"do you know where you're going to?" - making goals

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I’m a little late making New Year’s resolutions. I had them in my head at the end of 2012, but figured if I made them too early they would suffer the typical premature death by now. I thought I’d just hold off until the rush had passed in hopes they’d have more staying power.

Am I the only one who waited?

This year I’m writing down my resolutions. AKA, “goals”.

Why does that word freak me out so much?

My daddy always told me to make goals. Goals for next month, 3 months, 6 months, a year, 5 years, 10 years, etc.

But making them wasn’t enough. He said I needed to write them down.

“If you don’t set any goals, you won’t go anywhere. But you have to write ‘em down, set some sign posts. Otherwise you won’t remember where you started or whether you ended up where you wanted. Set ‘em, write ‘em down, change ‘em if you need to – but don’t spend your life going nowhere.”

Wise words.

Too bad I didn’t heed them.

I write all sorts of other things down. I am great at taking notes and making lists. I carry a notebook in my purse for writing down ideas. I track my work tasks in a notebook. I track my personal “to do” list with a phone app.

But those aren’t the same as goals.

I think it’s time for my days to comprise more than just lists of crazy ideas, tracked assignments, and groceries.

Not sure why I’ve never done this before now. Maybe it was fear of the unknown. Of setting bad goals. Of failing to achieve the goals and having everyone say "I told you so." Maybe, even fear of being successful, only to find I wasn’t any happier and all that time was gone.

I’m about to turn 49. Know what? A whole bunch of time is gone anyway. Unlike deadlines, those years whistled by without bothering to make a whoosing sound. They’re just gone.

Those years weren't wasted. They were full of life. Some of it was not so great. Much of it was wonderful. Still, I thought I'd be further along by now.

Further along in what? Ah, that's the rub - I never wrote it down!

Even though I’m on the cusp of 49, I feel more energetic and younger than I did at 29. In some ways, I feel like I’m just getting started. That may be an illusion. I could get hit by a bus tomorrow.

Hopefully that doesn't happen. But if it does I want to leave more of a legacy than a list.

It’s time to write down some goals and set some signposts.

I hope you'll come along.

Coming up - "word of the year: authenticity"

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