I've read in various places that New Year's Resolutions are setting yourself up for disappointment. I don't agree, but I started thinking about one writer's argument. He said that setting goals for a 12-month period is too long and it's too easy to lose focus after so many months. I know people who don't seem to have a problem with the 12-month period, but I think I do. Afterall, last year's resolutions didn't last throughout the year.
So, this time, I'm going to set quarterly goals, starting, of course, with the 1st quarter of 2009. Hopefully, I'll remember to set 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quarter goals! It's an experiment. We'll see how it turns out.
1st Quarter Goals:
1. Attend church every Sunday I'm in town. Let's face it, I travel a lot. For work and for fun. Realistically, I won't be going to church if I'm driving home from a job in Wyoming. Fortunately, my church now starts at 11am - a much easier hour - so I'm more likely to wake up in time to go. I should have two years before church goes back to 9am, and hopefully by then I'll have established the church-going "habit".
2. Exercise every day. Every day means every day. Even if it's walking down the hotel hallway a few times before heading home or going up and down my stairs a few times. Mom has kindly offered to pay for a few months of a gym membership (thanks, Mom!), so I'll be able to combine strength training to riding my exercise bike (my current favorite form of exercise).
3. Read 3 Shakespear plays. That's one a month - very do-able. Ideally, I'd like to read the plays out loud with friends as it's one of my favorite activities we do, but reading them alone will be good, too.
4. Invite friends to my house at least once a month. I really enjoyed December's game night chez moi. I don't have a large home, but we made it work and I think everyone had fun. I did. I'd like to have a dinner party at some point. I have all these recipes I'd like to make and hopefully my friends wouldn't mind being guinea pigs for me. Teehee. Mostly, I want to see my friends. I'm finally coming out of my hermit stage and have realized that I've kind of neglected my friends, especially the ones still in town. Also, there are a couple people I'd really like to get to know better.
That's all. I think these are good goals because they are do-able, but they are things I'm not currently doing well, and they are things I want to do. They are intended to nurture my spirit, my body, my mind, and my heart.
I'll try to keep you updated on my progress.
Happy New Year!
11 comments:
Good luck on your gaols. I think I am going to post a few of mine too on my blog. I sat down and wrote some in my journal and realized I don't have many of them, so I don't know if I will blog about them or not.
How are you doing?
Amen, my friend. You sound like me in the fact that your goals are things you can do and are doing, but they are also things you'd like to do better. I think the idea of quarterly goals is a great idea.
Thanks, Wendy. I'll look forward to reading about your goals. You said you don't have very many goals, but you realized that I only have four, right? :) I'm doing fine. The last two days have been a little rough. I almost passed out while attempting to make dinner tonight. Maybe it was an ambitious recipe - bacon wrapped pork tenderloin.
Missy, I'm totally for achievable goals. Otherwise, what's the point? I've heard the saying "shoot for the moon, if you miss you'll still be among the stars", but I think that goes better with dreams than goals. Goals help achieve dreams.
Great goals! I love that they're to nurture four aspects/areas of you. Good for you.
Great resolutions. Breaking them down into quarterly goals is a fantastic idea. I don't even write mine down any more. No wonder I don't keep them.
Sarah, thanks! Well-rounded goals are my criteria every year. I feel like every aspect in my life could do with some improvement. :)
Framed, yeah, writing them down certainly helps, at least a little. Last year it didn't matter if I would have tatooed them to my leg, I still wouldn't have accomplished some of them!
Quarterly goals: That's a good idea.
One reason I don't feel badly about the New Years resolutions is that most of the time, they aren't a total failure. I mean, sometimes we don't achieve what we resolved to do, but we do achieve part of them... or at least make a little progress. And a little progress is a lot better than none.
I need to call you. Probably tonight.
: ) I guess I didn't read the amount of goals close enough! I wrote out mine, and felt happy that I didn't have a ton because that way I will be able to actually accomplish them!!
Good goals, good goals. Sorry, I read this a while ago and I thought I commented already. I never do goals. I'm so lazy.
I like the quarterly goal idea, much more manageable.
I like your goals,
and it looks like you are doing well on them.
Way to be!
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