Saturday, April 7, 2012

G is for Goals and Growing Up

Goals

I like to make goals. I am not often successful at achieving those goals, but I am definitely a goal-maker. Over on Writing.com I have a group called NaNoWriMo Plus and almost every month I post goals for the month. On my other blog, I often post month goals and in January usually will post some year goals as well.

My Goals for April:

1. Finish reading 4 books.
2. Move (or get closer at least).
3. A to Z Blog Challenge: Post almost every day on both blogs for the challenge.
4. Write a couple story entries on WDC, highlight more chapters for editing, and maybe write another chapter in a novel.
5. Get book blog up and running again and revamp book group here on WDC.


Last month I had similar goals and actually accomplished a few of them but I think I'm missing something. It's something that can either start with an I or an R. Incentive/Reward is something I have never been good at. I can make a goal with no problem but giving myself anything for succeeding, terrible. I never know what to pick either. Can't do food as trying to lose weight. Can't do much that takes money cause I'm trying to move and don't have much money. That is what I need to work on and maybe I'll succeed even more with my goals.


Growing Up

I had a hard time picking for today's post, so here is a second topic that I considered. This was inspired by a friend's blog post for E. Sometimes I don't really feel grown up, but that may be because I live with my parents currently, though I used to live on my own. But I also don't want to grow up too much anyways. I hope to always be discovering, learning and dreaming.

On Writing.com I have a quote I made up. I'm sure others before have said things much like it, but it's one a friend of mine made into a cute picture signature for me and I even had someone ask permission to quote me with it. The quote is: "The greatest toy a child can have is an imagination."

I always liked to use my imagination as a child and while I may be growing up, I never want to lose that. I even want to get a tattoo that reminds me to not grow up too much. It will have dandelions (the white one and the yellow one) and say Stay Gold. Not the most original in content and all but my first tattoo was a fairy so I pick what I want and usually don't pay too much attention to what others pick.

I love dandelions. They were my favorite flower as a kid, back when I could see them as flowers. A couple of years ago, when gardening, I had to pull the dandelions and keep on a lookout for them because they were weeds. When did I start seeing them as weed?

Here is a dorky poem I wrote about dandelions back in 2006:


Adults never understood
Childish games upon the lawn
Joy tumbling downhill
Skipping along, light kicks stirring
White fluff into the air
All they saw was an infestation
Dotting their precious lawn

A weed flower
Dandelion



Do you make goals?
What are your goals?
Are you growing up too fast?

4 comments:

stu said...

I try to avoid lists of goals, though I'm sure I determine things I want and then work towards them from time to time. I'm also wary of this notion of growing up, or grown up. I'm me. I'll still be me tomorrow.

Scribe said...

While goals are important, it is also important to remain spontaneous, to be open to the moment. So, while I make goals, I am ready to revise this as life throws me curve balls.

As for growing up? I have pictures of my grandmother in the garden dancing with flowers in her hair(Read dandelions). She was eighty-five.

She was the most poised and genteel woman I have met. Cultured and refined, she still knew how to let down her hair. I want to grow up to be just like her.

The Hopeful Romantic said...

I do make goals. They aren't always SMART (specific, measureable etc) but I do have them - i like to overaim as it were. It almost gives me something to aim for "Aim for the moon,even if you miss it, you'll become one of the stars."

Dawn Embers said...

Thanks for the comments all.

Stu - To each their own. Growing up is easy to question. ;-)

Scribe - True. It is often good to allow room for changes. Sounds like you had an awesome grandma.

The Hopeful Romantic - Making specific, measurable goals is good to do but we often slip up. Just keep working on it. I like the whole shoot for the moon approach.