To be honest, I feel really vulerable sharing these goals. I guess it's because they're so personal and because I'm hoping no one will misinterpret my motivation behind these goals. But instead of fearing judgment, I'll share these goals out of the hope that it might help inspire one of you to come up with a list of your own. :) Many of these ambitions are in progress, but the completed ones are marked red. Here are my life goals: (except for a few that I felt were too personal)
Personal (learning/career goals/talent development)
Read at least 1 “classic” book a month for the rest of my life
Earn a Master's Degree
Paint a portrait of each of my children
Find a career I love that helps people and strengthens families
Give birth naturally
Write and publish a book
Be good enough at tennis to beat my dad at one set
Learn to play and sing 10 songs with a guitar
Obtain an EMT certification
Grow a rose garden in our front yard
Own a pottery wheel
Compose a song
Create a personal mission statement
Cook 5 outstanding dishes that my grandkids will rave about
Overcome sugar addiction… eat only healthy foods for 21 days (no simple carbs)
Write a thank-you letter to everyone who mentored/inspired me (teachers/yw leaders, etc.)
Become an executive
Become fluent in sign language
Play a piece of music by Rachmoninoff on the piano
Play a piece of music by Yanni on the piano
Play a leading role in a musical
Decorate a wedding cake
Get past level 45 on freerice.com to expand vocabulary
Wake up at 5:30 everyday (except Saturdays) for 3 months
Complete a scrapbook for each child
Family (goals to help strengthen relationships with those I love the most)
Marry an eternal companion who loves and respects me
Live to meet my great grandchildren
Celebrate my 50th wedding anniversary
Go on a “volunteer vacation” with family
Take ballroom dance lessons with my husband
Create a family mission statement
Adopt a child into our family
Complete the pioneer trek with my hubby
Read all the standard works in our family scripture study
Hold Family Home Evening night with my loved ones once every week
Host an exchange student
Surprise my daughters with a mother/daughters weekend getaway
Host a family reunion
Create a home where my family LOVES to be
Visit a new temple every anniversary with my hubby
Take my parents on a cruise
Create a website
Study abroad in a foreign country
Decorate a special cake for each of my kids birthday parties
Plant a peach tree in our yard
Physical- travel (more fully appreciate our Creator by exploring this amazing world He has created)/adventure/fitness
Go on an RV trip around the US with my family
Run a marathon with my hubby and/or brothers
Visit Mammoth Cave in KY with my family
Kiss my hubby on a hot air balloon at sunset
Kiss my hubby in the Taj Mahal
Kiss my hubby on top of the Eiffel Tower
Go skydiving with a family member (woo-hoo!)
Climb a mountain
See the pyramids of Egypt with hubby
Go on the Nile River cruise
Witness a Serengeti migration on an African Safari
Visit all 50 states
See a blue-footed booby in the Galapogos Islands
Visit every continent
Run a half-marathon
Become a certified aerobics instructor
Ride an elephant
Ride on a motorcycle
Straddle the Eqautor
Hike the Grand Canyon rim to rim
See the aurora borealis
Visit the Great Wall of China
Ride a camel in the Sahara Desert
Continually maintain a healthy bmi for my height 18.5-24.9 (unless pregnant... or postpartum ;))
Contribution (giving back)
Start a scholarship
Participate in a fundraiser to reduce poverty
Form a non-profit social services organization
Sing at a homeless shelter on Christmas Day
Record a CD- sacred selections and favorite art/classical songs to sell and donate proceeds (if any!) to a cause I believe in
Do a random act of kindness everyday for a year
Give away 1 million dollars
Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity
Take my children to volunteer at a homeless shelter yearly
Continually donate my hair to locks of love (until it grows gray)
Spiritual- (do my part to build up the kingdom of God)
Begin and end all my days with prayer
Never live without a temple recommend
Fulfill an honorable mission with my husband
Visit the Sacred Grove
Shake the hand of a prophet
Be a church pianist
Attend a General Conference session
Sing in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Accumulate 1 years worth of food storage
Memorize the Articles of Faith
Memorize the Proclamation to the World on the Family
Complete geneological and temple work for Jon’s family
Feel a personal confirmation that I fulfilled my mission on earth
I just shared this list with my hubby again, and he said... "Wow sweets, that's wonderful... but umm that's a pretty expensive list, don't you think?!" And I sheepishly replied, "Well, yeah I guess so... but that's where you come in. wink wink... You know I married you for your money!" (ha... Jon and I were both dirt poor college bums living off financial aid when we met!)
7 comments:
i can't believe everything you've done thus far. It's an amazing list of goals!!
The goal about locks of love...I think you could still do that when you're hair turns gray or even all white for that matter... When my mom had breast cancert she had a wig made out of gray hair... so, some people may want something like that. Just a thought.
Very impressive, and inspiring! My goals are whimpy. 1. Do the dishes. Everyday. 2. Try not to yell when something makes me mad. Maybe I'll take your advice and get a little bit more ambitious.
That does look like an ambitious list. That doesn't mean impossible or improbable, just that it will take dedication and determination (and possibly a large financial windfall). :o) I haven't ever set out to write down a list of life goals, but I do have a couple that I know of: memorize the hymnal and continuously donate my hair to locks of love.
I enjoyed seeing that the second is one of your goals as well. I have donated my hair twice so far and it is long enough to donate again, but I am going to wait until after this baby is born, hoping that it will maybe get even longer and thicker with this pregnancy. It was so depressing after my last pregnancy when the hormones wore off and all the extra hair started falling out to think that it wasn't yet long enough to donate and so all that beautiful extra hair had to just go in the garbage.
In general, I don't think my life goals are so expansive in general. I don't need much away from home. I would like to take a month-long road trip across the US, I think I would like to go to Europe, I would like to have a large family, but when it comes down to what my goals really are (the things I know I will sacrifice to make happen), it mostly centers in living close enough to the Spirit to do what God wants me to do, to be in the places he needs me to be so that I can serve in the place he has prepared for me. I've learned through stressful experience that this is not always the same as the place that I thought I wanted to be.
Please don't think I'm trying to imply that having goals like yours is dictating your own plan instead of trying to follow God's plan. Rather it strikes me that maybe you are one the Lord needs "on the mountain high or over the stormy sea." He definitely needs people in those places as well as staying home in the valley bottom (with me) :o)
Hi Carol!
Thanks for sharing your goals and ideas. I love your goal to memorize the hymnal. That's amazing.
Just to make sure I expressed myself clearly, I thought I'd reiterate a couple things. I have a strong belief that Heavenly Father expects us to take initative in our lives and to do "many things of their own free will and bring to pass much righteousness." I don't think he is pleased when we stand back and wait for things to happen to us. And you're right that for some people that means "staying in the valley bottom" which is just as honorable and worthy as going "on the mountain high or over the stormy seas". I think a persons motive is what is important.
My every desire and motive is to do what he has sent me here to do, and to go where he wants me to go... which is why I have been prayerful about these goals and involved him in this process. I also recognize that life will probably get in the way of many of these goals! That accidents and deaths and unforseen trials will happen and change my life and perspective... which is why this list is subject to modification along the way.
I just am a firm believer in the freedom and power of choice. That we can CHOOSE to make things happen in our lives under the guidance of the spirit. That we should have a vision for our lives and for our families, and that concrete goals can help us get there!
I also recognize that there will be different seasons in my life that will hopefully allow me to accomplish these things. Right now, my whole focus is raising my family and putting everything I have into that work... and like you know, it is WORK! But I'm hoping that later in life, after the kids are grown, I'll have opportunities to explore the world, and accomplish many of these things.
I also think that there's room in life for adventure and recreation like skydiving, travel, etc. And that means different things to different people. I believe Heavenly Father wants us to be happy and to have enjoyment in this life he has given us!
I love that you have takent he time to think these things out and write them down. It is an inspiration to me because I have a ton of things that I'd like to do in life as well. I think making plans to help shape and mold our lives, when possible, are part of living a joyful life. "Men are that they might have joy!" Certainly there are times and seasons to each of our goals and ambitions, but there is so much work, fun, and good we can do each in chapter of our lives. Thanks for sharing your list and inspiring me to believe in my own goals despite the fact that others may not feel I can/would do them. (What do they know?) ;)
Shannon,
You're a strong, ambitious, and talented woman and you've inspired me on many occasions. All I can say is, go for it! You can do it!! :)
I'm at 49 states...would you believe that the one I've missed is New Mexico? Yeah, of all random places to have never been. LOL!
This is an inspiring list. I had a list of what I wanted in a husband, but not a life goals list. Maybe I should make one. :)
jenni
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