Goals, 1, 2 & 3 Years from Now...

Knowing one's goals is great but it'a really important to actually write them down and take a look at them, well at least for me. I am a visual person and in order for me to accomplish tasks they have to be written down in an organized fashion so I can check them off as I complete them. If it isn't written down for me to see and touch it procrastination will ensue and I'll do maybe 1 or 2 things on that mental list if I'm lucky. A written poster size version with photos is the way to go for me. I was watching an Oprah episode years ago and she said its important to have a hard copy of your goals an item called a vision board to visualize and see your goals. Place them in a place where you will walk by and see it every day. "A dream collage is pictures of your goals. It is like your future photo album," Bo Bennett. I love that quote. Seeing your vision board everyday will motivate you and remind you of those goals every day you walk by them. Just grab a magazine and cut out photos for your vision board or even print some photos if you can't find exactly what you need and cut and paste them on your vision board. I created my first vision board back in February 2009 as follows:

• Wavy Boxes: Indicate what I Accomplished
• Boxes w/Arrows: Indicate what I want to accomplish
• Heart Shape: I was just proud of myself for making the Dean's List :)

Goals at the time were (note the ones bold and italicized I've accomplished YAY FOR ME!):

1. Fitness/Lose Weight
2. Visit Rome, Italy
3. Visit Ireland
4. Visit Spain
5. Visit Greece
6. Learn French, German and Spanish
7. Learn more about the Catholic Religion and Religion in general
8. Mediate more
9. Save for a Dodge Challenger (my dream car)
10. Draw more
11. Get my Bachelor's in Management Studies & Certificate in Web Design
12. Learn Guitar
13. Date more
14. Buy my own loft
15. Do Yoga
16. Meditate and focus on my spirituality

Looking at my old vision board there are a few things I'd like to change. That's the thing about our present and future goals they are ever changing and its funny how what you think you wanted just three years ago today can be something you have no desire to accomplish or is no longer important to you presently. The bold and underlined items below are from my original vision board that I've yet to accomplish and those not are new:

1. Date
2. Stop being a homebody, socialize a bit more
3. Visit museums more (I used to go at least once a month)
4. Learn Spanish and German
5. Visit Rome, Ireland, Spain, Greece basically travel more
6. Religion - Read the Bible
7. Mediate Every Day and invest more in my spirituality
8. Would love to purchase my dream car which is a Dodge Challenger
9. Buy my own place
10. Sing Karaoke in front of an audience
11. Obtain my Masters in Web Design or Finance (haven't decided which yet)
12. Find a career/job I love and can grow in

As Eleanor Roosevelt said “It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.” So a timetable is just as important as having that list. So my fantastic Therapist recommended I create a 1, 2 and 3 year goal which you will find below. Although I do plan on creating a vision board as well, I believe this will help give myself a time frame on when I expect to complete these tasks. Being the procrastinator that I am it's important to give myself deadlines. 


1 Year Goals:

• Socialize and Date More
• Find time to do things I love (continue to draw, visit museums, live concerts)
• Learn Spanish
• Find full time employment
• Apply to schools for my Masters to start Fall 2013
• Start to pay off some debt and school loans

2 Year Goals:

• Go on a well deserved trip
• Continue to learn a foreign language
• Now that I am working money isn't such an issue so time to save and invest (since social security is most likely to be non-existent when I retire)
• Save for my own place
• Focus on obtaining my masters while working

3 Year Goals:

• Treat my parents to a trip to France
• I'd like to be in a long-term relationship
• A child???

It's pretty easy to figure out what I want now but looking 2 years from now and even 3 years from not is much harder. I know my priorities will most likely change and I'm not sure what life will bring, a new love, husband, kids, career I'll adore and completely excel in? What will occur in the next 1, 2, 3 years will be the determining factor of what goals will change or stay the same or be removed all together. I do think that this is a great starting point. I'll be working on that vision board and posting it up on a later date.

Til the next time work on that vision board!

- Loree