If we haven’t already, most of us hope to someday find the perfect job, meet the perfect soulmate and own the perfect house and vehicle. If we could add "winning the lottery" on top of our future perfection, that would be super.
However, such lofty desires are dangling carrots that we may or may not ever attain. So, arguably, it's the smaller goals that enrich our lives along the path.
At risk of sounding like guidance counselors or HR professionals conducting a job interview, the OnMilwaukee.com editors are talking about short-term goals. Meaning, those things you want in your life that are truly within reach.
Here are the OnMilwaukee.com editors’ attainable life goals and add your own via the Talkback feature.
Molly Snyder Edler
Staff Writer
Attainable goal: A closet in my bedroom
My husband and I owned four homes, and all of them have charm in many ways. However, the one thing I realized is that never once has my closet been in my bedroom. Because we have bought old homes and made creative use of odd spaces, my closet has always been in another room, like the guest bedroom or, now, in my kids’ room. It’s not a big deal, but if I ever own a house someday where my closet is actually in my bedroom, I might finally feel like a full-fledged grown up.
Julie Lawrence
Staff Writer
Attainable goal: Rooftop greenhouse
Over the years, my general life motto has morphed from "sleep when you’re dead" to "I’d rather be gardening." I don’t know; I guess I’ve mellowed. I find great satisfaction and relaxation in digging in the dirt and my hopefully attainable goal is to one day own and operate a greenhouse. It doesn’t need to be huge, but I’d love to run it as a business rather than just do it as a hobby. Ideally, I’d love to have it in an urban setting on a rooftop. As I write this, such a goal actually seems quite lofty, but I’m still not ruling it out as a possibility for when I’m older and retired from the world of journalism. In the mean time, I suppose I’ll have to be happy tending to my tiny backyard green space that is 90 percent shaded. But hey, it’s a start.
Drew Olson
Senior editor
Attainable goal: Making time for multiple goals
This query is like a mid-summer New Year’s Resolution, which is great because most of mine don’t make it past halftime of the Rose Bowl. There are plenty of big things on my personal "bucket list," such as writing a book or screenplay, traveling the world, making a sizable contribution to a worthwhile charity, running a marathon ... But, it’s the smaller ones that create momentum for the biggies. I’ve got a bunch of those, too. I’d like to clean the garage and take care of some long-overdue yard projects. I’d like to exercise 45 minutes a day. I’d like to read at least one book and see one film per month. I’d like to post a respectable time in Al’s Run and complete 100 pushups (check out 100pushups.com for inspiration). I’d like to memorize some more guitar scales so I don’t play the same crappy lead riffs all the time. Goal one for me has to be finding time to accomplish these goals. When I look at people like Oprah Winfrey, Tony Robbins, Bill Gates and other uber-achievers, I find myself wondering "How do they do it? How do they find the time?" My small goals, for now, will include carving out time -- maybe an hour a day -- to pursue these endeavors and check them off the list. I’m going to start this weekend by cleaning my bathroom. Important things first, right?
Bobby Tanzilo
Managing Editor
Attainable goal: Daily reading
I'm not selecting something material. If it's pretty attainable, I've got it and if I want it and don't have it, it's probably not especially "attainable." What I'd really like to have is some daily reading time that doesn't take away time from my kids. While I sometimes manage to read for 30-40 minutes at some point during the day -- most often over lunch -- most days I find myself unable even to carve out 10 minutes with a book. And for a long-time avid reader, it's hard. Like watching TV for a lot of people, a little time with a book is a release for me. And I wish I could get an hour a day for that relaxing pastime. The key is that I don't want to give up an hour with my kids to get it.
Andy Tarnoff
Publisher
Attainable goal: Al's Run
I was about to write, "obtain central air conditioning," but I've already blogged about that (any vendors up for a trade?). Instead, hot off the heels of my appearance at the Storm the Bastille, I'd like to now up the ante and complete Al's Run on Oct. 10. An 8K race is a substantial step up from a 5K race, but this time around, I've got months to prepare. And it's not like I haven't done this before. My dad and I ran Al's Run in 1982. If I could do it when I was 8, I can surely do it at 35. Right?
