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“Speaking encouragement through simplicity”

February 21, 2012 Gooooooooaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllllsssssssssss

Before I left South Carolina, I did a bit of a life assessment to make sure what all was bugging me and that the primary issue was the job. I set 1, 3, and 5 year goals. I confirmed that it was the job, but the 1 year goals I set forth were all improvements on things that were lacking as a byproduct of the burden the job’s hours put on me. I also didn’t look at or change that sheet again until I stumbled upon on just yesterday. 586 days ago, to be exact – if you believe Google Docs.

Here are the 1-year goals:

  1. Do better at eating healthy (and not eating late at night)
  2. Get back to being fit with a half marathon goal (hard to do when you’re working 75 hour weeks)
  3. Set more aside for retirement (harder to do when your benefits are horrible and you’re underpaid)
  4. Read the bible cover to cover (difficult when work calls even when you’re in church!!!)
  5. Get a new job in a market that gives me flexibility
  6. Make sure that market has the educational options my children need to be positioned for success

So how did I do?

  1. Pretty good. I now exercise to support my ice cream habit, but all in all I do pretty well
  2. Ran a full marathon in the fall and a couple of halfs before that. Pretty much crushed this one
  3. Converted to full time after just a few months and contributing to the 401(k) again
  4. Found an audio book of the NIV. Listened to about half of the Old Testament and read the entire New Testament in 90 days last fall. Just a few books to go to have it all read. I’m thinking about doing it again in chronological order instead…
  5. Done and done
  6. Done and the school is beyond my expectations

Now the 3-year goals, on the other hand:

  1. Think of a new business idea to contribute to/create that will let me transition over the latter part of my working life into something I enjoy more
  2. Max out retirement
  3. Get to the doctor more when nothing is wrong
  4. Watch less TV and read more books
  5. Become better friends with my kids

And so far (with 18 months to go):

  1. Squat. Bupkis. Writing blogs is all I’ve got. Unless I can publish these things somewhere that wants to pay, I think I need another alternative career option
  2. Not quite, but we’re making progress
  3. Where’s the doctor’s office?
  4. Spurts. I’m watching “better” TV. When it’s not sports, it’s more often documentaries or classical stuff – much less fluff
  5. Totally making progress. Watching football and now basketball has really given us something to spend a few hours together talking and learning about each other’s lives. It also makes them want to go outside and try it, which is even better!

So, no, not perfect. But certainly pretty darned good, especially since I hadn’t seen my goals list for over a year and a half!

Go write some stuff down and tuck the list away, revisiting it in a year. If they’re really important to you, you’ll be surprised at how many you get through. I was.