Journal Entries

I’ll go ahead and admit it now: I’m a goal-setter. I’m a list-maker and a box-checker. I like to write them down so I can check them off. I even draw little boxes beside each item so I have a place to put my checkmark.

However, I am not so aggressive about goals as it may sound. I tend to set goals that I have a solid chance to achieve. I also believe in incremental improvement over a lifetime, so I don’t mind if my changes are small. As long as I make goals that are sustainable and repeatable, they’ll add up over time to new habits and new life. That’s my plan.

Here are some of my goals for 2008:

Run another marathon. It’s been too long since my last one. It’s also been a long time since I ran well, consistently, day after day, because of the stiffness in my left knee. However, it since it seems I’m going to limp whether or not I run or walk, I might as well run.

Publish a book. I’ve already assembled a large collection of my essays about running, and I’ve located someone to edit for me. My friend Darrell has even provided a title with cover art. Publishing is the next step, and I’ve waited too long already.

Print photo albums. I spent last summer scanning old family photos in order to preserve them, but I let a busy fall schedule take over my life and I never got the actual photo albums printed. I want to print albums for my kids and other family members.

Update our wills. Our current wills were written when both children were very young; it’s high time we caught up to this stage of our life.

Get a colonoscopy. I put this off last year, but I know that’s not a good plan for someone over 50. If I’m going to age gracefully, I have to do the required maintenance on myself. And I don’t want to have to make up excuses at my next annual physical.

Go on a writing retreat. I would like to go someplace comfortable but not distracting; a place where I can run or walk and be inspired, a place where I can stay by myself in relative solitude for 3-4 days. If you have any suggestions, I’d love to here them.

Use my left hand. I want to teach my left hand more skills for simple daily chores. I’ve read that doing so will slow down the aging process in my brain and open new thought pathways. I started brushing my teeth with my left hand a couple of years ago, and I recently started using my left hand to work my computer mouse at my office. Neither were easy learns.

Give away more music. I recently listened to an audio book, Love is a Mix Tape, and it reminded me how important music has been in my life. Music and lyrics shape how I view the world around me, how I express myself, and how I think. I recently gave away a collection of love songs to a few friends for Christmas (write to me if you’d like a copy of the playlist) and I wondered why I don’t give away favorite songs more often.

Find a better way to handle birthdays. I’m not talking about my own birthdays, but those of family and friends. I am continually embarrassed that I’m so poor at this rudimentary adult practice.

Create a family timeline. I like family history, and I like graphing data in meaningful ways, and I like visual representations of relationships. Thus: timelines. Does anyone know of a good software I should use for this? I can do something in Excel, but if there’s a better way I’d like to know it.

Use the stairs more often. My office is on the third floor, so I only get two flights of stairs up and down. But my goal is to use the stairs at least four times for every time I use the elevator.

In fact, most of my main goals don’t change from year to year. I often have to embrace a goal for a couple of years before learning the best way to stay accountable. But even soft, squishy goals are worthwhile if they cause us to lean in the right direction.

If you have some cool goals of your own, I’d like to know them. Send them to me. Maybe I’ll add them to my own list.