Tag: goals and planning

February Update of 2024

A life ever changing, a changing life. We are face with challenges and seasons every year, month and day. Strength is gained in challenges. We learn from successes and failures, if we choose to.

Working forty hours per week as posed a challenge to getting other things done. I am glad I participated in Bloganuary again this year. I missed a few daily prompts. I am still trying to read what others wrote in response to the daily Bloganuary prompts. I have lesson time to write, therefore the book I am writing is taking longer, but progress is being made. My goal is to have my first book published this year. I think I will get this goal accomplished.

The You Tube channel my husband and I are starting is still a work in progress. First lesson, it is hard to video with a phone and work the sheep. Second, my phone does not seem to have enough memory for very long videos. Solution, we purchased a video camera we are learning how to operate. There is learning involved in creating an interesting video. We video, watch the video, see our mistakes in recording and video again. My husband and I are having fun working on this project together.

The sheep farm is doing well. Most of our ewes have lambs by their sides. The lambs are growing well. We are close to weaning of the first lambs that were born. The young ewes coming a year old this spring are with a ram. In four to five months there will be some more lambs being born. The two nanny goats we have are getting ready to have their first kids. We sold some older lambs and did well. Hit a day the market was high for selling lambs. We have a few ewes and lambs from this latest group of lambs to be sold in a month. There is a Dorper Sheep show and sale in April we are planning on showing a few of our sheep.

Planting time is around the corner. The garden area is being prepared for plants and seeds. This week I will be starting some plants for future planting. The garden will be larger this year. Part of the reason is there are areas on the farm that needs to have something planted in order to keep the topsoil in place and developing the soil to provide a good grazing area for the sheep. In these grazing areas we will be planting radishes, sugar beets, peas, carrots and other vegetables the sheep enjoy eating. The planting will improve the soil, and provide the sheep with a treat to graze in the summer months.

There are a couple of other projects that we are starting with hopes we can produce an income from these projects. Keep an eye out for the launch of these new projects as well as our You Tube channel.

amtolle

Resolutions: Yay or Nay

Recently I have read several posts on the internet from studies about New Year’s resolutions. They all said the same statistics that 41% of Americans make New Year’s resolutions, and on 9% of those keep or achieve those resolutions. I have always made New Year’s resolutions with the exception of last year. I did not make any resolutions for last year. I make goals for my sheep farm as part of a yearly business plan, but last year I made no goals or resolutions for me personally.

I read a blog by Dr.Shelly C., Success Strategies, in her post “TED Talk 2023 Public Quest: Would you Share Your Private Goals?” she listed others goals for 2023. One goal stood out for me, “Work on 2020 goals”. In 2020 the Covid-19 pandemic arrived, and many of us lived day to day. The blog does not list what the specific goals for this person are, but the fact they still want to accomplish those goals show the importance of the goals.

Among my readings I came across many statements saying if you make a goal you need a plan to achieve the goal. In the past I have made resolutions for change with no plan at all on how I was going to reach the goal. Goals do not just show up, there needs to be a plan on reaching the goal. A person does not change their habits without a plan. The more specific the plan is increases the likelihood the goal will be achieved.

In 2021, one of my goals was to lose weight. To lose weight I needed to eat differently than I was and to exercise. I searched for healthier recipes, learned different cooking techniques and exercised beyond just the work on the farm. I lost weight, not all of the weight I wanted to lose, but I still lost weight and felt better. In 2022 I did not work at losing weight. I maintained my eating habits, but dropped the exercise. In response my body added a few, not many, pounds back. I still want to lose the weight, but I will have to be disciplined in exercise to continue with the progress I made in 2021 and reach my desired weight in 2023.

Another point that was made in my readings on the internet was if a person makes a resolution, besides a plan, they have to have a specific reason for the resolution. My desire to lose weight is not to fit into a bikini in the summer, but for my health. Lowering my weight will lower my risks for heart attack, stroke and other health issues as I get older. Since I do not know what my medical history of my parents are due to being adopted, it is best I take the best care of myself as I can. I want to be around for my grandchildren as long as I can, to share their lives. I want to see great grandchildren and even great-great grandchildren. In order to achieve those goals, I need to reach the goal of a healthy weight now.

I have a reason for my resolution of losing weight, and a plan. The statistics of me reaching my goal are good.

Perhaps there are goals you want, but not sure how to reach them. Such as “I want to travel more.” Look at your goal, what do you need to reach that goal? Then make a plan on reaching what is needed to be able to travel more. I spoke with a young man in Wal-Mart yesterday who said he wanted to travel more in 2023, make a few roadtrips. When I asked where he wanted to go, he did not know. If you want to travel, but do not know where you want to go, which direction are you going to travel to reach a destination.

Will you know when you have reached a destination if you do not know where you are going? I think this question sums up why we make resolutions, we want to reach some destination of personal growth as we travel life.

If you are happy with yourself, and your career, and all things about you, perhaps you do not need goals or resolutions. If there is something you wish to be better at such as time management, or organization, perhaps lose a few extra pounds or eat healthier, then perhaps setting a goal with a plan to reach the desired change is needed.

amtolle