The Power of Lists

Even though September always feels like the "real" new year to me, thanks to many years of school, kids in school, and teaching, I like the fresh start of January, too. I love making lists, having the dream of achieving everything on them, and checking off accomplishments (which usually lasts a few days, at least.) The good news is that even though the lists go by the wayside sooner or later, the intentions in them live on. I recently found a list of goals from a couple of years ago, and I had actually achieved most of them, even thought the list was long forgotten.

So it is that even though I know myself well enough to know that I won't keep up with the check-offs for long, I am busily making lists of goals in various areas of my life--Health, Home, Art and Business. I'm breaking them down into smaller steps, and trying to do a little in each area every day. It's day 2 and I've already slipped up on some things (no walking yesterday, sigh). But that's OK. The intention is there, and I've learned not to let one slip-up stop all progress. So off I went to walk this morning.

It helped that I had an appointment to walk with a friend. I used to keep my goals closely held, so that if I goofed, no one would know. I've learned that sharing the goals with a few close friends, and working with them to attain them, helps to keep me accountable. So I'm adding another goal to the list--find like-minded people to work with in supporting ourselves in that perpetual search for growth. May you find many supporters on your path, too--and let me know if you need me to be on your team. I'll certainly be contacting some of you.