I’ve added a new tab today that lists my personal goal ideas for 2012.  I don’t do resolutions; I find the idea of goals to be more workable as it gives me something specific to work towards.  I’ve heard goals described as living and breathing and to me, they are.  They need to be adjusted as things change, more information is known, or opportunities come up that were not anticipated.

I had one year at work that I set my goals in late December; a few short months later, an opportunity came up to massively revamp a process.  After discussing it with my boss, we jettisoned the goals and I worked on that for the rest of the year.  It was worth it in spades, but had my corporate culture been set on the “goals must be achieved at all costs”, I doubt that would have happened.  This process involved other groups, who also jettisoned their goals to make it happen.  At the end of that year, we all won an award for the improvements.  It was a highlight in my career.

I apply this to my personal life as well, with one more variation.  Things need to be done personally, but I like my goals to have a big element of fun to them.  Time is too precious to be wasting my free time on things that really stink.  Okay, so I had a different word, but Jaimie is listening to her Mom read this, so it needs to be clean :)

This list of goal ideas is for now until about the end of June.  Around Labor Day, I will review my goals and either delete them or prioritize them better for something that needs to get pushed to the top of the list.

My goals can be summarized as:

Spiritual – daily devotions using Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

Family – stay in touch with my niece

Writing – evolve this blog more, start a second blog as a writer’s resource, write & publish an e-book

Photography – put together more albums, scan more old photos, take several classes

Pets – be more diligent in giving them quality and quantity attention

Get Organized – declutter house, put together a cookbook of favorite receipes

There are other things on my list.  These are the ones most likely to get done.  I will of course, be sharing as I work on them.

* * *

Here is my working list of goals for 2012 as of January.

I do not expect to finish all these goals; rather, these are my ideas of the various things I’d like to accomplish if time, energy and finances permit.  This blog post talks about how I choose my goals and get things done on the list.

1. Read Jesus Calling and its Bible verses each day
2. Take more short trips
3. Declutter and organize the house
4. Improve my physical self
5. Continue to evolve my blog
6. Continue taking photos
7. Set up second blog for writers / diarists
8. Scrapbook my life (I found a class to take to help with this)
9. Take a self portrait class
10. Write & publish an e-book
11. Participate in NaNoWriMo
12. Put together more photo albums
13. Organize my photos
14. Scan more photos
15. Consider continue writing my spiritual memoir
16. Print all computer journals
17. Scan handwritten journals (at least some of them)
18. Put together a cookbook of favorite recipes
19. What do I want to do about food preservation?  I don’t think I want to can, but maybe dehydrate or freeze stuff when produce is cheap and plentiful?
20. Stay in touch with my niece
21. Give the dogs more attention

* * *

Tomorrow is Thoughtful Thursday and the topic is to describe what I am most looking forward to doing this year.  On Friday, I will discuss more about goals and accomplishing them.

Our weather has gotten much colder.  That’s not why these guys are squeezed into the same dog bed.  It’s because the 7 pound miniature pinscher is in the other one and neither of these guys wants to sleep WITH HIM.  And my house isn’t big enough for three large dog beds, which is what I would need.  It’s for sure the min pin isn’t going to sleep in a small bed when he wants to sleep where the big boys sleep.

Today’s  small stones is under the photo.

Today’s small stones:

Feeling the dog’s silky fur
as I hug and cuddle him
he leans against me, head buried in my shoulder

His nearly hairless belly is smooth beneath my hand
He sighs and chirps, wanting more
Until he’s had his fill and hops away
To lay in front of the fire

(this was the big brown dog in the front of the above picture; the miniature pinscher actually has a thicker pelt on him)

Dogs Life Lessons 2012 goals riverofstones2012 setting goals small stones