2010 coming to end...2011 new beginnings!

There are only five days left in 2010, five more days to sit and ponder the things I accomplished this year, and the things I did not.  I am usually the type of person who does not set new year resolutions (goals), but for 2011 I have a different outlook than I believe I had for 2010.

This past year had ups and downs for me, as I'm sure it had for many others.  I had a few goals that I met, things like reducing debt, reducing stress and beginning to change my health lifestyle.  These may not seem like large things to the average person, but for me these were minor victories.  I was able to reduce my debt by 20%.  I was able to reduce my stress by at least 50% with a new job and income increase and alternatives other than medicine.  I am proud of these small obstacles and hope to keep continuing on them.

Friends were a challenge this past year.  I learned a lot about people whom I thought were my friends, and those who truly are.  I strengthened relationships with friends whom at this point in my life I believe to be true, and I am slowly removing the others from my life.  I've learned that not everyone is going to like me and I am not always going to want to pretend to like everyone else.  I've come to that point in my life where people that matter the most are going to be the priority in my life.  I understand that pushing the "bad eggs" out so to speak can cause people to say bad things about me or criticize me, but honestly I really do not care what people think of me any more.  Yes, I want to be accepted and liked, but in the end it won't matter.  I have learned that a few really good friends is better than a lot of acquaintances.  I plan to continue to grow in this area and make a difference in the lives of those who do matter.


So hear it goes, my 2011 new years resolutions.  These are some goals I have for the 2011 year.
  

1.  Drop the rest of the weight I have gained and get in the best shape of my life.

2.  Try to get my healthy lifestyle to be 85% organic and good for my body.

3.  Make exercise a daily routine and enjoy it for it's health benefits and stress relief.

4.  Do something to give back to others/society, whether it be community service or some other non-selfish act.

5.  Continue to reduce my debt.

6.  Make my bonds with good friends stronger and continue to grow our  friendship on many levels.

7.  Travel out of the state of Texas at least twice.

I think these are good goals to begin with and that they are all achievable if I work hard and continue what I am doing.  I know there are other things on my lists of "to-dos" but these seven are what I really want to concentrate on.  So my journey to continue being healthy and a better person will continue into 2011 and hopefully I can learn from others as well as teach others the many things I learn on the way.

Goals, do we set them to achieve them, or do we constantly fail?

Today I am in a somber mood, not really down, but not really in a great high either.  I'm just me and I'm just here getting through the day.  I sometimes sit and just ponder about things like I am now, I am sitting her wondering if I constantly set goals and never achieve them or if I actually set them to help keep me motivated.  I guess I feel like I have not been reaching any of my goals for awhile now.

I guess I should look at it first, what is a goal?  Why do we set goals to begin with?  A goal is simply something we want to accomplish, usually within a specific time frame.  It is something we are striving for, pushing ourselves to get to and then sometimes there is a reward in the end.  I guess I wonder why we set these so-called goals, but constantly not reach them.  Is it something we just cannot achieve, or is it because we lack will and motivation to keep shooting towards this goal?  Should we even look at these little successes as goal achievements or something we knew we could just do anyway?  So why do we need goals?  Are they really that important if we set them and don't achieve them?  I am searching for the real purpose of what makes goals important in our lives and what we can do to achieve them more.

 I sit her and ponder, why am I here, am I at a point in my life that I am happy with the choices I've made and have I done some of my life goals to get where I am.  Or am I stuck and need to get a move on to figure out why I am here and what am I doing wrong that I am where I am in life.  Am I at a point in my life that I can truly say I have achieved a lot and I know I can accomplish more.....

So let's say I am not where I want to be, how do I figure out where and what I am lacking to be content right where I am?  I am 30 years old, I am not married, I have no children.  I do almost completely own a car, I have a very good job and a college degree.  I have made mistakes in the past I've learned from and have not repeated.   Yet there are goals I've set that I have not achieved yet and that were on my to-do list by the age of 30.  I had wanted to be a mother to at least one child by now...nope didn't accomplish that.  I wanted to have a masters degree, but nope haven't even started that.  A more recent goal...drop all this excess weight in last 5 years needs to go, but I've gained and lost the same 8-10 pounds for last year.  So am I purposely sabotaging this weight loss goal and why?


I guess I might be thinking into this too much, but sometimes we need to write it down to evaluate it and figure out what exactly is going on.  I am trying to find my ground, a place in life where I am content and peaceful.  I have not found that ground yet, but I think if I keep exploring new things and continue on a path of getting healthy that I could find this place in the near future.  As for these goals I've failed at, do I need them, should I keep them?  I don't know the answer to that, but maybe for now I will keep them and try harder at trying to achieve them.  If I find I consistently fail, well maybe...just maybe goals is something I do not need to get ahead and where I want to be....