Tra Fig : January 2009

Emily took her first plane trip last week and headed out to Arizona with 140 of her closest friends (okay, only about 20 of them are true friends). The Spirit of Central participated in the Fiesta Bowl Band competition and parade, then headed to the Grand Canyon.

As with most people, she was quite nervous about flying and I heard there may have been a tear shed on the way out of Indianapolis. Rest assured she feels like a seasoned traveller after two layovers at the ATL.

Have you ever seen anyone begin their hiking trip in a peacoat and a Coach purse??? Yet hike
she did. Now, I can't even think of the Grand Canyon without that sick, woozy, I'm afraid of big holes in the ground feeling taking me over, and my baby goes out on snow covered trails into the depths of this amazing hole!

Of course having your best guy there with you makes it all the more fun!

And a great group of friends:

Emily enjoyed her trip to New York MUCH more that Phoenix, but at least now she has a little more travel experience under her belt and has a whole weeks worth of great memories that will last the rest of her life.

Happy New Year! 2009, a brand new year, and a new start. This is one of my favorite times. The newness, blank page, and possibilities a new year offers just thrills me.

Most people make resolutions of some sort. I like to think of it as a time to make goals...goals or steps we can take to inch our lives closer to how we need to live.

Here is a method to lay out your goals, start on that path, and navigate your life to where you want it to go. How exciting! I go through this ritual every year. Although I still haven't achieved my personal best, are any of us ever a finished product?

To start, I divide my goals into several categories: this allows for balance! Then I dwell on what I need to accomplish within each section. Remember, this is for you and the betterment of YOUR life, there is no right or wrong and your goals simply serve as a navigation tool to get you closer to that picture in your mind of how you would like your life to look.

The most important thing about goals is they should be SMART: Specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely! For each goal, you should write down HOW you are going to implement this into your life...what day, how long, etc.

I think the biggest hurdle is the realistic part...some years I find that there is so much that needs changed, I need a bulldozer to flatten my life and rebuild EVERYTHING. This is not realistic or attainable! So I start by asking myself; what is the one thing I really need to do within this area, and go from there.

Family/Home Goals:

This is where I list the things that need done inside the house for the new year, like "tile the

kitchen". It is also a place for concept goals for the family: Vacation in Disney or have game

night once per month, or eat dinner together at least weekly (our nightly dinner table

gatherings are just no longer possible).

Spiritual Goals

Join a prayer group, read a bible passage before work each day, attend church more

regularly, something that brings you closer to God and mankind.

Physical Goals

Under this title you can join a gym, exercise at lease three times per week, take a daily walk,

drink less, eat less, etc. I did great at this two years ago, I joined the gym, but haven't

been there once! Maybe go to the gym X times per week would have been a SMARTer

goal for me!

Knowledge Goals

Your mental state needs to be as satisfied as your physical and spiritual state! Read a book

a month, work the crossword puzzle each day, take a class, hone a talent or skill in some

way. Knowledge is power!

Social Goals

This is one of my favorites! My favorite goal I ever committed to fell under this category and

it proved to be good for me and the people I loved. One of my social goals in the past was to

send a piece of mail (with real stamps and everything) to a friend or family member at

least monthly. Sometimes I found a funny card, or ceremoniously, I would sit by the fire

and write a long thoughtful letter to someone who rarely heard how my heart felt about

them. Other months I would send a favorite book or pictures to share. Your social goals may

be completely different, as mine will as well, but a monthly lunch with a friend or hosting an

annual pool party qualify as ways to enhance our social needs.

Financial and Career Goals

Save X amount of $ monthly, pay off your car loan, ask for a raise, change jobs, start your

own business...often success in this area determines how well we excel in other areas

of our life. I do try to avoid tying my other goals to finances, but none of us can live without

money. Let's get ours in order!

Words of Wisdom:

Do you realize that 95% of our actions are carried out automatically; without thought? Imagine the change we could command in our lives if we commit to making conscious decisions. This morning I woke up, fixed coffee, sat down at the computer and smoked a cigarette. Same thing I do EVERY morning, and I never even had a thought in my mind. I have the power to start my day by showering first, choosing NOT to smoke and stop wasting my time with a computer card game for the first thirty minutes of my day...if only I'd make the conscious choice to do so.

Try living outside of your limits. Most of us live a safe, familiar life. It's what we know and we are comfortable there. Living inside your limits (daily routine) will give you the same results you have always gotten. Step outside the circle you have built at least occasionally. Eat at that restaurant you drive past, have wondered about, but never tried. Someone in Ashland, KY please stop at the Aladdin Frame Shop on Lexington and 12th Street, go see a movie (Last movie I saw at a theatre was Polar Express and that is just sad) try something new!

Set goals that you truly desire to achieve. If you have failed to reach a goal, it is because you didn't truly have a burning desire to achieve it in the first place. Weak desire creates weak results!

Try. This is my favorite word in the English language. (Well, after onomatopoeia and Constantinople) Everything you want to achieve in life can be had through this word. The more you try, the more likely you are to succeed. That success depends on your number of attempts.