Goals and more goals

 So to really understand this post, we need to back it up all the way to December. And in December, I read a book about the Blue Zones of happiness (find it here), written by the Blue Zones guru himself, Dan Buettner. Not to be confused with the regular Blue Zones, where people live longer and healthier lives than in other parts of the world, these Blue Zones of happiness are where people are happiest. And at the end of the book, it gave some top ideas of how you can be happier and live like people in these Blue Zones of Happiness. They were (in order of importance):

  1. Prioritize friends and family
  2. Get involved (clubs, teams, and other organizations)
  3. Learn likability (the art of being a well-liked person)
  4. Thirty minutes of physical activity a day
  5. Focus on the happiness of others
  6. Make a best friend at work
  7. Keep track of your health
  8. Live together, but with the right partner
  9. Be in the moment and take time to enjoy life or what you're looking forward to
  10. Set meaningful goals and track your progress

A couple I already did. I was already in the process of getting involved with different communities (the HOA, NAMI, etc), I almost always got my physical activity (in one way or another), and I dutifully track many elements of my health.

Basically I sat down on the night I finished the book (don't judge, but this was while some of my family members went to church on Christmas eve), I sat down and made a new document: my goals. I sorted them into three categories based on how long I wanted to give myself to complete them. Some I wanted to achieve in just a couple of months. Some I knew were multi-year projects.

To keep myself focused on my goals, I use the document as part goal-tracking, part journal. I record my thoughts and experiences as I work towards these. So, at this point, I've got suggestions 2, 4, 7, and 10 in progress. I also am working towards suggestion one, as part of multiple goals.

I do want to let you know that, in the last five months, I have been able to accomplish  9 goals, ranging from busting a bad habit to decluttering my house. I'm really proud of the progress I have made.

Perhaps more time will yield more goals for the Blue Zones of happiness suggestions. But for now, I'm achieving my goals and setting expectations for myself that I want to see.

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