I thought this would be a good time to think about my goals for the year. I actually began thinking of lifetime goals but I don't like that idea just because I don't see the point. Isn't everyone's goal for their lifetime the same more or less-have a positive impact on the world?
So then I went for a walk this morning with Maddy (the dog) and thought of all the things I wanted to accomplish sometime in the near future but they are pretty boring, like "Clean out the closet." Naturally, I want to do these things but it is putting me to sleep just thinking about it right now. A more interesting task might be cleaning the smell of cat piss in the dining room.
So I am presenting a list of things I want to do within the year. I divided my goals into categories and are listed according to their importance in my life.
Relationships: My relationships with my family and friends are the most important to me. Lets face it, when I am on my deathbed, I won't be thinking about the number of essays I graded in the course of a year!
Good goals are specific and measurable. Mine are specific and fairly measurable:
1) 2 times a month date night with my husband (That should be fun!)
2) Spend a minimum of fifteen minutes of uninterrupted time with Oliver a day. It sounds like I don't spend much time with him. I do. The key here is the word "uninterrupted." That means he gets my undivided attention for a full fifteen minutes. No matter how tired I am after school I cannot fall asleep on his bed while he plays trains.
3) I must entertain or go out with friends at least once every other month. I would say "every month," but I play BUNCO and there simply are not enough weekends in a month to do all the dating and entertaining. Occasionally you need a weekend to chill out.
Professional: I had to put this second because it is the source of finance and without it, I cannot eat. It also gives me some self-confidence. You can't quite put a price tag on that.
1) See some kind of Tustin High game or function once a month. I have other professional goals but they just aren't yearly goals. They are more like monthly or weekly in nature. Like grading essays. I have to grade 40 essays by Sunday night. I can divide the work up like fifteen essays a day. But I have so much of that kind of work to do, it would be too hard to make yearly goals like that-I am not that good with numbers.As far as my goal of seeing a THS game or function is concerned, I think it is important to show the students you are interested in what they do outside of class. It has a subtle positive influence in the class.
Finance: I only have one goal. I just want to pay off all our credit card debt. It isn't too bad. This is an attainable goal but it will also require budgeting. Yuck!
Personal: I have a lot of personal goals. And as I look at all the goals before it, I wonder at myself. What a selfless martyr I am! Why am I putting myself last? Actually, everything is personal isn't it? So I can live with my saintly state.
1) I am already doing this but maintaining a healthy weight and exercise. I am 5'10" and weigh 146. Not too bad but the key here the word "maintain."
2) I am already a blood donor, but would like to donate more often-four times per year.
3) Brush the cat's teeth. We adopted a dog in July and poor Bonnie's teeth have suffered. We also don't play with her as much. Whenever she tries to walk down the hallway from our bedroom, the dog growls and chases her back to her bedroom prison. Brushing her teeth would allow me to spend more time with her and make her next vet appointment more successful (the vet will praise my attentiveness). I don't know how brushing her teeth will help with the dog. I should also point out that a year ago she had dental issues and I was told I need to brush her teeth. I did do it, but have slacked a lot.
Good goals should be attainable. I can only hope these are attainable.
Cheers!
