Tag Archives: 100 Goal Challenge

One of the most popular posts on the blog here seems to be the 100 Goal Challenge post, so I thought I’d do an update on where I’ve gotten in almost 2 years.

As a reminder I broke my goals down into my Defining the Best ME categories (Mental, Physical, Wisdom) with some actions fitting into more than one category.

1. Start/Run my own business
   • I’ve achieved this one! Once I worked out I wouldn’t be able to go back to my full time job at the Council, I began doing some consulting work. My business, LiveKen, focuses on helping others to live simple, sustainable and meaningful lives with or without chronic illness. At the moment I’m focused on finalising the Foggy Frog picture book, helping one local Council to develop a 3 year Environmental Action Plan, and another to develop a biodiversity hot spot map and fact sheets for local schools.
2. Have 2 children/start a family
   • Not yet, as per my recent posts E and I are currently discussing our options. I have a few health issues that need to be sorted out before we can begin trying.
3. Develop/run educational resources/sessions for business, community and schools/unis
   • See number 1 – I’ve started doing this. I’d like to increase this over time.
4. Visit the Great Barrier Reef
   • Not Yet.
5. Visit Tasmania
   • Not Yet.
6. Work internationally
   • I have in the past but would like to again.
7. Travel to Europe/UK
   • Not Yet.
8. Do 30 minutes walk/run/ride daily
   • Building up slowly, currently doing a short ride every 2-3 days but no dedicated walks (just step count that I mainly get around the house).
9. Daily yoga
   • Hit and miss on this one at the moment.
10. Daily meditation
    • Most days I get this.
11. Travel to Africa/See wild Gorillas
    • Not Yet.
12. Participate in 12hr Rogaine (I did this when I first got ill – before I realised how serious it was – and would love to have the energy/low pain levels to do it again)
    • I participated in a 4hr one on the weekend (managed about 2 and a half hours).
13. Contribute to charity regularly
    • I contribute to charity on an adhoc basis at the moment.
14. Publish Foggy Frog Picture book
    

    The dummy book for Foggy Frog…

    • This is much closer now! Today I’ve finished the inside pages (we need to print to check colours), we now just need to design a few cover options for our backers to vote on.
15. Work nationally
    • Have done in the past but want to expand current business when I’m up to it.
16. Have annual holidays
    • We do this, at least a short camping trip each year.
17. Build own house
    • Not Yet.
18. Annual income of $100,000 (This one I’m really not sure about, I’d be happy with earning just enough to live off, but the process said to dream big so that’s what I tried to do)
    • Not yet, and still not sure about this one… I may end up changing it next time I review.
19. Retire with enough financial security to continue annual holidays
    • Not yet, but I think we’re on track to do it.
20. Celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary
    

    On our Wedding Day
    Photo (c) M. Vovers, 2011

    • It’s our 5th this year (a 10th of the way there)!
21. Continue to learn something new each year
    • I believe I’m on track with this. I’m constantly trying new things.
22. Learn to sew my own clothes
    

    Patterns I’ve bought but not sewn yet

    • Still just doing basic sewing at this stage (pillows, napkins, blankets, etc)
23. Live as sustainably as possible
    • Working on this one… I’m still decluttering and removing unnecessary items from our lives, aiming to buy second hand as much as possible, and reducing our waste stream as much as possible.
24. Complete my Bachelor of Education
    • I have decided not to continue with this one, instead I’m aiming to complete my Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.
25. Help others live sustainably
    

    The last campaign I ran before getting ill in 2013. Focusing on riding and travelling to work.

    • Working on it. I discuss ideas in my blog, and I’m working with local Council’s to move communities towards more sustainable options.
26. Help others understand chronic illness
    • Working on it… The picture book will be out soon
27. Have monthly dinner parties with family and friends
    • This has not been happening so far.
28. Have monthly games afternoons with friends (board games)
    • This hasn’t happened monthly, but we have had more games afternoons than in the past.
29. Clean out old and unused things and give to people who will use them
    • I’ve been doing this, but it is an ongoing process.
30. Set up my own space for sewing, drawing and studying
    • I now have my desk set up in the study for drawing and studying, and a small desk for sewing in the spare room.
31. Plant and maintain veg garden
    

    Our veggie garden last year

    • There is currently nothing in our veggie garden apart from herbs but I’m working on this one.
32. Find a mentor(s) to help me achieve my goals
    • I think this is an ongoing thing… Just taking advice whenever I can from where ever I can.
33. Schedule time weekly to reflect/review my goals and achievements
    • I’ve been keeping a daily journal instead.
34. Achieve work/life balance (need to work out what this actually means to me)
    • This is my focus this year, I feel I’m finding more balance at the moment.
35. Have a weekly ‘date’ with E
    • We aim to do something together each week, even if it’s just a games night at home.
36. Pay off our mortgage
    • We’re working on this one. Thanks to support from E’s parents we have gotten the mortgage below $100,000.
37. Only buy quality items
    • Ongoing, but a focus whenever we buy things.
38. Save 10% of my income
    • Ongoing, I have set up an automatic transfer to put $45 into my Super account each fortnight (retirement fund here in Australia) and automatically have 10% of anything I earn through my casual work go to Super. I haven’t worked out if the $45 a fortnight will add up to 10% of what I earn through consulting this year yet.
39. Organise a financial plan
    • I have a very simple 5 year plan written up and a budget that we work within (I try and keep it flexible as long as we don’t go into debt throughout the year). I haven’t fleshed out the plan with detail yet.
40. Teach my children how to save, invest and create wealth for themselves (need to teach myself this first so I know what I’m talking about… still not too clear on investments and wealth creation)
    • Slowly teaching myself through reading books and blog posts on financial management so that when we have children I can teach them.
41. Teach my children to live sustainably
    • Need to have children first!
42. Ensure I have regular health checks
    • I see my doctor and specialists regularly.
43. Read every week (would love daily if possible)
    • I read a lot of blog posts these days, I want to work on reading more physical books as well.
44. Learn to live a fulfilling life with my chronic illnesses
    

    Retrieved from Facebook.

    • Working on it! I’m getting better at pacing and have managed to add in activities that fit with my values and make me feel like I’m contributing to my community.
45. Swim regularly 1-2 x a week
    • Waiting for our local pool to open as there really isn’t anything close to us at the moment.
46. Visit T in Hong Kong
    • Not yet, planning to visit her this year some time (she’s coming here this week to go camping with me and E over easter).
47. Develop networks to help make my ideas reality
    • Working on it.
48. Visit Japan
    • Not yet.
49. Teach my children to cook
    • Need children first.
50. Schedule time to draw
    • Haven’t made this regular yet.
51. Learn to belly dance
    • Not yet.
52. Get a family dog
    • Not yet.
53. Participate in a yoga/health retreat
    • Not yet.
54. Find a hobby E and I can do together (used to hike regularly but I’m not up to that at this stage)
    • We’ve been playing a lot more games together. I’m hoping to add short walks back into our routine.
55. Learn to be more assertive
    • Working on it.
56. Get monthly massages
    • I’ve been using my massage chair regularly.
57. Learn to play the guitar better
    • Not yet.
58. Write 2 blog posts a week
    • Most weeks I’m achieving this, some weeks I only manage 1 if I’m extra busy or in a crash.
59. Spend a day by myself every 6 months focusing on reviewing and renewing my goals and plans
    • I’ve done this maybe every 12 months so far, I still would like to increase it to every 6 months.
60. Find a weekly routine that works (I feel very flustered lately as I can’t settle into one routine with things changing all the time)
    • This is still constantly changing but I’ve found a flexible schedule works better for me. Instead of a fixed routine I’ve been working to only schedule 2-3 activities a day and leave a lot of space so I don’t get flustered.
61. Write a will
    • Not yet.
62. Go on a 4 week holiday by myself
    • Not yet.
63. Write regular articles for other blogs/websites/media sources
    • Not yet. I need to be more consistent writing for My Invisible Life and other people who have contacted me.
64. Learn to cook more delicious and healthy dairy and gluten free meals
    • I’ve increased our repitoire of meals but this is an ongoing goal.
65. Spend time in nature regularly
    

    A bird bath on a community walking trail near work.

    • I try and spend some time outside each and every day.
66. Enter writing competition and win
    • Not yet.
67. Organise an annual event to raise awareness of, and funds for research into, chronic illness
    • Not yet.
68. Act as a mentor for someone
    • Not yet.
69. Have quarterly girls nights/afternoons/days with my closest friends
    • I’ve caught up with people a bit more regularly but not quarterly yet.
70. Get Foggy Frog into libraries, schools and homes around the world
    • I’ve had one library contact me already. I need to publish the book first though.
71. Keep a gratitude jar and read the contents yearly
    

    My gratitude corner (bedside table)

    • I’ve moved away from the gratitude jar, instead I include gratitude in my weekly ‘Share My World’ post and write in my journal.
72. Create a neighbourhood/community sustainability group to catch up and share ideas
    • Not yet.
73. Be present and mindful every day
    • I’m getting better. This is a work in progress goal.
74. Develop a morning and evening routine
    • Morning – check emails in bed, dress (shower if necessary), breakfast and tea, one major task.
    • Evening – dinner, tv with Erik, teeth and pills (shower if necessary, sponge bath otherwise), journal, meditation.
75. Keep a regular journal
    • I’m using it to track my daily activities. I set up to 3 activities each night for the next day and then add extra if I manage more during the day.
76. Incorporate physio recommended exercises/stretches into daily life
    • I’m doing this. I do my pelvic stretches throughout the day and I’m currently focused on maintaining my step count.
77. Declutter my life
    • Working on it, I’ve removed many items from our house but still working to declutter my calendar and feel that this goal is an ongoing work-in-progress kind of goal.
78. Spend a weekend away with E every 6 months
    • This hasn’t happened but we have had a few weekends away in the last few years and have a few planned for this year.
79. Learn more about business management and marketing
    • I read blogs and books to help me better understand what I should be doing with my business.
80. Deliver a TED talk (about my work and education programs?)
    • Not yet.
81. Smile every day
    

    Christmas 2013…

    • I think I’ve achieved this one… To be honest I haven’t tracked it but know that I smile quite often.
82. Learn to deal with conflict
    • Working on it. I’m getting better at dealing with conflict and standing up for myself.
83. Write every day
    • I write my to-do list every day. Once a week, I write my blog posts. I would like to add more writing.
84. Frame our pictures and display them in the house
    • Not yet, reconsidering as I’m reducing the amount of ‘stuff’ in our house.
85. Interact with people who support my vision
    • Doing this as much as I can.
86. Make a firm career decision and pursue it
    • Still working on this. I’ve got a vague idea of where I want to go but need to clarify some details.
87. Be well regarded and respected for my work
    • Not something I feel comfortable judging for myself but from the feedback I get I’d say I am.
88. Develop a realistic business plan, implement the plan and follow through
    • Because of my health I’m still struggling to develop a realistic business plan that can be implemented and followed through. At this stage I’m just working to complete the projects I have already and then I’ll reassess this.
89. Assist 10 people to live a fulfilling life with a chronic illness
    • Not yet, working on it.
90. Get my superannuation strategy working for me
    • Working on it, I’m making sure that I get something into my super regularly.
91. Maintain a healthy weight
    • My weight has stayed about the same for the last few years.
92. Have regular skin checks
    • Had one a year and a half ago. I believe they suggested every 2 years.
93. Have monthly goals to focus on
    • This hasn’t been working for me. I need to reassess the goals that I set.
94. Build a team around me to help me reach my goals
    • Working on it.
95. Be around for my children as much as possible
    • Need children first.
96. Visit my Uncle in Vietnam
    • Not yet.
97. Buy local as much as possible
    • I try and do this. Still working on improving this.
98. Focus on experiences not possessions
    • Working on it.
99. Eat vegetables with every meal
    • Mostly.
100. Focus on the good things in life
     

     I found this little guy while walking with a friend Christmas Eve 2012… He made us smile, we took photos but left him for others to find and enjoy as well.

A quick No Buy Challenge Update: I did swap one top I hadn’t worn in over 6 months for a new striped top which I’ve already worn 3 times in the last week. Other than that no purchases for me this week.

Have you completed your 100 Goal Challenge?

If so, what have you learnt from reviewing the goals you’ve set?

If not, has my list helped you identify a few more things you could add to your own?

Are you looking for a simple, sustainable & meaningful life?

We’ve taken the plunge, and are planning to share our journey with you and help you start your own journey via a 6-week online workshop.

The workshop will cover the following topics:

• What makes life meaningful for us?
• Identifying our values, passions, and life goals
• What does it mean to be sustainable?
• Are our current lifestyles sustainable?
• Developing an action plan towards a simple, sustainable and meaningful life.

What do we get?

This 6-week workshop will begin 1 June 2015 and will consist of regular emails with guiding questions and activities and group discussions via Facebook.

At this stage we are also planning to run at least one webinar during the 6-week period.

Like Megan’s last post, I will be sharing with you my 100 Goal Challenge. This challenge came about for Megan last year when she was reading a self-help book that focused on getting the reader to conduct activities that would help to identify your passions in life. The book is titled It starts with Passion by Keith Abraham and the idea behind it is to “do what you love and love what you do”.

The key to this challenge is that by writing down your goals, whether achievable tomorrow or maybe in the next few decades, you have identified the direction in life you want to take and inherently giving yourself something to strive for.  That drive in life is what makes you jump out of bed in the mornings instead of just rolling over wishing you could sleep for another few hours.

This will be once again a long post and I have, like Megan tried to break it done into categories to make it easier to work through. My 100 Goals are not just physical things that I want to do or achieve but also about creating and working towards the mindset and person I want to be, which I feel is just as important. What follows is my 100 Goal Challenge in no particular order of importance.

My 100 Goal Challenge List

House and Garden

1. Buy a house
   

   A plant from our garden – many more to be added

2. Have and maintain a garden
3. Make people feel welcomed and relaxed in our home.
4. Clean regularly – something I need to do after I finish writing this!
5. Build a garden from a patch of dirt.
6. Grow a herb garden
7. Cover the walls with our lives and adventures (art that is personal)
8. Grow a fruit tree
9. Renovate (or even build?)
10. Grow a veggie patch
11. Knock down a wall!
    

    All ready for some plants!

12. Build a wall.
13. Have a proper compost pile
14. Have a house full of laughter
15. Set up a rain water tank to recycle water
16. Have a functional and usable home
17. Spend more time in the garden to enjoy it.
18. Share my home with friends and family
19. Grow a hedge of fruit trees (espalier)
20. Set up a veggie patch with aquaponics

Travel

21. Visit each continent
    

    Plane wing from our last overseas trip

22. Travel to India
23. Go diving in the Great Barrier Reef
24. Put my feet in as many seas as possible!
25. End every holiday with a restort to relax.
26. Go on local holidays a few times a year
27. Climb a Mountain!
28. Don’t go on fast tours – stay in destinations
29. Go and see the Northern Lights
30. Honeymoon!!!!

Food

31. Cook and bake more for the enjoyment
    

    baking some cupcakes

32. Try new recipes every month
33. Eat less meat
34. Learn how to cook Indian
35. Make healthy snacks
36. Learn more vegan and vegetarian dishes
37. Cook a pavlova.
38. Eat more fruit and veggies
39. Learn how to make more raw dishes
40. Drink more juices and smoothies, every few days!

Me playing some tennis

Fitness and Exercise

41. Maintain and increase my current level of fitness
42. Get to 10 000 steps most days
43. Go swimming weekly
44. Play a sport socially – always!
45. Be able to do 10+ push-ups without dying
46. Have a six pack once in my life
47. Get up before work to do exercise
48. Improve my tennis game – win more often!
49. Compete in obstacle courses (True Grit)
50. Try out running, as a habit.

Education and Learning

51. Never stop trying and learning new things
    

    Graduation a few years ago

52. Educate myself on finance
53. Get further certification / degrees
54. Research and implement further sustainable living
55. Stay open minded to ideas and technologies
56. Teach myself about soils, fertilizers and composting.
57. Learn more about photography
58. Learn nutrition
59. Learn massage and body movement
60. Learn aquaponics
61. Learn about myself and further my interests
62. Education in business management
63. Improve on self-confidence, projection and conversing

Mind Development

64. Listen, learn then form opinions
    

    spending time alone to reflect is productive

65. Approach everything with an open mind
66. Respond do not react.
67. Be more patient
68. Speak to my sister every week
69. Be more assertive
70. Value my own opinion
71. Spend time alone every week
72. Focus and remember the positive
73. Do not be afraid to disagree
74. Become more patient and giving with my parents
75. Be present where I am
76. Voice my opinion, especially when I don’t agree
77. Become aware of time constraints and be realistic in planning

Life…

78. Own a house

    

    just waiting to be ridden!

79. See parents once a week
80. Answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ – ‘not yet’ is not an answer
81. Visit my sister a few times a year
82. Have children
83. Learn to ride a scooter (maybe a motorbike)
84. Fix my own computer once or twice
85. Laugh and enjoy the people around me
86. Hold dinner parties regularly
87. Catch up with friends more often
88. Save where we can but not at the expense of living
89. Go on more dates
    

    our cat – being sneaky

90. Use less chemicals
91. Declutter my home
92. Declutter my life
93. Go Abseiling / rock climbing
94. Skydive
95. Go in a hot air balloon
96. Find a work / life balance
97. Have more family pets (especially a dog)
98. House at least one Guide Dog
99. Read more – fact and fiction
100. Get Married!

Alright so that is my 100 Goals! It was hard to get started but once you do you’ll find that it just follows out. I’m also sure I’ve probably missed things but its written down for now and as I grow and change so will my goals.

Now the challenge is set! Go and get a pen and some paper if you have not already and start writing down your 100 Goals.

We would love to hear how you went so please let us know if you try the 100 Goal Challenge or if you have any suggestions for future posts.

[dropcap color=”orange” background=”green” style=”rounded” size=”small”]E[/dropcap]ditors Note: This post was first published on My Chronic Life Journey in March 2014. This is my response to the 100 Goal Challenge. I found it to be a great way to identify what is important in my life and to help me take the first steps towards a more simple, sustainable and meaningful life. I highly recommend the process to everyone.

As discussed in last week’s post about Finding Your Passion, the first steps are to undertake the 100 Goal Challenge and use your answers to identify your Driving Emotions.

I shared my Driving Emotions and their definitions in the previous post and as requested I’m sharing my list of 100 Goals with you today. I apologise in advance for the lengthy post (I’ve tried to break it up with images so it’s not just text). I hope the goals inspire you and help you in creating your own Life To-Do List (100 goals).

Looking through them I think I can break them down into my Defining the Best ME categories (Mental, Physical, Wisdom) and some fit into more than one category.

My 100 Goal Challenge List:

1. Start/Run my own business
2. Have 2 children/start a family
3. Develop/run educational resources/sessions for business, community and schools/unis
4. Visit the Great Barrier Reef
5. Visit Tasmania
6. Work internationally
7. Travel to Europe/UK
8. Do 30 minutes walk/run/ride daily
9. Daily yoga
10. Daily meditation
11. Travel to Africa/See wild Gorillas
12. Participate in 12hr Rogaine (I did this when I first got ill – before I realised how serious it was – and would love to have the energy/low pain levels to do it again)
13. Contribute to charity regularly
14. Publish Foggy Frog Picture book
    

    The dummy book for Foggy Frog…

15. Work nationally
16. Have annual holidays
17. Build own house
18. Annual income of $100,000 (This one I’m really not sure about, I’d be happy with earning just enough to live off, but the process said to dream big so that’s what I tried to do)
19. Retire with enough financial security to continue annual holidays
20. Celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary (It’s our 3rd this year)
    

    On our Wedding Day
    Photo (c) M. Vovers, 2011

21. Continue to learn something new each year
22. Learn to sew my own clothes
    

    Patterns I’ve bought but not sewn yet

23. Live as sustainably as possible
24. Complete my Bachelor of Education
25. Help others live sustainably
    

    The last campaign I ran before getting ill in 2013. Focusing on riding and travelling to work.

26. Help others understand chronic illness
27. Have monthly dinner parties with family and friends
28. Have monthly games afternoons with friends (board games)
29. Clean out old and unused things and give to people who will use them
30. Set up my own space for sewing, drawing and studying
31. Plant and maintain veg garden
    

    Our veggie garden last year

32. Find a mentor(s) to help me achieve my goals (I’ve found one business mentor already since setting this goal, but I feel that I would benefit from a team of people I can go to for advice/support)
33. Schedule time weekly to reflect/review my goals and achievements
34. Achieve work/life balance (need to work out what this actually means to me)
35. Have a weekly ‘date’ with E
36. Pay off our mortgage
37. Only buy quality items
38. Save 10% of my income
39. Organise a financial plan
40. Teach my children how to save, invest and create wealth for themselves (need to teach myself this first so I know what I’m talking about… still not too clear on investments and wealth creation)
41. Teach my children to live sustainably
42. Ensure I have regular health checks
43. Read every week (would love daily if possible)
44. Learn to live a fulfilling life with my chronic illnesses
    

    Retrieved from Facebook.

45. Swim regularly 1-2 x a week
46. Visit T in Hong Kong
47. Develop networks to help make my ideas reality
48. Visit Japan
49. Teach my children to cook
50. Schedule time to draw
51. Learn to belly dance
52. Get a family dog
53. Participate in a yoga/health retreat
54. Find a hobby E and I can do together (used to hike regularly but I’m not up to that at this stage)
55. Learn to be more assertive
56. Get monthly massages
57. Learn to play the guitar better
58. Write 2 blog posts a week
59. Spend a day by myself every 6 months focusing on reviewing and renewing my goals and plans
60. Find a weekly routine that works (I feel very flustered lately as I can’t settle into one routine with things changing all the time)
61. Write a will
62. Go on a 4 week holiday by myself
63. Write regular articles for other blogs/websites/media sources
64. Learn to cook more delicious and healthy dairy and gluten free meals
65. Spend time in nature regularly
    

    A bird bath on a community walking trail near work.

66. Enter writing competition and win
67. Organise an annual event to raise awareness of, and funds for research into, chronic illness
68. Act as a mentor for someone
69. Have quarterly girls nights/afternoons/days with my closest friends
70. Get Foggy Frog into libraries, schools and homes around the world
71. Keep a gratitude jar and read the contents yearly
    

    My gratitude corner (bedside table)

72. Create a neighbourhood/community sustainability group to catch up and share ideas
73. Be present and mindful every day
74. Develop a morning and evening routine
75. Keep a regular journal
76. Incorporate physio recommended exercises/stretches into daily life
77. Declutter my life
78. Spend a weekend away with E every 6 months
79. Learn more about business mangement and marketing
80. Deliver a TED talk (about my work and education programs?)
81. Smile every day
    

    Christmas 2013…

82. Learn to deal with conflict
83. Write every day
84. Frame our pictures and display them in the house
85. Interact with people who support my vision
86. Make a firm career decision and pursue it
87. Be well regarded and respected for my work
88. Develop a realistic business plan, implement the plan and follow through
89. Assist 10 people to live a fulfilling life with a chronic illness
90. Get my superannuation strategy working for me
91. Maintain a healthy weight
92. Have regular skin checks
93. Have monthly goals to focus on
94. Build a team around me to help me reach my goals
95. Be around for my children as much as possible
96. Visit my Uncle in Vietnam
97. Buy local as much as possible
98. Focus on experiences not possesions
99. Eat vegetables with every meal
100. Focus on the good things in life
     

     I found this little guy while walking with a friend Christmas Eve 2012… He made us smile, we took photos but left him for others to find and enjoy as well.

 What I’ve learnt from creating my 100 Goal Challenge list

The following are the key important things I’ve pulled from my list:

• Helping others/Educating and Awareness Raising. As I go through this list I can count over 10 items that relate to helping/teaching others about different things.
• Having a support team and strong relationships with my family and friends.  Again multiple items on the list focus on spending time with or identifying others who can help me/I can help them.
• Sustainable living. In terms of how I live my life, my financial security, and how I interact with others, having a positive impact instead of a negative one is key.
• Structure and Simplicity. In order to manage my illness and remain as healthy as possible I should aim to have some structure in my daily/weekly routines and I should simplify as much as possible. (This will be a focus of a future post)

Have you completed your 100 Goal Challenge?

If so, what have you learnt from reviewing the goals you’ve set?

If not, has my list helped you identify a few more things you could add to your own?

As discussed in last week’s post about Finding Your Passion, the first steps are to undertake the 100 Goal Challenge and use your answers to identify your Driving Emotions.

I shared my Driving Emotions and their definitions in the previous post and as requested I’m sharing my list of 100 Goals with you today. I apologise in advance for the lengthy post (I’ve tried to break it up with images so it’s not just text). I hope the goals inspire you and help you in creating your own Life To-Do List (100 goals).

Looking through them I think I can break them down into my Defining the Best ME categories (Mental, Physical, Wisdom) and some fit into more than one category.

Here we go:

1. Start/Run my own business
2. Have 2 children/start a family
3. Develop/run educational resources/sessions for business, community and schools/unis
4. Visit the Great Barrier Reef
5. Visit Tasmania
6. Work internationally
7. Travel to Europe/UK
8. Do 30 minutes walk/run/ride daily
9. Daily yoga
10. Daily meditation
11. Travel to Africa/See wild Gorillas
12. Participate in 12hr Rogaine (I did this when I first got ill – before I realised how serious it was – and would love to have the energy/low pain levels to do it again)
13. Contribute to charity regularly
14. Publish Foggy Frog Picture book
    

    The dummy book for Foggy Frog…

15. Work nationally
16. Have annual holidays
17. Build own house
18. Annual income of $100,000 (This one I’m really not sure about, I’d be happy with earning just enough to live off, but the process said to dream big so that’s what I tried to do)
19. Retire with enough financial security to continue annual holidays
20. Celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary (It’s our 3rd this year)
    

    On our Wedding Day
    Photo (c) M. Vovers, 2011

21. Continue to learn something new each year
22. Learn to sew my own clothes
    

    Patterns I’ve bought but not sewn yet

23. Live as sustainably as possible
24. Complete my Bachelor of Education
25. Help others live sustainably
    

    The last campaign I ran before getting ill in 2013. Focusing on riding and travelling to work.

26. Help others understand chronic illness
27. Have monthly dinner parties with family and friends
28. Have monthly games afternoons with friends (board games)
29. Clean out old and unused things and give to people who will use them
30. Set up my own space for sewing, drawing and studying
31. Plant and maintain veg garden
    

    Our veggie garden last year

32. Find a mentor(s) to help me achieve my goals (I’ve found one business mentor already since setting this goal, but I feel that I would benefit from a team of people I can go to for advice/support)
33. Schedule time weekly to reflect/review my goals and achievements
34. Achieve work/life balance (need to work out what this actually means to me)
35. Have a weekly ‘date’ with E
36. Pay off our mortgage
37. Only buy quality items
38. Save 10% of my income
39. Organise a financial plan
40. Teach my children how to save, invest and create wealth for themselves (need to teach myself this first so I know what I’m talking about… still not too clear on investments and wealth creation)
41. Teach my children to live sustainably
42. Ensure I have regular health checks
43. Read every week (would love daily if possible)
44. Learn to live a fulfilling life with my chronic illnesses
    

    Retrieved from Facebook.

45. Swim regularly 1-2 x a week
46. Visit T in Hong Kong
47. Develop networks to help make my ideas reality
48. Visit Japan
49. Teach my children to cook
50. Schedule time to draw
51. Learn to belly dance
52. Get a family dog
53. Participate in a yoga/health retreat
54. Find a hobby E and I can do together (used to hike regularly but I’m not up to that at this stage)
55. Learn to be more assertive
56. Get monthly massages
57. Learn to play the guitar better
58. Write 2 blog posts a week
59. Spend a day by myself every 6 months focusing on reviewing and renewing my goals and plans
60. Find a weekly routine that works (I feel very flustered lately as I can’t settle into one routine with things changing all the time)
61. Write a will
62. Go on a 4 week holiday by myself
63. Write regular articles for other blogs/websites/media sources
64. Learn to cook more delicious and healthy dairy and gluten free meals
65. Spend time in nature regularly
    

    A bird bath on a community walking trail near work.

66. Enter writing competition and win
67. Organise an annual event to raise awareness of, and funds for research into, chronic illness
68. Act as a mentor for someone
69. Have quarterly girls nights/afternoons/days with my closest friends
70. Get Foggy Frog into libraries, schools and homes around the world
71. Keep a gratitude jar and read the contents yearly
    

    My gratitude corner (bedside table)

72. Create a neighbourhood/community sustainability group to catch up and share ideas
73. Be present and mindful every day
74. Develop a morning and evening routine
75. Keep a regular journal
76. Incorporate physio recommended exercises/stretches into daily life
77. Declutter my life
78. Spend a weekend away with E every 6 months
79. Learn more about business mangement and marketing
80. Deliver a TED talk (about my work and education programs?)
81. Smile every day
    

    Christmas 2013…

82. Learn to deal with conflict
83. Write every day
84. Frame our pictures and display them in the house
85. Interact with people who support my vision
86. Make a firm career decision and pursue it
87. Be well regarded and respected for my work
88. Develop a realistic business plan, implement the plan and follow through
89. Assist 10 people to live a fulfilling life with a chronic illness
90. Get my superannuation strategy working for me
91. Maintain a healthy weight
92. Have regular skin checks
93. Have monthly goals to focus on
94. Build a team around me to help me reach my goals
95. Be around for my children as much as possible
96. Visit my Uncle in Vietnam
97. Buy local as much as possible
98. Focus on experiences not possesions
99. Eat vegetables with every meal
100. Focus on the good things in life
     

     I found this little guy while walking with a friend Christmas Eve 2012… He made us smile, we took photos but left him for others to find and enjoy as well.

 What I’ve learnt from creating this list

The following are the key important things I’ve pulled from my list:

• Helping others/Educating and Awareness Raising. As I go through this list I can count over 10 items that relate to helping/teaching others about different things.
• Having a support team and strong relationships with my family and friends.  Again multiple items on the list focus on spending time with or identifying others who can help me/I can help them.
• Sustainable living. In terms of how I live my life, my financial security, and how I interact with others, having a positive impact instead of a negative one is key.
• Structure and Simplicity. In order to manage my illness and remain as healthy as possible I should aim to have some structure in my daily/weekly routines and I should simplify as much as possible. (This will be a focus of a future post)

Have you completed your 100 Goal Challenge?

If so, what have you learnt from reviewing the goals you’ve set?

If not, has my list helped you identify a few more things you could add to your own?

As you’ve probably noticed I’ve been a bit sporadic with my posting lately. I’m going to try and rectify that and aim for 2 posts a week, on a Tuesday and a Thursday. Today I want to expand on one of my Top 5 things I’ve learnt in a year of Chronic Illness, having something you’re passionate about. Lately I’ve bee reading Keith Abraham’s It starts with Passion. This book is a self-help book focused on helping people to identify what they are passionate about and how they can make it happen.

Image retrieved from GoodReads.

I haven’t quite finished the book yet but I have really enjoyed the challenges and activities it contains to help you identify your passions. Since childhood I have been passionate about family, the environment, and learning new things. These passions are still high on my list today but I would also add that I’m passionate about helping others and making a difference in the world. When I’m doing something that I know is helping others and the environment, and that allows me to learn new things along the way as well I’m at my most happiest.

Me (in 2013) enjoying my work delivering sustainability information to the community at a garden open day.

Abraham suggests that to find your ‘Passion’ you need to identify what is meaningful to you. What emotions energise you and make you feel good about yourself? Why do you want to do something? If you know your reason WHY, and it’s linked to making you feel good about yourself, you are more likely to achieve your goals. What is that one thing that, whenever you do it, you feel great?

Setting Life Goals..

The first big challenge that Abraham sets is to write your life To-Do list, that is to create a list of 100 goals you would like to achieve. It doesn’t matter if you think you can do it now, what matters is to get it down on paper. I did this challenge on Monday. It took me most of the day to complete my list of 100 things I would like to see, do, experience or own, but I got there. My list includes things like starting a family (probably one of my longest held dreams), starting and running my own business, delivering workshops and presentations that help people live a better and more sustainable life, and travelling to various countries I’d like to visit. It also included things like being financially secure, learning new skills, and finding a work/life balance that enables me to live a fulfilling life even with my chronic illnesses.

GOAL #99: Eat vegetables with every meal

Some of the goals sound, at the moment, impossible to me (delivering a TEDs talk), others are very simple I just haven’t had the time or energy to actually complete them (writing a will and framing and displaying our wedding pictures), and others are things I am already doing but want to make sure they stay part of my daily routine (meditation, yoga, exercises).

Identifying the Why…

Once you have your list of 100 goals, the next step is to go back through them and think about how you would feel if you achieved them. What are your driving emotions? You will probably notice a pattern emerging in the emotions that you are identifying. Abraham states that the top 3 emotions that you find are your driving emotions, the ones that you want to feel every day. At this point you take those 3 driving emotions and define what they mean to you. For me, my driving emotions are Passionate, Grateful, and Accomplished. These are the feelings I want to feel on a daily basis. My definitions are: Passionate: I care deeply for my family, friends and others. My actions are in line with my beliefs and it’s obvious to others that they are important to me. My passion is infectious – others listen and understand the importance, my words and actions enourage others to share my passion. Grateful: I recognise how lucky I am to have everything I have. I celebrate my small achievements and take notice of all the wonder the world provides me with. My body is relaxed and healthy, and my relationships are strong. I am happy within myself and remain calm in the face of adversity. Accomplished: I know I am making a positive difference in my family and work life. My work matter, makes a difference and is important to me. I am creating a positive, passionate legacy that will benefit others even after I’m gone. I am able to take complex topics and simplify them so that others can understand and take action on them. Thanks to having completed this challenge, I am feeling more confident about taking action to follow my dreams. I’m working on a few big projects at the moment and I will share them when I’m able to. For now though it’s time for you to take some action… My challenge to you today is to write your own list of 100 Goals and to identify and define you’re driving emotions. Please feel free to share your results in the comment section. Also, please let me know if you’d like me to share my list of 100 Goals. If anyone wants me to I’ll type it up as a separate post.