It was the week of my twentieth birthday and we had out-of-state friends visiting. One day as we were sitting around the table talking and munching on apple slices, one of the guys who I really didn’t know well at the time asked me if I was goal-oriented. The question took me by surprise because I’d never really thought about it. I stammered out a reply of, Well, I do like to write goals. But I’m not sure if I’m good at it... Over the course of the evening, his question kept coming back to me and the realization that goals played a big part in my life swept over me time and time again, each time with added force.

A few days later, late on a Saturday night after another friend’s wedding, I excused myself from a lively, chattering group of acquaintances that were visiting. When I came down a bit later they asked what I’d been doing and I answered that I was finishing my goals for the week. That prompted a long conversation about goals and how they can impact our lives.

My family joined in the conversation to laughing relate that I thrived on goals and always had a bunch of them that I was working on.

Those conversations that week changed the way I viewed life. Until that time I’d never really thought about what I did or didn’t do. I hadn’t realized that goals played a big part in my life. I hadn’t stopped to consider how great of a tool having goals actually was.

Nowadays goals are a daily part of my existence.

Last year my cousin, Aubrey, agreed to be my goal accountability partner and each week we sent each other our weekly goals. We’d text our “big wins”, ask each other what we could do to be more productive and/or focused, and cheered each other on. When I realized that writing daily ‘to-do’ lists for the next day helped me be more productive, Aubrey said I could text her each night after I had finished my list. Thus prompted about 200 texts with the simple words “List done” in them.

Yesterday, I drove the (nearly) two hours to go and visit Aubrey and celebrate a year well lived. We talked over our 2018 goals, discussed what had worked and what hadn’t, then turned our focus to 2019.

I’m excited for this year. For a year of goals, accomplishments, focus, and growth. Last year didn’t pan out the way I had expected it to, but with small goals and bite-sized chunks it ended up being far better than I could have dreamed of. For twenty-nineteen I’m really not sure what to expect, what to plan for, what goals to set. But I’m pushing on to the best of my ability and it’s a rather exciting venture. 😉

Goals. They can make a fairly big difference in your life and I highly recommend them. Also, accountability partners? They’re pretty much the best.

Amen and amen.