Self-Concordant Goals

In the spirit of happiness and wellness, the goal setting of hobbies has inspired me to set goals (long term, short term and action steps) for every aspect of my life.

The end goal is not my concern.  I may succeed or I may fail.  What is important is the process and experiences I have along the way, what I learn, and who I meet.

So, without further ado, my self-concordant goals:

1. Career
I would like to be a counseling psychologist.  Long term, I would like to be a licensed therapist, PhD, with my own small business private practice.  Ideally, this would come to fruition by the time I'm in my mid 40s.  Short term, my goals are to get a counseling psychologist masters degree to become a college counselor.  In order to do this, I will save money, accept an offer to graduate school, and find a part time job by end of August 2012.

2. Physical Environment
This one is largely a recapitulation of several other posts on green living that I have already made.  But, my long term goal is to have green personal living within a reasonable budget.  My home will be as energy efficient as possible with the potential of alternate energies, I will compost, have an herb and vegetable garden, and I will make as much of my own foods as possible.  This includes, jams, canning, sushi, bread, etc.  My short term goal, while I can't make a green home in an apartment, is to find sustainable products at a reasonable price, use biodegradable trash bags, turn off power strips when not in use, and learn to make jam, bread and sushi.  The above are also my action steps, as I search for these things at grocery stores, and create sushi making dates (fun!).

3. Personal Time
Long term, I want to know that there are unique things I do in my personal time that are not the same as everyone else.  A typical personal time set of hobbies is exercise and reading.  While I absolutely support both of those efforts, and I do have every intention of including them in my personal time, I would also like to learn hobbies (see previous post for more information) and travel extensively.  I will be an accomplished personal crochet-er, I will create all artwork in my home on various medias, and my home will be filled with DIY projects.  I will go to every continent, and I will visit a new place once per year.  In the short term, I will learn to crochet, make coasters out of scrabble letters, create a wall hanging of my Reduce Reuse Recycle logo, and make a stenciled collage on canvas.  I will also look for the financial backing for my first trip.

4. Health
Long term, I see myself as someone who eats and exercises in order to gain the maximum amount of energy, as well as the maximum amount of enjoyment.  This includes an exercise regimen, healthy cooking and meditation.  Short term, I will continue looking for recipes from Whole Living and Cooking Light magazines, and I will find an exercise regimen that I enjoy.  I will attempt to mediate at least once per week, ideally on Sundays to start the week off right.

5. Relationship
I will marry Markus, and we will have a green house, two kids, a dog and a cat.  We will have a cabin on a lake where our kids can enjoy summers and afford similar experiences that Markus had as a child as well as learn new skills, like hiking, biking, composting, skiing, and building.  Ideally, we will build our own cabin.  We will continue talking through differences, and we will show our kids how to be kind and warm-hearted.  We will treat each other with the same respect, and we will maintain our relationship from its current and even status.  In the short term, I will support Markus as he gains licensure for teaching in Minnesota, and he will support me in my efforts in a career.  We will set aside time to take adventures together at least once a month,  and will will embark on our efforts to live sustainably together.