up until last year, i’d never really given much thought to goals; sure, there were things i wanted, but i had never taken the time to sit down and actually think about how to go about achieving them. 

i’ve since learned that being able to set strong, deliberate and detailed goals makes it so much easier to plan things and work out ways to achieve them. the things that help me do this are to:

be realistic. 

know what i’m capable of achieving, and sometimes be prepared to push a little beyond that. 

put a timeframe on it.

don’t be tempted to put this timeframe as sooner-rather-than later; think about what time and space you can dedicate in your life to working on this goal and then go from there. you may also need to factor in external parties whose help you may need to help you achieve your goal. for example, last year i had thought my home would be finished and i would be living there by the end of 2015; however, i also have to deal with builders, land developers and banks, so things haven’t moved along as quickly as i would’ve hoped. 

build up to it. 

one of my goals for 2016 is to be able to run 5km comfortably. this is a follow-on from one of my goals from last year, which was to complete the City2Sea, which is a 5km run. i didn’t complete the entire thing as a run; i know i need more training. there’s no point in setting a goal to “climb Mount Everest” if you’ve never even gone hiking before. there’s nothing wrong with setting smaller goals that will help you build up to achieving a big, hairy, audacious goal. 

know that you may need to revise things. 

you may find that as you work towards your goals, you need to revise or rework them. you may find that you’re on track to achieve something far more quickly than you’d anticipated and so, want to stretch your goal into something bigger; you may also find that you need a little more time or resources than you’d thought and may need to adjust your goal from there. 

write them down. (and put them somewhere you can see them)

some people use vision boards. you might like to print them off and stick them on the fridge.i’ve taped mine in the front of my diary for this year. whatever works for you, do it. the best way to keep yourself motivated is to have the things you want to achieve where you can see them every day and be reminded of them. putting them somewhere that others can see it also has the benefit of giving others the opportunity to see what you’re up to. you may discover that a friend is working on something similar and can partner with you; a family member might have a certain skill set that will be able to assist you; you may have forgotten that you’d wanted to achieve a certain thing and a friendly question might be the perfect reminder. 

treat yourself. 

although you don’t have to do it for every goal, it doesn’t hurt to reward yourself when you’ve achieved something special. it gives you something to look forward to and can often help provide that extra bit of much needed motivation. when I started training with my friend Liana for the City2Sea, we agreed that if i trained with her 12 weeks in a row without bailing or making excuses not to go, that we would reward ourselves with a dinner at one of our favourite restaurants. it’s certainly gone a long way to keep my feet on the running track!

know that goals aren’t resolutions. 

when i was younger, i loved setting New Year’s resolutions… until i very promptly forgot about them about 4 weeks later. you can set goals at any time of the year; it’s never too late or too early to start. goals are also more specific than the resolutions i used to make. so now, instead of saying “I want to go to the gym more in 2016 and be fit and healthy”, I would commit to two separate goals – “I want to go to the gym three times a week” and “i will bring a sensible lunch to work every day, and once a month i will treat myself to my favourite takeout lunch”. 

and finally…

don’t take any of this too seriously. 

this is what works for me. it may not work for you; if it doesn’t, that’s okay. if this gives you some great ideas – amazing! 

there’s also no reason to beat yourself up if you lose track of things and don’t quite get to where you’d hoped. if you’re still happy and healthy where you’re at right now, that’s totally cool. 
so, what are my goals for this year?

i want my house to be complete and fully furnished so that i can host Christmas for my friends and family. (by December 2016)

i want to have $14,000 saved to go on overseas trips to Vietnam, Indonesia and Hawaii (by September 2016, although I’m already part way there)

i want to read 100 books, at least 25 of which aren’t of a style or genre i would normally read. (by December 2016)

i want to learn how to braid and curl my hair (by June 2016, because i’m sick of having dead straight hair or a ponytail every day)

i want to be able to run 5km without stopping (by September 2016)

i want to be able to do a handstand against a wall. (by December 2016)

i want to practice my writing by blogging at least once a week (by March 2016)

this is just a snapshot of the things i want to achieve. none of these things will come easily and that’s a good thing. i’m looking forward to working on these and will hopefully share my progress as i get closer to achieving them. 

ash xo

i have always wanted to write.

 

how funny it seems to say that; to type those words and to know that there are millions of people out there who have probably thought, typed or written that very same thing at some point in their lives. it feels kind of trite… and yet, for me, it also feels good. natural. less cliche than it should.

 

my mind is a busy place. it can handle multiple thoughts at any one time; i’m a daydreamer by nature, able to be looking out the window and typing an email at the same time. sometimes, i am thinking up stories. other times, i am remembering something i have read. and yet others still i am thinking broader things or concentrated ones, wishing i were writing them down as i go.

 

i am a bookworm by nature; my mother swears i could read (or at least, recognise the same words over and over) before i could walk. i feel like many of my fellow bibliophiles are writers, too. perhaps its something about loving good books that makes you want to write one? or maybe it’s that reading often opens your mind up in a way that nothing else can.

 

so here i am. committing to write more, if only for me; although, i would love for others to share in this journey with me, too. i can’t promise much, except that i’m a little bit odd and so, this blog is likely to be a little bit odd too.