OS Planning.

Queenie

We plan our meals, we plan Christmas 6 or even 12mths in advance, we draw up budget plans, set ourselves grocery targets; we take up grocery challenges, flylady challenges, pin money challenges, sewing/craft challenges; pretty impressive stuff! :T :T :T

But, what is it all for? What are your life plans? What longer term goals are you actively working towards? What steps are you taking to make your dreams, ambitions, your life happen in ways which will please you and make your life rewarding?

One person wrote today that after their planned trips are over, they don't know what they'll have to look forward to. But we should *all* have things to look forward to and work towards. Small goals, mid term goals, long term goals. What have you planned for next week, next month, next year? Five years time, 10 yrs, 15yrs, 20 yrs!!??? Where do you plan to be? Who with? How do you plan to get there? What step can you take today towards making it happen?

"Failing to plan, is planning to fail"

There are many different areas to take into consideration too:- personal; family; home; career; academic; social/community etc. This is your life! How much time have you invested in planning your life?

During the summer holidays, I asked the boys to list all their achievements in the past year. Wow! Very impressive lists too Yet the majority 'happened' without planning - so, I then asked them to consider how much more they *could* achieve if they planned it! This led on to discussing our family goals/targets. We're all working towards our joint, family goals, moving in the same direction with a common purpose.
I've set myself personal goals. Even just writing down a 'one day I'd like to' kind of wish list is already seeing opportunities opening up to get the ball rolling.

I'm going to repeat one of the quotes I put up the other day, because it's particularly relevant:

Ladder of Achievement
100% I did.
90% I will.
80% I can.
70% I think I can.
60% I might.
50% I think I might.
40% What is it?
30% I wish I could.
20% I don't know how.
10% I can't.
0% I won't

If you've thought about and jotted down what you wish you could you're already 30% there; if you've got as far as thinking you might, you're 50% there

Today I've dug out the GI menu plan I drew up weeks ago and re-committed myself to it so I can work towards my health personal goals.

Have you made any life plans? What steps have you taken today to bring you nearer to your longer term goals?

joannasmum

That a really interesting post Queenie

I havent really got time to go into our plans but both me and DH do plan and have short, medium and long term goals that we are working towards. I think that relationships need this and in time we will be encouraging DD to go along the same line of thinking.

Sorry come back and edited Dh has is looking after DD.

Short Term.
Get through Xmas without incuring any debt
Finish DD tapestry for her birthday 8th December
Get the lounge finished and wood burner installed before winter sets in.

Medium Term
Save enough clubcard points to pay for 1/3 of kitchen refit.
Save enough money to go on a extended family holiday to Florida in 2008.
Have another baby (more a pipedream than a goal).
Ensure that DD settles into Preschool and then school and is happy.

Long Term
To bring up a well adjusted confident happy daughter with a strong moral code and values
To move to our dream house with some land to live our small holding dream.

I've lifted this directly from my diary we always write it down on new years day and then review and change through out the year, its something that my mum did with us when we were kids.

FunkyFairy

My DH and i have goals.

Our biggest being mortage free in 10 years time not bad as i will only be 37.

Bambywamby

Love your ladder of acheivement Queenie - TY. xx

My short term goals are...

Pass driving test
Continue saving up for deposit on house
Get fitter and lose a few pounds before Christmas
Keep up my money diary as it keeps me focused on careful, preplanned spending.

My medium term goals are

Finish my NVQ4 and Registered Managers Award
Change employment
Have another baby
Learn to swim
Write a full novel rather than just short stories

My long term goals are ...

To live in a nice spacious house, with my children and o/h
To be happy, healthy and my kin to be also
To make wise choices and to continue learning
To be an established author

twink

thats a very thought provoking post queenie and something i need to do, since i was widowed, i more or less just get through every day doing the same things with nothing really to look forward too, i go to work, drive to the same places and though i am proud of what i have achieved on my own, learnt to drive, got my svq in childcare and manage the house and garden, i know i could do more but havnt the confidence to

tinselfairy

This is a brilliant thread Queenie, thank you for starting it.
I am going to give this one lots of thought.
The goal that is uppermost in my mind is to be matched with a little girl by social services to become part of our family. We were approved back in March as adoptive parents for the second time, but the waiting can be hellish at times. In the meantime I'm saving like mad so we can afford for me to take the max 6 months unpaid leave after the paid 6 months leave.

Queenie

Wow! :T Thank you for listing some of your goals, that's GREAT!

In case anyone is reading this and hasn't been planning but is now thinking about it, here is something I was taught about goal setting that may help.

When setting goals/targets/future plans, they should be SMART!

Specific: say exactly what you want to achieve/do
Measureable: how will you know you've achieved it/done it?
Achievable: You may *want* to reach for the stars, but can you really?
Realistic: needs to be sensible and relevant to you.
Timed: need to know when you want to achieve it by.

In my own particular example, I can apply SMART like this:-

S - I want to lose 20lb in weight by Christmas with an overall view of improving my health
M - when I can fit into smaller clothes and my BP goes down.
A - definately, if I focus on smaller steps, make sensible food choices and increase my energy output
R - by aiming for 1 - 2lb per week
T - 25th December, 2006 (then I can pig out on all those yummy goodies and start again in Jan 2007 :j only kidding :rotfl: )

twink - I can really relate to the confidence point. One thing which has a direct effect on your confidence is the writing down and ticking off those goals and achievements. They don't have to be large or take an age to accomplish. You've already got a wonderful scorecard ticked off and so you should be proud! :T :T :T

Anwen_2

Short term
Become debt free (I am snowballing £400-odd per month, so should be able to do this in just over a year)
Figure out what I want to Do in terms of career
Get my flat tidy

Long term
Not get back into debt!!
Save/invest roughly the same amount as my current snowball each month, including setting up an emergency fund of at least 3-6 months' worth of expenses
Keep the flat tidy
Start working towards a degree or other qualification if needed for my chosen career, or otherwise apply for jobs in that area

Really long term
Move out of this horrible block and into a nice house, probably outside London.
Have enough for a decent retirement

Picking one for SMART:

Become debt free

Specific: Pay off the entire amount listed in my sig, currently at around £5100, and not get any deeper into debt
Measureable: When all my cards are closed/have £0 balances
Achievable: I have done the sums and I can DO this!!!
Realistic: (needs to be sensible and relevant to you) Well, if it's not relevant to me, I dunno who it is relevant to
Timed: I *should* be able to do it by the beginning of October 2007, however I've set a deadline of 1st December, in case of emergencies/setbacks.

scuzz

ok here goes

Short term
Lose a stone in weight, hopefully by getting fitter in the process
Continue saving towards getting a good deposit on a flat, as my wages won't get a big mortgage
Continue to support my friends and family whenever they need me

Medium Term
Get a better pay at work. Either still here, or somewhere else in the industry
Get a flat and independance
Save towards pension

Long Term
Meet Mr Right, get married and have a family (put this here, as I can't really see it ever happening for me)
Move into a house

On Going
Continue to strive to find inner happiness without relying on others

Penelope_Penguin

Queenie, what a great idea for a thread! DH and I have spent all our married life chatting and dreaming about getting away from it all, growing veg, keeping livestock. We're now in our early 40's and are now able to see this as a reality. Without going into too many details we're financially secure, don't have extravagant tastes, so are saving all our excess income, with this in mind. We're planning that DH will retire in about 10-15 years and we'll move to North Yorks or Cumbria and have a smallholding.

I've always been a hoarder (inherited from my mother) so medium term, I'm Freecycling like mad, to clear the clutter in the house. This is working pretty well, and I feel so good about making space to live in. This is accompanied by the Flylady Challenge!

Short term, I'm loving this site, especially Old Style! I bought a muffin tin last week, and want to make lots of different flavours. Last week was blackberry, and today, lemon and white choc are in the oven.

Look forward to reading everyone else's plans!

Penny. x

pounds_and_pensive

Queenie, I'd suddenly felt the need last night to write down my goals again, intending to use today to come up with a realistic plan for for achieving them. I just wanted to say 'thanks' really - your timing is awesome