Give Yourself the Gift of a Finished Goal

“If a goal is worth having, it’s worth blocking out time in your day-to-day life necessary to achieve it.” Jill Koenig, Top Goals Coach

I love setting goals, and starting goals, but lately when it comes to finishing a goal, I’m a wimp. For example, I can’t even finish one book. Not one! Blame weak eyes or my weird, sneezy reaction to a book’s pages; reading a book is no longer enjoyable. So for me, finishing one is out of the question.

But I can listen. Thanks, Audible.

This week on my walks I’m listening to one of my newest, favorite books; FINISH, Give Yourself the Gift of Done, by Jon Acuff.

I’m walking along, so engrossed in his stories, I’m not even noticing that the weather’s changed and I’ve got a snowy sleet-stuff hitting me in the face. Why? I’m suddenly overwhelmed by the feeling that Acuff was talking directly to me. (As if I’m the only one in the world with the problem of finishing goals, right?)

But Acuff is using words and emotions I’m very familiar with, like perfectionism, failure, and self-sabotage.  And I’m realizing how much time I'm wasting on things that look like they are related to my goals, but are in fact steering me away from the real focus of my goals. I'm not taking bad things; I'm talking things that can wait or even be eliminated from my life until a goal is met. For example, most email can wait, as well as the latest news stories or social media. And I know I’m not the only one who uses household chores as an excuse to avoid working on a goal. I also know some things can't wait — like one’s own health, children, or job responsibilities. Those things demand our immediate attention, and rightly so.

But across the history of civilization, its our goals that move us forward.

Or backward.

Like potato chips.

Have you ever tried to use a little reward to help you meet your goals? Have they ever backfired? I have. Take health, for example.

Just recently it’s become apparent that I need to eliminate high sodium foods from my diet. So what’s the first thing I crave? That opened bag of potato chips my husband left in the pantry. It seems like just thinking about depriving myself of salt has triggered some weird switch in my head that says I must have those salty chips. So when it comes to food, I may need a different kind of reward.

Goal rewards are based on fun or fear.

A reward based on fear is like this: I don’t want to get heart disease (a fear), so I will get 30 minutes of exercise five times a week (a goal). Rewards based on fear do work.

I cut gluten out of my diet because of fear. I feared I would continue to live miserably with hives, welts, and painful inflammation. You can read about it in the link below.

But a much more enjoyable reward is one based on fun. Fun can mean different things to different people. To me, fun means something that brings joy, and since I’m writing this in December, the one thing that brings me joy are the festive holiday lights.

So on this dark, gloomy winter day, my goal is to write 500 words before I can turn on three sets of Christmas lights in my home. But instantly, I’m defeated. Five hundred words?

Suddenly, that sounds like a LOT of words to write. I’m reminded of how often I’ve failed before—like with the potato chips.

It's called self-sabotaging, and I do it so much I fail to even recognize it. But that's just another way we keep ourselves from finishing goals. Like instantly thinking your goal isn’t attainable.

So…CHANGE IT, change the goal. Cut it in half, or more if you need to, make it attainable! For me, that means I’ll chop my goal down to 50 words, then light up one set of lights…write 50 more, turn on more lights, etc.

Sounds trivial? Hear me out.

I’ve now typed over way my goal of 50 words

What’s that you say? It’s not anything special, just another blog post? Now you're getting personal. Not for me, but for you. Because when you set your own goals and rewards, they don’t have to be earth-shattering or life-changing.

They’re YOUR goals: YOU make the rules.

So what’s your goal and reward for today? You choose.

Then cut it in half.

NOW you’re ready to go for it!

And to prove it’s possible, here are my 500 800 words!

Excuse me while I go enjoy my pretty lights…

A Bucket List That’s Good for You -Episode 5


This episode shares motivational stories to help you create a bucket list that can change your life.
Today I take a look at the surprising history of “The Bucket List,” talk about the benefits of those travel items on your list and share some inspirational stories to help you re-create your own life-changing list.

Have you given much thought to your bucket list lately? You should; it's good for you.
A quick search and you will find the awesome things people have on their lists; from exotic destinations to simple acts of selflessness.

“The Bucket List” became a standard in American culture in 2007 when a movie of the same name was released.

Did the term “Kicking the Bucket” come from a children's game or a method of execution(!?!)

The benefits of having travel items on your bucket list include mental, physical, social and financial.

Here's a list of motivational speakers that may forever change the way you think about a bucket list:

  1. Ryan Eller, Motivational speaker and blogger, ryaneller.comHow a Bucket List Saved My Life” TEDx Tulsa
  2. Kathleen Taylor, “Rethinking the Bucket List” TEDx Tampa Bay
    Kathleen is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with 20 years experience in hospice and advanced care planning. She has a coaching and consulting practice serving the healthcare, social service, and nonprofit sectors.
  3. Edward Readiker-Henderson,  “Kill Your Bucket List” TEDx Maui talk
    Edward was an award-winning travel writer and traveled to over fifty countries and all the continents.  He is quoted as saying,”Whoever created the world went to a lot of trouble. It would be downright rude not to go out and see as much of it as possible.”

The Joy of a “Wonder List”
Maybe you think your life is just too busy even to consider taking that trip right now. Don't worry about your to-do list, or that time is running out to visit all the places you hope to see and memories you hope to make. Sometimes the best moments are unscripted.

One”wonder moment” I had on a trip with my family became a treasured memory for me, and an “I wonder” moment blessed me with a life-long friend from the other side of the world.

Mark Twain quotes:
“Don't wait; the time will never be just right.”
“Give every day the chance to become the most beautiful day of your life.'

**Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12