I think it was Robin Sharma who came up with the Big Five theory regarding goals and goal making. I cannot, for the life of me, find that post now, but I can remember the important bits. Sharma advises that we should set our goals in fives – five goals a day, five goals a month and The Big Five - ie: 5 goals to be achieved in 365 days. Since we are nearing the end of 2013 (I don’t want to even talk about it), I thought it was about time to start setting some goals. I love setting goals. Achieving them… hmmm not so much. Last year, I set these goals, and for all intents and purposes, I didn’t fully achieve all of them. I mean, in terms of blogging, I have written a lot more this year, but I haven’t really journaled. I haven’t attended a lot of concerts, although I do have Bastille lined up for next January, and Parklife in Durban this weekend. As for keeping the mystery, I deleted Facebook for a good six weeks this year. I loved it, but due to the social media dependence of this little blog, I had to rejoin… but I am not spending nearly so much time on social media as I used to. I haven’t done enough yoga. To be honest though, this is the first time I have reviewed these goals since I wrote them. So the following goals are going to be printed out and stuck above my desk or on my fridge because as Sharma rightly says, there is no point in setting goals if you can’t remember what they are. So, here are my Big Five for 2014:
1. Run a half marathon. (I’m aiming for the Weekend Witness Marathon in February)
2. Write a book. Even if it’s not an epic novel. Even if it doesn’t make sense. Even if it is only ten chapters long. Even if it has no chapters.
3. Visit my friend Andrea in Italy. See the Amalfi Coast and eat real Italian pizza, pasta and gelato.
4. Purchase my first car on my own.
5. Be pregnant on Christmas Day 2014. (my mother’s heart has skipped a beat just reading this – apparently, her friend Barbz tells me that mamma bear has already planned a whole range of matching gan-gan and granbaba outfits. Not sure if I believe this. If I remember correctly, mom wasn’t too big on clothes and we ran around starkers a lot – just like kids should.)
So there we are. Five achievable goals – in theory. Printed out and stuck above my desk. Now the secret is to set five goals every week to help achieve The Big Five by the end of the year. So for example, a weekly goal structure would be:
1. Run 3-4 times, a distance of 5km-8km each.
2. Write 500 words a day.
3. Check travel sites for bargains and special deals.
4. Save money by making lunch for work every day – stock up fridge with healthy food on Sunday.
5. Book a check-up with the lady bits doctor (sorry, but I hate the g word) to make sure body is ready for and capable of housing one times baby human.
And so on, and so forth. Dividing your big goals into five little weekly goals makes them do-able. So as we near the end of the year, think long and hard about where and how and who you want to be by Christmas 2014. Maybe you’re just toasty as you are and wouldn’t change a thing (lucky you), maybe you’re looking to challenge yourself in 2014 (jump off Bloukrans – it’ll make you believe you can do anything), maybe you want to see the Golden Gate Bridge or maybe you’re looking to get fitter, stronger, healthier or more creative next year. Have a think, write those goals down and then narrow them down to five big goals and five achievable weekly goals which will eventually lead to your mastery of them. And remember to write them down. On paper. And display them somewhere you’ll be able to see them every day. Don’t be like me and review your goals for 2013 eleven months late because you actually can’t remember what they were! Also, remember that life is a funny thing. Sometimes we may attempt to aim for the stars and then something will come out of nowhere and knock us right off our feet, sending goals and plans flying straight out of the window. I might be told I can’t have children, I might not be able to save enough money for a deposit on a car, I might be made redundant. These things happen. Let the storm pass, pick yourself up and get back on the bicycle. Sometimes we may have to adjust our sails and set off in a different direction. This is ok, too. But having a clear sense of purpose and direction and a guideline by which to live your days, weeks, months and years can certainly help make things a little more manageable. God knows it’s a crazy world. Have a great week and get started on setting some kick-ass goals. The 1st of January will be here before you know it.
Kez xxx
Illustration by Mercedes deBellard – source