I want to point you to the Advanced Riskology blog which helped influenced me to quit my job at a big hospital and strike out on my own. I've been thinking about this blog recently, specifically the 1% list on the blog. The 1% list is a list of goals that the blog's author, Tyler, wants to complete.
He calls it a 1% list because he says less than 1% of the world's population will complete the goals. On it are things like mountain climbing, running a marathon on every continent, and selling a business for $1,000,000. These are big, lofty, exciting goals.
My goals are more humble, but perhaps not easier to accomplish. They have to do with creating a life that feels sane, meaningful, and fun. I am more concerned with the day-to-day fabric of my life than with accomplishing something big.
Why goals? I have traditionally had a little resistance to goals. As a Myers Briggs (free test!) perceiving type, I have a disinclination to having regular, scheduled time commitments necessary to accomplishing goals.
When I think about signing up for guitar lessons, for example, I think, "yeah but what if there is something I would rather do on Thursday at 3 pm?"
Having a free schedule feels relaxing to me, but I have learned over time, doesn't make me happy. I end up with too much time on my hands, and tend not to enjoy the unstructured time as much as I thought I would.
In his book Happier, Harvard professor Tal Ben-Shahar writes that having a goal allows us to relax. It is, he writes, like having a destination on a journey. If you know where you are going, it is easier to enjoy the sights along the way. Without a destination, humans tend to worry about where they are going.
So, I am embracing goals. Writing down goals, whatever their size, makes it more likely you will accomplish them. So does sharing them with others. With that in mind, I would like to take stock of goals I have accomplished and those I have not in the six months since I quit my hospital job.
Goals I have accomplished:
- started this blog
- began work at Affiliated Psychologists, a group practice of therapists in Cupertino, CA
- started a private practice in Oakland, CA
- got hired to teach two classes to psych students at Argosy University in the fall
- exercised regularly 3x per week at least - gym, yoga, running, boxing
Goals I have yet to accomplish (with deadlines which increase likelihood of completion:
- start guitar lessons (August 1, 2011)
- Visit local meditation groups and choose one to go to 1x/week. (September 1, 2011)
- create a website for my private practice (August 1, 2011)
Goal I want to add:
- Go on ten new hikes in the Bay Area (October 1, 2011)
So, it looks like I have been on track professionally, but I could boost my hobby/personal development activity.
What goals, humble or grand, do you have? Remember, sharing makes it more likely you will accomplish them, so by all means, share.