Prelude:
I sit at the eastern edge of the Cochise Stronghold. I’ve camped in the Stronghold many times, but this is the first time I’ve camped on the east side of the massive sky island. It’s also my first solo trip. Blue birds of happiness steal my food, I’m hoping they trade some of their happiness for it. It’s been a long while since I went solo into the wilds and as usual the quiet sets my mind into action and as I look up from my Daily Action Dash of goals, the choice for this installment of WildernessPunk becomes clear.
Goals:
We all have goals or at least I hope we do. A life without goals seems like it wouldn’t be worth the effort for me. Why bother getting out of bed in the morning if you didn’t have a reason to or in my case about eighty reasons. Yet, like most of life, what I consider a goal might not be the same as my son, or neighbor, or enemy, or you. So let’s try to define them first.
My definition would be: Goals are a measurable task or project which can be achieved and upon completion will make one’s life or the world better.
This being said, I would also go forth and add we could have very different types of goals we’re out pursuing during the same day. A parent could work to earn extra money for their family, exercise, help their child learn math, and finish a sculpture all within the same day. These goals are all quite different, but each benefits the parent and most likely others.
This brings up another type of distinction, the length or perhaps the repetition of our diverse goals. Deciding to exercise for thirty minutes a day is not the same as seeking a publisher for my new novel.
Length of Goals:
- Daily: Exercise, Educating Children, Cleaning, Reading
- Weekly: Creation, Social Time, Maintenance Tasks
- Long Term: Finish Writing a Novel, Learn French, Prepare for a Big Vacation, Add a Deck to Your Home
Sometimes one might have goals which could be done daily, but might be better to record on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis. Creative goals fit into this. “I want to have three new paintings before the month is over.” It’s a defined and measurable goal, but I might work eight hours one day and then skip doing anything for the next three.
Some might wonder why having a goal be measurable is so important. Being able to measure a goal creates accountability. It also allows you to know how well you are proceeding toward your end game and also when you are complete. Goals like…. I’m going to be less depressed, be a better parent, or find love are difficult if not impossible to measure. Why have a goal which is so nebulous you can’t even determine when it is complete?
On a personal level, I feel it’s a strong plan to have weekly goals while keeping track of your long-term goals. In life it is your long-term goals which set you apart from the herd and allow you to accomplish your bigger dreams, while your weekly goals give you the ability to do so.
I collect data on my weekly goals twice a week roughly covering the weekdays along with the weekend. Why collect data? As I hope to illustrate, with the use of well organized data collection, I am able to easily determine how well I’m doing in regards to living the type of life I wish to live as well as calculating how well I’m accomplishing my personal goals.
Alex Bone’s Weekly Goals:
- X = Exercise: The equivalent of 1400 sit-ups a week.
- W = Writing: 20 pages a week.
- R = Reading: 200 Pages a week.
- CWN = Commune with Nature: Be outside a minimum of 7 hours a week.
- WL = Write Letters: Stay in contact with family, friends, and allies 28 times a week.
- A = Alternative: Accomplish daily tasks or make steps toward long terms goals at least 7 times a week.
- B = Bonus: Make extra profit and reward myself for each time I accomplish all eight goals daily.
- Ki = Ki: Attend to spiritual goals and/or make time for my mental health
I’m certainly not suggesting people should imitate me or my goals are better than those held by other people. I just do what works for me and since I’m coming up on my 20 year anniversary of measuring my goals, I guess I’m either pretty good at it or have a higher level of OCD than most people you’ve met. (I suppose both of those statements can also be true.)
Just because I measure these, doesn’t mean I attain them each week or limit myself in the level I might accomplish them. I often write less than 10 pages a week, (Don’t tell anyone) Reading also fails below my standard more often than not. However, things like Alternative can reach as high as 100 for even a bi-weekly measure.
So… what is the point of all this? Again no one is required to follow my path. It probably wouldn’t work for most people. However, it might be useful to think about your own goals in long term and short term formats. Perhaps writing them out and setting benchmarks would also be useful.
When I see I had a bad week I can try to figure out why and adjust my life accordingly. Same is true with a great week. I can look back and see what worked so well for me.
Also, if a particular goal is doing poorly, say I only read 30 pages during the weekends, I can try to figure out why this occurred and change my schedule or adjust my modalities.
Jumping on the accomplishment bus never hurt anyone. Life it to be enjoyed, but part of our happiness comes from our feelings of accomplishment. Also, when we reach many of our goals, new doors might open for us or we may rise our standards of living in other manners. With a bit of forethought and the proper effort, who knows what you might be able to do?
You can grab some of my fiction here, and I can promise you these people are on the Hero’s path.
WildernessPunk 