A Real Goal Getter: Part IV

So now I stand before the world (or the half dozen people who read this), a reformed slacker, a recalcitrant goal dodger, determined to change my ways.

Now what?

Your mileage may vary. I've spent time, as you've seen, looking back to a time when I had, I felt, clearer goals. And let me be clear. I'm not talking about regular goals - to lose weight or get the laundry done by the end of the day. It isn't even about living within a budget or replacing the carpet with hardwood flooring. Those things are tasks. They are chores. And I've managed to do each of those things at one point or another.

I'm speaking of goals like the ones you had in high school, like the ones you developed in college. These were the goals you used to chart your life. And I think finding them again is a bit harder than it sounds. How far back do I need to retrace my steps, for example? When I was young, I wanted to be an archaeologist. Then I wanted to be a geologist. After that, an astronomer. In fact, my parents even got me a telescope during that phase, and I remember I was able to manipulate the lenses and mirrors well enough to view a lunar eclipse.

But the fact is, if I had to wait on the schooling I'd need to invest in those dreams again, I'd be further in debt and miserable in the struggle. I can keep those dreams alive as interests. But I can put them aside as goals.

There's writing, which is closer to my heart. Many people appreciate the writing I do. And recently I devoted some time and energy to complete a certificate course in technical writing, knowing that like any skill (as opposed to a talent), it could be mastered and used to my advantage.

But there's something I've realized as I've spent time on this goal getter search of mine. Since I've left college, some of my goals have changed. As an adult, my goals are not so much about what kind of job I want, not really. They are more about the kind of person I want to be. Because it's not that I want to be an archaeologist, or an astronomer, or even a journalist, but I want to be the person I think some of those titles represent.

I am curious about my surroundings, so I want to do something that supports that instead of discouraging it. I want to emulate the archaeologist in me who's not afraid of getting a little messy digging for treasure in the hidden places. I want to hold onto the astronomer in me who's interested in what lies beyond. I want to hold onto the journalist in me who asks the questions we all need answered.

And after all this digging, exploring and asking, I've determined something; I'm not living right.

More on that later...

--Laura