Steemit Engagement Challenge S9-W6: "Goal setting for the year"

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Rules are there to be broken.
This is what we all grew up with. What will we be saying about goals?

Goals are there to be broken twice?
Umh… It makes one wonder, doesn’t it?

The goals I set myself for the year

I must be honest and admit that, for once, I did not set out a whole year of goals and planning, where normally it is the first thing I would do at the beginning of a year. Maybe I am getting more experienced now that I am older, or maybe it is that the older you get, the fewer goals you have.

I only set three goals;

1. Our new home: To move into it as quickly as possible and to make it "all pretty" within the first two months

2. An extra income: To open the self-catering unit to create an extra income within one month after we’ve moved in

3. Myself: I set a goal of walking each morning as soon as we move into our new home. It was time to pay more attention to my health.

One of these goals I completed, one of them I completed half way, and in one of them I failed miserably.

How I have worked to achieve my set goals

Goal-setting for me is to set the scene. I liked to form a picture of what I wanted. In other words, I like to visualize.

Okay, let me share something with you. My family tells me that I have a rare talent. I am one of those who will look at a building for 10 seconds, turn around, and tell you how many floors it has, what was on display in the windows, or even that a bird was sitting on the roof.

I got myself out of trouble when I was writing record exams in my final school year. My parents were called in and told that I was cheating on one of my papers, history. I wrote the answer down word for word as it was in the text book. My mother got very upset and asked for the book in which I made my notes. She chose a page, gave me the first sentence, and asked me to tell her where on the page she would find it. I could tell her immediately, on the left-hand side of the page, on the bottom half, under the picture of... blah, blah, blah... I then went ahead and completed the paragraph for her.

I cannot remember now exactly where on the page it was, but that was more or less what I told her. One thing I can remember was what she told the principal as she closed the book: "Wat het jy nou te se?" Translated, What do you have to say for yourself now?
And that is me. I have to visualize things, even my goals.

Our new home: On our last visit, after we bought the house, hubby took videos from the front door, walking right through the house. I use these videos to visualize what I want to do to improve the house. The color of the walls, the décor, the furniture we needed, etc.

An extra income: I visualized the changes to the unit, how I wanted to make it more liveable for guests, the website, the Facebook page, and the potential income I will be making from it every month. I even had the logo in my head.

Myself: I picture us going for walks with the dog down to the beach every day.
I set the scene.
Next, I discussed my plans with the two men and got their input. I am lucky that most of the time they just leave me to carry on with my plans. As long as they can go fishing, they are happy.

I shared my goals and got the excitement going.

I started to collect samples, search for furniture, do the costing, etc. As we bought the property with furniture and fittings, it was important for me to see how I could use what we got but change it to be "ours." I also had to incorporate what we brought down with us when we moved, plus I had to get rid of items I didn’t want.

I did some serious planning and budgeting.

One of the top tips for achieving your goals is to take action. I truly went into action the day we moved into our new home, on January 15, 2023.

How my goals have impacted others

You might think that goals are only yours, but most of the time they influence those around you the most. If you are negative, they get negative. If you get excited, they get excited.

Our new home: Moving into our new home as quickly as possible and making it "pretty" will benefit all three of us. It meant that we had now settled into not only our home but also our town. It was now our home, and we could do what we wanted and when we wanted. That "home sweet home" sign was hung with pride.

An extra income: The extra income we started to generate from the letting of the holiday chalet could "close those holes". One of them is school fees. Unfortunately, the schools in our hometown are not good, and if you want to give your child a proper education, you have to pay for it. The school fees for my stepson are 3,200 STEEM per month. This excludes extramural activities, etc.

Myself: I had a picture of us walking together along the beach each morning. Unfortunately, the two men are not benefiting from it.

How I have benefited from setting and achieving my goals

Why set goals if you cannot benefit from them? Goals are there to motivate and inspire you, and if you don’t benefit from them, you have either set the wrong goals or not challenged yourself.

Our new home: I love our new home. This is where I can be me. It is totally the opposite of our previous home, which was luxurious and massive. This time, our house is cozy. This was also my goal with our home. It is a place where I can let my hair down.

Did I manage to complete this goal? The answer is no. I have not completed what I set out to do because the goal changed. We’ve decided to expand the house and build a top floor so that we can have a full sea view.

An extra income: I have peace for my soul! I no longer have to be a home executive, bookkeeper, author, or teacher. I now have rest for my soul when my son is at school. It feels great when I can take the family out for supper.

Did I manage to complete this goal? The answer is yes! As it is, the unit is fully booked for June and December.

Myself: Walking each day? Unfortunately, this goal did not materialize. This is where I have failed miserably. Walking every morning is not yet on our agenda. As for the dogs, we’ve only taken them to the beach twice.

One thing is for sure: I am not giving up on it. It will remain a goal for the year. One that will not only benefit me but also the rest of the family. I am not breaking it twice!

“It must be borne in mind that the tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goals to reach.” —Benjamin E. Mays

I invite: @solperez @nexcis @stanley52 @crowd1 @sushanta83

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