Personal Goals:
At times I feel it is hardest to separate my personal goals from projects and career choices. Perhaps this is rooted in not wanting to be perceived as selfish, or perhaps it is because they are actually one-in-the-same. Indeed, all that comprises my career and my projects are an extension of myself, and I could easily say that any item from the timeline is a personal goal even if it is labeled otherwise. That said, I do feel as though it is a fruitful exercise to deliberately separate the career-oriented and the project-oriented selves from the core of one’s personal Self. When I think in terms of this core Self, I find that I do indeed have defined goals that are unique. I have goals for physical fitness, for mental growth and aptitude, for fine-tuning hard edges of my attitude, and for acceptance of Self.
One advantageous side effect of having a stable living space and a full-time job is that I have more routine. With that routine, I am very happy to wake up early to designate a half hour to stretching and meditating every morning before work. It is a personal goal of mine to be involved with martial arts, and to keep my body physically fit. Although I don’t feel as though I have time for a martial arts class right now, I may enroll in one once the solar class is over. In the meantime, I still learn new things about my body through my own personal stretch routine, and I recognize that my body appreciates the time that I have set aside for it when I am lifting and moving heavy objects at work. I am also constantly challenged mentally and physically at work landscaping, which is causing lots of new growth and expansion in my knowledge of building and infrastructure, as well as plants and irrigation.
Another set of personal goals are more intimate to myself, and include (but are not limited to): relieving tension and stress via meditation, accepting myself fully and to release shame, to master the dance of anger and not get caught in traps of my own frustration, and to be kind, forgiving and gentle with myself. I hope to continue in the practices that I’ve learned in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction meditation as well as the Ecology of Leadership courses to maintain peace of mind and the ability to make the least-wrong decisions.