biggest downer in my life in a LONG time. I have always prided myself, not just on running but on parking the farthest out, taking the stairs, walking instead of mass transit: MOVING. The fear of a cardiac event while doing any of that definitely puts a pall on things (and motivates me to create goals, hence this post!).
This is a great time of year to do a refresh. I need to do the same. I’ll help you keep accountable on the nutrition and exercise front. I wish I had the bandwidth the join you on the Spanish goal….maybe come winter.
I will take you up on that nutrition and exercise thing! The Spanish will come. Thanks (and thx for a post that nudged me to do this).
Good for you Paula! I will cheer you on. I made some changes in my diet and while I have lost weight, my husband of course has lost more not that he needed to, it is the feeling of satisfaction that I am the boss of my sweet tooth!
Thanks Haralee & congrats on your progress!