Wednesday 26 September 2012

Life Goals

I work in non-profit and have been in my current job for almost 3 months. Actually, I have had my current position for over 2 years, but at a different chapter. At my current place of employment, when I was hired, there was no Executive Director (ED). My boss thought it would be a good idea for us to all write down goals for us to show the ED when he/she was hired so they would know what we were working on.

I will admit, I struggled with my list of goals. It's hard to write work related goals when you are new to a place. As a non-profit fundraiser, some of my work related goals are set for me (example, X amount of money needs to be raised through events) and being new, I wasn't aware of the goals. I did manage to come up with a list of goals. I wasn't crazy about them, but at least I had something. As it turns out, my boss wasn't crazy about them either. She told me to re-work them.

This morning, I met with our new ED for the first time (she started earlier this month). Just before I went into my meeting with her, my boss handed me my (not that great and now forgotten) list of goals. I did share this list with the ED and she said:

"This is a work to do list. What are your life goals?"

I was a bit taken aback. I was not prepared to answer this question and this is a question that I haven't been asked in a long time. I was honest with her and told her I don't currently have any life goals. All the goals I had set for myself, I had already accomplished. 
When I was turning 20 and 25, I went through a bit of a...I don't want to say crisis, because it wasn't...but I questioned myself and what I was doing with my life. At 20, I had a friend point out everything I had accomplished. At 25, I was able to list my accomplishments on my own.

My list of accomplishments is long. Everything I've accomplished, I'm proud of. I've had both big and little dreams, but I've worked hard at all of them to make them a reality. Some of my accomplished goals include:
  • Graduate
  • Land a good job
  • Land my dream job
  • Make a difference
  • Establish my own scholarship
  • Travel 
  • Raise $100,000 for charity in a single year
  • Own an original piece of art
  • Political goals 
  • Get an education (I have a post grad as well as two professional designations)
I've been told, I've accomplished more than most people do in a lifetime. No idea if that's true or just what people tell me to make me feel good about myself.

I think, I hope, I have a lot of life left. I know I need to come up with some new life goals. Something to work towards.

I need more dreams.

My dance teacher always used to say- and yes, she was talking about dance combinations, but I've applied it to my life:

"If you can say it, you can do it."

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