Goals

Lately, Eric and I have been talking some about our goals in life. Eric recently finished reading "The Game Plan for Success" by Lou Holtz, which is what sparked this whole thing. In his book, Lou described a time in his life when he sat down and wrote out a list of goals. Much like us being inspired by his book, Lou was inspired by David Schwartz's book, "The Magic of Thinking Big," which proposed that anyone who is bored with life has likely forgotten his dreams. To get back on track and renew your dreams of old, you should start with making a list of everything you've ever hoped to accomplish. Inspired by this, Lou wrote out his list of 108 goals, no matter how outrageous. He included things such as meeting the pope, jumping out of a plane, having dinner at the White House, and being on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. At this point in his life, he has now achieved 99 of those 108 goals (including all of the above!). That's pretty awesome.

So, Eric and I set out to make lists of our own. Following Lou's example, we divided our lists into five categories of goals: 1) As a wife/mother or husband/father; 2) Spiritually; 3) Professionally; 4) Financially; and 5) Just for Excitement.

Some of the items that made our lists are intangible - I don't know if we'll ever be able to actually cross them off, but including them serves as a reminder of how we want to live our lives and the people we want to be. The rest of the items are more what you think of when you consider making a "bucket list" (that is, things you want to accomplish before you "kick the bucket, so to speak), especially in the "Just for Excitement" category. These are more discrete events that I will actually be able to cross off someday.

I'd like to share some of my list items with you here, both as a way of holding myself more accountable to reaching these goals, as well as to hopefully inspire some of you to create goal lists of your own. Here's a sample of some of the items from my list:

As a Wife/Mother

1. Learn how to cook (well!)

2. Smoosh cake on Eric's face at our 50th Anniversary Party

3. Strive for a marriage that will be a good example for my children

4. Raise well-rounded kids; encourage an appreciation for art, athletics, music, family, etc.

5. Kiss Eric every day when he gets home from work

Spiritually

6. Keep God at the center of my family

7. Read the Bible cover to cover

Professionally

8. Always keep my priorities in order

9. Have a book published

Financially

10. Pay off student loan debt

11. Buy a house

12. Never let money keep me or my family from seeking new experiences

13. Own a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes

Just for Excitement

14. Take a picture "holding up" the Leaning Tower of Pisa

15. Learn how to scuba dive

16. Hold a koala

17. Swim in all five oceans

18. Ride a horse on the beach

19. Ride a burro in the Grand Canyon

20. Donate my hair to Locks of Love

21. Learn how to ballroom dance

22. Hug Tim Tebow

23. Teach a dog a really cool trick

24. Attend a Hawaiian luau

25. Visit the towns where my ancestors lived in Germany, Ireland and Scotland

These 25 items are just a sample of those on my list. Right now, my actual list includes 62 items, and is growing all the time. Since creating my list on January 2, I have already added nearly 40 items! If you want to see my full list, you can see it here, and that link will update automatically when I add items to my list. And, when I cross items off!

Does anyone else out there have a list like this? Or, are you planning to start one? I would love to know what's on your list! Please feel free to comment with a sample of your list items or goals you have. And may all your dreams come true!