Ten by 30: THE END

Welp, I'll be 30 in two days, folks.  It's been a marvelous year, and even though I didn't exactly accomplish everything I set out to do--I got a hell of a lot done, people.  I'm a die-hard goal setter, and as long as I have goals, I'll live an amazing life.  I love pushing myself to my limits (in a good way), and the experiences that come with that are... incomparable.  Here's a recap:



1)  Create--and regularly update--a blog.  Yeah, sure, I did that.  I may not have blogged every day or week, but I did serve up *almost* one entry per month.  That's good nuff for me.
2)  Be more social.  Definitely!  I embraced my awkwardness instead of allowing it to cripple me.  I went out more, had people over more, and even ran with a running group.   I also went on a couple of group trips.
3)  Paint more often.  Nope, not really.  But I managed to eek out a sketch or two.
4)  Do the Warrior Dash.  Totally!!!  I did the Dash in Maryland in May with my hubby and a few of his friends.  I had a blast and can't wait to sign up for next year!
5)  Train for and complete a 10K.  Sure did!  I trained for several weeks and ran the Run4Shelter Race in Chestertown, MD in September.  It was hard and I didn't run the entire time, but it was a great start for me.  Half-marathon, here I come!
6)  Wear a bikini.  Check!  I hired an amazing virtual trainer in April and lost 10 pounds over the course of a few months.  I certainly did sport my kini at the beach with my family this summer.  And halfway through Insanity, I wore it again in October during a trip to the lake. 
7) Design and construct a wearable garment from scratch.  Didn't get to that, but I definitely want to reach this goal next year.
8)  Sell stuff on Etsy.  No dice, but also planning this for next year.  I'm getting my ducks in a row as I type this.
9) Grow my biggest fro ever.  I'll say YES.  Because my fro is still on the grow, baby.  Every pic I take is the "biggest fro ever."  Can't wait to see how much bigger it is next year.
10)  Take a birthday trip.  The trip didn't happen this year, but I love to travel and plan to see many places before I die. :)

I don't really want to think about the things I didn't do.  Though I did try to make this blog into more than it was, I'm thrilled with everything I DID accomplish. 60% ain't bad at all!  I'll take it.  And I'm already setting goals for next year.  ;)

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Reaching for the Stars: Why I'm in Love with Goal Setting

I have always loved stargazing.  There is nothing better to me than sitting underneath a blanket of stars.  Even better to catch a glimpse of a shooting star or rare comet.  I have loved astronomy since I was a small child.  For a week of my life, I seriously thought I wanted to be an astronaut.  But I kind of suck at science, and I hate math so…

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I grew up believing that I could be anything, and that the possibilities for my life were as endless as the starry universe.  All I ever wanted was to know my purpose, and to truly live my life, free as a bird, with no regrets.  To be honest, I often have no idea what I’m doing.  I still don’t have a solid grasp of what my purpose is.  I don’t even know if I think I have one purpose.  Maybe my purpose is an underlying thread that ties all of my experiences together.  Maybe my purpose is not what I do, but who I am/who I will become.  #deepthoughts

I love setting goals.  It makes life more exciting for me.  When I pinpoint a goal, I get giddy with excitement.  My imagination runs wild.  My heart races.  I start to focus instead of floating randomly through life, like a feather through the air.  It gives me a sense of purpose.  I immediately start researching and figuring out what I need to do to reach that goal.  I become obsessed and relentless until I reach it.  No matter what your goal is, the steps to reaching it are pretty much the same:

1)      Ask yourself:  Is this goal reasonable?  Like, seriously?  If it is, give yourself a deadline.

2)      Ask yourself if you are really willing to do what it takes.  The only thing stopping you is yourself.  That pretty much eliminates excuses.  You will always find a way to do what you truly want to do.  You can't always rely on inward motivation or outward inspiration.  Sometimes you are not going to feel like doing anything.  Stuff happens. The goal becomes bigger than yourself, and a consistent effort is what will produce results.

3)      Do some research.  Read stuff.  Ask people who have done what you are trying to do… how did they do it?

4)      Break it down into small steps so it’s not so overwhelming.  If your goal is a big one (like running a marathon or purchasing a house), set some mini, short term goals as stepping stones to the end result.

5)      Surround yourself with like minded, positive people.   Get yourself a support group.  There is power in numbers.

6)      Eliminate anything (or anyone) that is not helping you reach your goal.  If your goal is weight loss, get rid of the junk food in your house.  This also goes with #5—if there are people in your life who will not support you, cut waaaaaaaaay back on the time you spend with them.

7)      Get organized… okay, try to get organized.  Do your prep work.  Do your homework.  Work toward your goal a little bit each day/week.  Results come with consistent effort.

8)      Spend your time more wisely.  I am a die-hard procrastinator with a love/hate relationship with schedules.  I hate the monotony of following a routine week after week, but I need it so badly!  Haha!  I made a block schedule of my week in 30 minute increments so I could figure out where to fit in various activities (like my daily workouts). 

9)      Reward yourself for reaching your mini-goals.  This doesn’t have to be anything big and expensive.  Give yourself a pat on the back, or a sticker or something.  Enjoying the journey is just as important as the end result.

10)   Once you’ve reached your goal, set another one right away!  Rinse and repeat.  Don’t stop until you die.

So basically, if I didn't reach any of the goals on my 10 by 30 Bucket List, it's because I probably faltered on one of the above steps.  Or maybe I set too many goals at once.  That’s been known to happen… 

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