2011 Goals

Another blessed year goes into the books, and a brighter one begins to form.

2010 Goals Missed:

- Make a top ten list of new acquaintances. Although I didn't define "acquaintance" at the time, I came to feel like it takes at least ten hours with a person to really get to know someone and start to make new connections. By that line of thinking I came up with a list of just six new acquaintances:

Paulette Cocco
Jenny Mangina
Rob Stoltz
Jennifer Frasier
Scott Hillegass
Eric Juricka

- Determine at least one other organization that I'd consider involving myself with during retirement.

I put little oomph behind this one. I visited with two different people from the Illinois State University Honors Program, enough to determine that they were either too strapped for resources, too short on vision or too disinterested in my skills for there to be a good fit. They pointed me to a university tutoring lab, I did a walk-by, and that was it.

2010 Goals Hit:

- Track expenses in detail. We got a solid baseline on a year's worth of expenses... a shade over $44,000 ignoring income tax. 17% insurance. 15% food. 12% recreation. 10% utilities. 8% transportation. 8% gifts. 7% condo fee & real estate tax. 5% household expense. 5% hygiene. 3% clothing.

- 14% body fat by December 31. This turned out to be an instrumentation issue. The body fat measurement device at work proved more reliable than bathroom scales. 11.6% as of a week ago.

- 50 monthly blog posts, with one commenting on the greatest joy(s) and failure(s) of that week. It helped me to single out the most peaceful stretch of the year (the Hatteras vacation and next couple weeks after returning) and settle on the "everything's gonna be all right" mantra, which I used well for a while. It helped to shape the dream of a life without professional responsibilities. In was a productive way to gather up the good fortunes that came this year. And it provided another baseline inventory of "expenses" - the mental kind. The symptoms are wasteful talk (self-promoting, condescending, complaining, angry, interruptive or inaccurate comments). The root may be wasteful thought (I want to impress, I want to get my way, I want to be the center of attention, it's someone else's fault).

- Participate actively in NCHS basketball. What I wrote last year still resonates: "Of all my current involvements, this is the one that has the greatest potential for my abilities and personality. Through the years I've learned not to jump in too deeply too fast... this one continues to feel like the right pool so far, and it's time to swim around in it more vigorously. Unlike other activities, I don't see how this could be a waste of my time, given all that I can learn." I attended open gyms, summer camp, tryouts, and most of the practices and games. It's been fun and educational, and I've taken plenty of notes that will serve the future.

2011 Goals:

While I'm no Olympic athlete, my physical health is as good as it's been in years. The blessing of good fortune plays a major part, but this is also an area where I've had the best discipline - steady diet, daily measurement, faithful stretching & exercise. In a sense it's the easier type of health. The muscular, cardiovascular and other physiological systems need only an occasional dose of priming and then go about generating energy and burning toxins silently as we carry on our day.

And while I'm no asylum candidate, my mental health is simply too weak. It needs its own version of steady diet, daily measurement, and faithful exercise. Sometimes it needs rest, like after a tiring workout at the gym. It needs more discipline. My happiness is like a marble in a funnel, rolling merrily around the sides despite the constant negative pull of gravity trying to suck it down a hole, as long as I continue to stir it smoothly in the right direction.

Within the next couple of years I'd like to progress along two tracks. First and foremost, to strengthen mentally against those wasteful thoughts. Secondly, to explore the possibilities of career change as a means toward greater fulfillment.

With that said, here's the lineup for 2011, with most important nearer the top:

- Develop daily exercises and measurements for mental health, and journal them weekly. "Daily" means at least five days a week. The journal continues the spirit of the "high/low" weekly blog post, and will appear on Hidden Blog in some fashion. A few options come to mind for the daily elements. Could be "sit and smile" meditation, or a designated reflection time at the beginning/end of the work day, bite-sized goals at the office to lighten the experience, or techniques for salving the burns of the inevitable occasional misfortune anywhere.

- Keep expenses level. In tracking our expenses we discovered some ways to be more sensible.

- Learn more about investing. This could be by subscribing to a magazine, joining a club, making an acquaintance, or watching shows. There is a fantastic difference between pre-tax earnings of 7% a year and 8% a year. Smart investing can easily shave 5 years off a person's working career.

- Make a top ten list of new acquaintances. It seems that a practical way to get there would be to join some sort of short-term or project-based small group that meets regularly.

- Determine at least one new organization that I'd consider involving myself with as part of a career change. What would I do if I had more free time? Better to explore now and tamp down the risk of being disillusioned by boredom.

- Increase max in all weightlifting exercises while keeping body fat under 12%.

I intend to sustain the habits of reading at least ten books, writing 50 blog posts and participating in basketball coaching.

With God's blessing, may this be a mix of physical, mental, social and financial goals that enriches those around and above me. Let's go!