2013 Goal Setting Part 2 - Sharpen The Saw Goals

I'm going to start with the goals for the aspects of Sharpen the Saw: Physical, Mental, Spiritual and Social.

Last year I took:
Physical (Health) - Complete P90X
Physical (Livelihood) - Get a new job
Mental - Learn Greek
Spiritual - Earn BSA Commissioner Arrowhead
Social - Go on Quarterly Dates

This year Livelihood will be under the Job Hunter Role.  Anything with Scouting will be under the Scouter Role and dates can go under the Family Man Role (or I can split out the Husband Role).

I'm set to do P90X by the beginning of the second quarter so it seems a bit short to take that as a goal for the whole year.

According to first step I'm going to apply, I have to be passionate about these, to really want them.  I really want to have completed P90X, but I hadn't really thought past that.  The key reason I want to do it is to be as fit as I can be.  I want to stay fit so that I have a fighting chance against any illness that I may encounter as I get older.  The men on my Father's side of the family are notoriously short lived and I want to be as ready for that as possible.  I want to live a long and healthy life.

I would love to play an entire season of Rugby, but I don't think that is entirely within my control.  Also, that's more complicated than just a health and fitness issue.

I do really enjoy riding my bike to work, and I should be able to just pick up on that once the P90X is over.  I'm going to just make this a Two-fer.

Physical Goal - complete P90X and ride to work 75 times.

1. Passion - check
2. Imagine myself accomplishing the goal - I will have at most a 36in waist, be able to do chin ups and be able to play Rugby at as high a level as they will let me.
3. Interim steps - well, this is a 2-fer so a couple of the steps are built in, but I will add
1. Work out how to work around any injury related stoppages in P90X
2. I HAVE to finish P90X in 90 days.  I will have to start riding as soon in March as weather permits
4. Write down and share - ta da
5. Set due dates - P90X done in 90 days, bike riding done by end of November (weather permitting)
6. Set review dates - for all of these I'm going to review monthly - I've set up my reminders in my phone already.
1. Get bike tuned up early
2. Plan re-tuneups for natural down times
3. Prepare for weather related stoppages of riding (equipment etc.)

For my mental goal I want to keep Greek in there, but I think I need to better define the goal.  I'll come back to that.  It's going to take a lot of work just figuring out what is really reasonable without being too easy.  I need to make it performance orientated and not effort related, but I need to make sure I can do it.

I'll get back with that one later.

For my Spiritual Goal I had a Scouting goal because I find the Scouting experience to be a spiritual one.  I'm not too sure that there is a god or an afterlife.  There is no empirical evidence of either.  But I do know that the work we do here lives on after us.  I feel that helping boys to become socially relevant, useful and positively impactful men is one of the best ways to improve our world.

I also feel a spiritual connection to nature.  I really feel we have gotten too far from nature and we need to work to become more ecologically harmonious.  We need to find ways for our technology to help us work with nature, to not only be less harmful to nature, but to actually be a positive player in the natural order.

I want to spend more time in the woods, I want to do more hiking and ultimately more backpacking and canoeing.  I want to learn more about nature, about the trees, plants and animals around us.  I feel good when I'm out in a more natural scene, I feel spiritual.

I'm going to keep this one simple.  I want to learn all the native trees in our area by sight.

1. Passion for trees and nature.
2. I picture myself able to see a tree and name it, to see a leaf and tell someone all about that tree.
3. Interim steps (this is kind of fun for this one)
1. Get a book on trees
2. Walk the neighborhood with the book, collecting leaves and learning the trees
3. Walk the forest preserves collecting leaves and learning the trees
4. Take others with me on my walk telling them about my tree friends
5. Getting quizzed by a fellow walker
4. Write and share
5. Due Dates
1. Get the book from the library this week.  I have one in mind
2. Order the book this month. 
3. TBD once I get a hold of the book and see how hard it will be
6. Review dates - monthly

My Social goal this year will not be dates.  That's going to be a goal, but it will be a special and high priority one that I will set apart.  I think my social goal will be less ambitious and more light-hearted.  I think I want to spend more time outside my house.

For my Social Goal I'm going to join a club or band.

1. I really want to get out more, be less housy
2. In the end I will have friends over for dinner or a game night or something like that, but I will have friends over, or go over to friends
3. Interim steps -
1. Find a group I'd like to be part of
2. Join that group
3. TBA
4. Write down and share
5. Due Dates
1. Investigate groups by end of First Quarter
2. Join Group by end of Second Quarter
3. TBA
6. Review - monthly

So, in review:

• Physical - P90X & 75 bike commutes
• Spiritual - Learn the native trees
• Social - Join a club / band
• Mental - I'm going to get back to you with the details of my Mental / Greek goals.