Goals

I wanted to do a special post on long term and short term goals. It is necessary and important to have both. Short term goals are great because they are usually easily accomplished and you get a feeling of success quickly. I always try to set monthly short term goals and I think about what I want to accomplish in a short period of time. I don't set a goal that I don't think I can accomplish during this time. One of the greatest feelings is being able to accomplish a goal but one of the worst feelings you can have is not accomplishing a goal that you set. Be practical when setting your goals and always set them in a positive light.

For example, here are my goals for this month:
-Lose another 10 pounds (or more)
-Eat more vegetables
-Shop at the Farmer's Market
-Try 2 new veggies and 1 new fruit
-Plan a consistent exercise routine
-Practice my 5K walk on January 26 (to help prepare myself for the LRAH on Feb. 26)
-Receive my 5% lost award at Weight Watchers
-Continue to drink more water
-Log my food intake daily on Live Strong


Long term goals are slightly different than short term goals. Long term goals usually have a "vision." They are the ultimate goals you want to accomplish. They take longer to accomplish but when you do accomplish them, they usually change your life. Setting long term goals is very important because it gives you the opportunity to look at the "big picture" of what you are wanting to do. Several people have long term goals for school, careers, weight loss, etc. I also have set rewards for myself to help me find motivation to accomplish my long term goals. These rewards I set for myself excite me and keep me going when I think I can't do it. I am not sure how long it will take to accomplish some of my long term goals but I hope around a year.

My long term goals:
-Lose 100+ pounds to be at a "healthy" weight
-Manage my PCOS WITHOUT medicine
-Become more active and adventurous
-Run a half-marathon
-Run as a stress reliever

Rewards:
-Emerald and diamond necklace to wear as a reminder of how far I have come in my weightloss journey. I read in Ali Vincent's book, Believe it, Be It, that she wears a necklace every day that reminds her of her journey. It gives her a gentle reminder to keep pushing through the tough days and not revert back to her old habits. I thought this was a great idea and I plan to do the same when I get to my goal weight. I decided that I want an emerald in the middle and diamonds around it for every 5 pounds I have lost. As of right now, I have 2 diamonds to put on it! As you can see, it keeps me excited about my long term goal of losing 100+ pounds. The picture below is just an "idea" of what I want my necklace to look like.


-A photo shoot. I know this one sounds silly but honestly, I want pictures of my "new and improved" self when I get there. I want to be able to enjoy looking at myself in pictures again. I used to LOVE being in pictures but in the last several years, I am always trying to get out of them or hiding myself behind someone in a picture. I saw on Facebook where Ada (Biggest Loser season 10) had professional photographs done when she got to her goal weight and they were beautiful. I cannot wait until that day comes!

-A kayak. I want to get a kayak to take down the river or take to the beach. I went out on a kayak in Edisto last year and fell in love. I can't wait to get to the point where I can take long adventures in one and enjoy all of God's creation. My goal is to kayak over to Otter Island which you can see from Edisto possibly next summer. :)
Otter Island view from Edisto:



These are just some ideas to give you as you think about setting short and long term goals. I would love to know some of your goals! Leave a comment about short term or long term goals/rewards you have for yourself. It is always best to WRITE THEM DOWN so you don't forget. :)