Halfway through that 15K Chocolate Run at a 30F weather in Denver, I was huffing, puffing and getting miserable. I could have sworn my muscles froze. It felt like there’s not enough blood flow to sustain heat all throughout my body. Kinetic energy equals heat, so like the other runners surrounding me, I deliberately carried one foot after the other, one at a time and kept screaming inside, “Just keep going, just keep going!” Like Dory, one of the characters of Finding Nemo when she wasn’t sure where they were at the moment but she kept on encouraging as long as they had a goal: Find Nemo. That’s what I was doing find the Finish Line and get there before dramatically collapsing.
I thought I was close because the announcer’s megaphone was already heard. A last turn in the corner street made the Finish Line visible. For somebody who has not run long races like that, it was jaw dropping. WoW! Then all of a sudden, I remembered sprinting. The rest is history.
Journal # 2
I love reading. I love reading free books. That’s why I love the local library wherein they supply most of the books that satisfy my hunger for knowledge. But there used to be a problem. Not the library’s problem but mine. I kept on forgetting to return them on time. Bottom line: I get FINED! Now that I started to get focused on nailing the budget, tiny leaks like this even if they are only $10-$15 per month could cost us one-day worth of grocery. So I got mad at getting my goal straight: to read what I borrowed and return them on time. Solution: prioritize reading materials (which one needs to be returned first, from top to bottom) and display them at my workplace to make them visible. The large pile of books in itself is so inviting and it motivates me or anybody to grab one. Savings for the last 10 months= approximately $120.
Journal # 3
Every time I throw food away, it makes me sick because I know somewhere in the other parts of the globe are people who have not have a bite to eat. We don’t intend to let canned goods expire but somehow it just happens. No more excuse, no more waste, I set up a system to make our household inventory attainable and more visible. This year, I cooked all canned goods already in my pantry. The bare space was where our new scheme was set in: 1st, to arrange the goods bought by expiration date and 2nd, to make everything visible either by display or by list.
My daughter shares her visual goals too. That is where she records all her earnings allocated by different jars, Give, Save, Spend. Since it’s hard to see the total amount in a jar and she has a goal of getting more than $250 by February for her Theater Workshop, we have to make it visible for her. Otherwise, she’s going to end up disappointed by the beginning of the year because she’s $50 short.
A famous author, Zig Ziglar shares his wheel of life, focusing more about setting goals in all aspects to attain balance. Like a wheel, air should be well-distributed to avoid a flat tire. He emphasized the importance of balanced goal setting. I think this is the best way to make visible short and long-term goals. And this is exactly what I will be working next for DIY, from our binder to this.
Attainable and visible goals are really important. Attainable because I can’t set a goal to be a lead singer when I can’t even hum a single note. Visible because it motivates me and keeps my family on the right track. If you have read my previous blog about how we saved a hundred percent of our Christmas Savings…
http://treasuresinthemundane.blogspot.com/2014/10/free-smart-phone-apps-that-saved-our.html
Aside from having attainable goals, it’s always good to have a goal larger than the other.
Right now, my goal is to write to express and be renewed. If sometimes I fail on that aspect because of unprecedented criticisms, I have set myself a goal larger than myself: to share how much I learned no matter how small and unimportant to some. If I can inspire at least one individual then this blog is never for naught!
Smile.
There’s always sunshine after the snow… a bigger goal after the other!
Love you always,
Maria (Ehma) Porpio
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