Goooooooaaaaaaallllllll!!!!!!!

That's what I wanna hear when I've achieved something on my list. Maybe I'll make it a sound bite on my phone or something. Woke up on time. Goooaaaaaaalllll!!!!

Brushed teeth. Goooooooaaaaaallllll!!!!!!

Got to work on time!  Gooooaaaaaaallllll!!!!!

But seriously, I've been fighting myself from writing down or truly identifying  my short and long term goals. Now, normally, this isn't an issue. I'm a master of completing something if I set my mind to it, so maybe that's the real problem. I'm lazy and scared and worried that this time I'll fail. Ugh. Ugly thought, right?

Okay, so what are the short term goals.. say accomplishable by the end of 2013?

1. Health: Get to 160lbs and stay there.

2. Professional: Shoot a new short film (and reshooting the end of my other short) and complete both to be ready to enter into 2014 short film season.

3. FInancial: Make additional payments to pay down my loan faster because being in debt sucks a whole lot!

4. Educational: Study for my next insurance provincial exam to upgrade to a (ooohhh) Level 2 Broker. yup.

Long Term Goals:

1. Health: Happy, strong, healthy, and not at risk for heart disease, diabetes or other diseases that are related to weight, because honestly, if I can prevent suffering simply by eating and exercising, then what the hell is my excuse other than laziness?

2. Professional: Shoot a feature film (indie or otherwise) or a Pilot for a TV show by the time I'm 35, and be a working director (that doesn't also produce and work at an insurance office during the off season) by 40.

3. Financial: Well, duh. debts paid off!! Plus more savings and a sizable beginning to retirement.

4. Educational: This is both a short term/long term goal.  I've decided to try and get into the AFI (American Film Institute) Directing program for 2014-2015. It would be amazing, but it's gonna be expensive, so that's another thing altogether! Hello gazillion scholarship application forms!

Now some people don't agree with goals, as they can set you up for failure (I'm trying to remember who spoke about that) but I believe that if you don't set goals or reach for something to achieve, then you won't even bother. Ah, I remember, it was a happiness psychologist professor, but what he meant was that you shouldn't base your happiness on a goal, because once you've achieved it, then what? Will you just be happy all the time? Probably not, but people who are happy working toward their goals naturally achieve them faster! haha. Interesting stuff. I'll post the TED talk at the end of my post.

So, what if you don't want to think about the future, and you don't want to do plan ahead? What if you LOVE living in the moment? If that works for you, go for it! There's nothing wrong with living in the moment. Heck, I'm Buddhist and one of the things about being Buddhist is living IN the moment, but  for me I've been treading water lately. No forward momentum. And that feeling of running in one place isn't a good one. Reaching my fullest potential as a human being can't be achieved without growth, and growth comes from movement. So,  for me it's time to move and push myself forward each and everyday, a little at a time, to be the version of me that I'm meant to be, and that all starts with one goal. Or in my case, 8. ;)

Start at the 10 min mark, but the whole thing is pretty awesome. Here's the TED talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLJsdqxnZb0