Sunday, February 01, 2009

Goals for 2009

Okay I finally put down my goals. It had to get done because the working floodgates have opened. I start 10 new classes this week and am officially "full". Actually it's 2 more hours than I've ever taken on before but moolah is necessary for this year's goals. Last year I didn't make a list because there was only one goal: quit smoking. That one needed a year all to itself. I've quit another vice for the month of February, something I haven't done in many years, even though this film seems to debunk the health risks. I'm going to need all of my energies to get through the work these next few months. Anywho, I put 10 goals down this year. Remember the trick is always to put a few easy ones in there to ensure some success and satisfaction with oneself. In no particular order:

1. Ski (I think it's time we did this. We have a car and we have no dog, I need to get cracking on booking the little ski getaway.)
2. Meditate weekly. (I originally put 3 times a week. This is unrealistic because I know myself. That's another trick of the goals list. Know your limits.)
3. Cut blogging to 3 times a week. (I think more quality and less quantity are in order. I promise it won't be all at once though. )
4. Practice the piano weekly. (The last time I sat down, there was a coating of dust on the keys. Badness.)
5. Lose ten pounds. (I'm assuming I'm going to gain a few more before I do this. I wanna be steady at 180.)
6. Make more money than last year. (It seems like a given, barring of course the unforeseen.)
7. Get a new dog. (Serge will try to wheedle some lengthening of the situation after the agreed upon one year mark has been completed. I, however, will be a dog owner come November.)
8. Build the laundry room for the basement studio tenants. ( Then we can raise the rent. As it is now they have to walk 2 LONG blocks to the laundromat. Fine in the summer but when it's below zero and windy, people will gladly pay extra.)
9. Fix the bathroom leak. (Serge worked on this yesterday. It appears to only be a matter of silicone. Yippee!)
10. Take a class for fun. (Maybe creative writing. Or photography. Ooh or stained glass or pottery. Something to get me out of the house and practicing being creative.)

18 comments:

Rick Bettencourt said...

A very good comprehensive list of goals. I too need to do something similar...especially that lose 10 pounds one.

Pookie65 said...

I admire you for speaking your goals out loud. I just write them down in my day planner for the last day of the year and then see what/if any has been achieved. A lot less pressure that way.

Love your blog by the way.

My adventures said...

I just can't help myself on this one but maybe if you'd skip the movies and hang around on "maid day", you wouldn't have that dust on the keys. Ha! Good list, I should do the same and get some direction in life, not so much goals, just direction!

Anonymous said...

I have on goal at the moment, getting my business off the ground. I've been listing out all the things I need to do. It's a big list but the payoff will be enormous.

After all the years of working for idiots I finally decided to strike out on my own. Sure I'll work for idiots too but now I have the option to just say "Here's the contract, read it and pay me."

A Lewis said...

Why is it that you always have to show us all up by putting down beautiful, lovely, precious goals in writing. Ugh. I feel like a sloth. Do I HAVE to write them down???/

CoffeeDog said...

Maid Day. I usually got get a cup of coffee, they're in and outta here in an hour, there's three of them.

WRT your habit,being a child of the 70's, I'm there with you, however I don't do it very often.

New dog! YAY. What kind are you getting

Rox said...

Have you thought about a cat instead? I mean, I love both my dog and my cat but if you want the freedom to go skiing, cats are low maintenance!
-signed Kamir (Rox's cat)

GayProf said...

A new dog will be great! Though, you should also take advantage of the lack of dog-care responsibilities too.

Java said...

The benefits of creativity cannot be overestimated. If I may offer a suggestion: go with something that doesn't focus so much on words. Your job is all about words, as is this blogging outlet. Good things, words, but getting away from them to express yourself in more physical ways will enhance your ability to express yourself. I myself hope to get into pottery before the end of the year. There's nothing quite like getting my hands muddy to relieve the tensions of life.

evilganome said...

So, if I make a list of goals and one of them is to quit smoking, it's like a get out of jail free card if I don't follow through on the others as long as I actually quit?

Good luck with the dog. I'm a dog lover, but I'm not sure I would take on the responsibility again. My cat Alice is about all I can handle these days and as was stated earlier, cats are pretty low maintenance.

Anonymous said...

You have a bunch of goals this year. This time I made none. Maybe to get my house truly and deeply cleaned?

I can't imagine not having a dog for too long. I know you'll get one when the time is right.

S said...

If you split your goals with Serge, you can have a higher success rate.

Anonymous said...

I have three dogs and wouldn't have it any other way. They are a lot of work, and they can cost me (I'm looking into a new laminate floor right now to replace the carpet).

Cats make nice pets too. The drawback is the cat box. If they go outside, they get into trouble and die.

How about a smaller dog? Italian Greyhound or Whippet? Sight hounds don't bark as much as others, and they curl up small.

I would not trust the silicone fix unless the water was off and the fixture dried well..... at least that's my experience.

Mel said...

Well, if there's no new dog by June and you'd like to borrow Tuck while we're in town, let me know. I'd love to bring him along with us, even though I think David would rather not.

Summer said...

A good variety of goals. Good luck with them. I only have one and that's to return my library books on time and avoid the fines I seem to rack up.

anabel said...

This is is a good, realistic list.

I keep promising each season, that I will go skiing, then I don't so it's now been over 20 years! I still want to go.

Mark in DE said...

I wholeheartedly agree that the goals need to be realistic. Say 'weekly' and then if you do it more than once a week you're doing better than you need to. My old boss used to say about the way we talk to clients "Let's under promise and over deliver." I think this is good for goal setting too.

lfc said...

who vows to blog LESS?
my resolution is always to blog more.

#9 - i have some silicone you can borrow.