Thoughts On... Goals

Everyone has goals in their life; things they want to either get done, or simply get. For most people, those goals are nebulous.(Get rich.) For a few people, including myself, goals are concrete. (Get a 2004 Dodge Durango.) The problem with non-concrete goals is that without a fixed point to shoot for, it's difficult to come up with a plan to get there. Take for example, the goal "get rich". What do you mean "rich"? How much money counts as rich? Give a homeless man $100, and in his mind, he's rich. For a long time, my goals were all nebulous. Then I got set straight by several people along the course of my life, and I re-worked my constantly evolving list of life goals into specific concrete items I can achieve. I even accomplished one this past weekend! See my previous post for the details. We all know that life isn't just a simple check list of events and achievements, so writing down some stuff and working to make that stuff happen isn't really going to cut it.

Things happen, you evolve, people around you change. And as such the things you want can (and should) change. After accomplishing a big goal this past weekend, it got me thinking about my goals. What do I want to get done? What do I want to have? And in what time frame? After a long while, here are the goals that I came up with for the rest of the year.

By the end of 2013, I want to:

-- Lose 50 lbs to weigh in at 443lbs.
This is the perfect example of a concrete goal. I'm not saying that I just want to "lose weight", I'm giving a specific amount to be lost in a specific (and realistic) time frame. This lends itself to getting clear, concise steps to reach that goal.

-- Get my own place
I am a hermit by nature. Being by myself is a relaxing and soothing way of life for me. I've been living with other people for over a year now, and I'm aching for a place of my own. A place where I can be myself without worrying about imposing on other people (whether they say it's okay or not, I'll still be concerned about it), and where I can put all my stuff. A place where I can be as loud or as quiet as I want. You get the idea.

-- Build a new desktop computer
I tried the whole laptop thing, but unless I'm looking for a spot to use the internet, my PC never leaves my desk. I have it hooked up to a secondary monitor, external hard drives and other peripherals. To take the laptop with me, I have to spend 5 min disconnecting it from everything. It'd be a bit different if I had a laptop with a docking station, but that seems to not be the thing anymore. So, I'm going back to desktop. I'll be writing a few posts on this goal in the future.

-- Get laid as often as possible
In case you've forgotten my dear readers, I am a man. And as such, I'm genetically programmed to desire as much sex as I can handle. In fact, the first two goals on this list are steps in accomplishing this particular goal. Now, granted, I'm in search for that elusive, ephemeral girlfriend, but while I search for Ms. Right, I'll take my opportunities with Ms. Right Now. Despite what my sexual history might imply, I'm NOT a monk.


Now, there are long term goals that I have in mind and they are huge, overarching ideals that will take several years to achieve. To those goals I apply the theory of "Step-wise Refinement". Take big goals and break them down into smaller goals. Complete all the small goals and you have accomplished your big goals! What about you, my dear readers? What are your goals? Sound off in the comments section!