So my end of year performance was amazing I scored a 4.3 out of 5 and got the full bonus I was eligible for, what else do I need? Each end of year performance review ends with the same question, "Do you have an idea of what your goals are for next year?" Since I was changing jobs with the company instead my old boss offered me some advice on my new position.
But that got me thinking about goals in general, and here I sit less than 12 hours until I have to give my boss a rough idea of what my career goals are for the next 1, 3, and 5 years and I have none. I'm a driven young man, I have a family to support, and I enjoy pushing myself to be better than I was the day before. I blame that on my late mother-in-law, she was always so proud of me I had to keep pushing myself harder than I ever had before just so I could have something new to tell her, even though she never really understood what I was talking about.
Over the past few months I've done a complete turn around in my physical well being, and I've been pretty vocal about it. I got an idea of the weight I'd like to get down to sometime in my life but I don't really see it as a goal for myself. I think that's where every diet fails, you lose the weight and you feel great so you start eating potato chips and fried chicken and before you know it you are right back where you started.
Instead of setting a goal for myself I've tried to implement habit changes, instead of a sandwich I usually have left overs. Instead of potato chips or some fried goodness I make myself a little salad. In 2 months I've lost 27 pounds and I will keep losing for the time being. I want to hit 190, its not a goal just an idea and when I get there I might stop trying to actively lose weight but I wont quit with the changes to eat 4 servings of veggies in a day, work out three times a week for at least 30 minutes, and the other small changes I've made. I might quit logging my food as strictly as I do but who knows, I kind of enjoy all the nifty tools the apps give me.
What I've kept more quiet, mostly because its harder to find a gain to brag about, is my intellectual changes. I've tasked myself with reading at least 1 hour a day 4 days a week. Why you might ask, because I need to grow stronger and smarter. My boss will ask me, where do I want this to take me in the next year. My answer, a shorter reading list. I don't care if I read 10 books or 100 books, the point is to do it. I love to read so its not really a chore but with a 1 yr old it does take some skill to find the time to read. Currently I'm working on some new upgraded IT certs, but usually 1 day a week the reading is purely fun.
I've talked about this with a few people I work with and the answer I usually get back is the old saying "You'll never get anywhere if you don't know where you're going" except my response is "If I don't know where I'm going I'll never be lost". Goals are so ingrained in our society, everything is about the future or the next step. Instead of living with direction we live with steps. Living with direction, like I'm going to read for 1 hour a day, gives you the ability to study for a new level of expertise without saying I'm going to achieve it in 6 weeks. Honestly, how often does your planned time table and your actual time table line up? If you think you can plan it, have a kid, my daughter is my world and she causes havoc in anything I plan. I love her unconditionally though.
‘A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.’ ~Lao Tzu
I guess goals are a personal choice, if you need a target to shoot at all the time then keep making goals for yourself. Just make sure you take the time to enjoy your success, I know so many people that complete one goal and jump straight to the next they never truly appreciate what they've done but also make sure you don't take it too hard if you miss your goals. I suggest you Google "Life without goals" if this interest you. Its a nifty set if ideas, very zen, that I like.
No comments:
Post a Comment