2010 Goals

Every year in January, Yusuke and I have a meeting to discuss our goals for this year and last year. We have a spiral journal where we write up our lists separately and then check off the goals we have accomplished. Then, we each write up new lists for the coming year. This tradition started in 2004, but I was doing it for several years on my own before that. I am really glad he joined me in this tradition because it is a great way for us to take a step back and see if we are on the same page...and also of course to acknowledge each other's growth & development, or lack thereof.

2009 Goals Achieved
Following are the goals that I did accomplish:

• Do a 2009 Chronological Family Scrapbook
• Do a "Travels in Japan" Scrapbook
• Enjoy maternity leave with new baby!
• Take an on-line photography class
• Learn how to use Photoshop Elements
• Keep dining table, coffee table & counter free of junk
• Keep scrap/computer room neat & organized
• Teach Ailin more English songs & words

After looking at my list and noticing some of the goals I did not achieve in the past year, I try to keep them in mind when I make my new list. I do sometimes include those goals - other times I leave them out or I reword them. For example, last year, one of my goals was to "be more sympathetic to Yusuke." I asked him if he thought that I had achieved that goal and of course, he said, "NO!"

2010 Goals

• Keep surfaces clutter-free
• Do cleaning & maintenance routine
• Stick to budget & save money
• Make weekly menus, eat out less & buy less
• Complete all tasks & projects on the Master Project List
• Learn more Japanese / soup / bean recipes
• Learn more slow cooker recipes
• Finish the 2009 Chronological Album
• Keep up with the 2010 Chronological Album
• Try to control anger & emotions
• Continue participating in Craft n Chat & Bilingual Kids Club
• Make a peaceful atmosphere in our home
• Do workbooks with Ailin 3x a week
• Have a date with Yusuke 1x a week (even at home.)
• Make whoopee with Yusuke 1x a week.

Well, as you can imagine, this list includes a few items that were on last year's list but I failed to accomplish. I have to admit that I didn't do such a great job with our budget last year, but since I was not earning a paycheck for most of the time, it was beyond challenging, so I kind of gave up. This year, when I go back to work, I plan to get back on the wagon with that. And, let's just say that "be more sympathetic to Yusuke" has been replaced with "try to control..." and "make whoopee..." I think that will suffice. Several of the items in the first half of the list are a direct result of the Simplify 101 classes I took last fall.

This time, Yusuke did something different. After reading over my list, he put a star next to the ones that he fully encourages & supports. I don't think it means he will necessarily do the cleaning for me, but at least he will be aware of it. And, even though he did not add that last one to his own goals list, at least he is aware of "my" goal and he will try to help me achieve it in any way he can.

He also suggested that we up the ante by awarding each other 1000 yen (that's about $10) for each goal accomplished when we check our lists next January 2011. So, I could potentially earn about $150 next January if I achieve all the goals in my list. (Yusuke has 18 goals on his list...you do the math.)

I won't list all of his goals here, but here are just a few:

• Go for a walk around Tokyo more than 1x per month with family
• Clean my desk each night
• Eat less junk food
• Say "yes" as much as possible

That last one is a good one. We recently saw the movie "Yes Man" starring Jim Carrey. What a great, inspiring movie for anyone who feels like they might be in a rut! Basically, he lives his life in a very lonely, non-flexible routine where he avoids answering his cell phone, avoids most social situations & hates his boring job. Then, he takes part in a seminar where he promises to say yes to every question no matter what it is, and from then on, his life takes him in a direction he never imagined. Nothing really spectacular happens, but he meets an interesting woman and they start dating, he gets a job promotion & he starts having fun. I can see why Yusuke was inspired by this movie, and I hope that he continues to move towards this goal.

Creating the Life you Love
This is the title of another online class taught at Simplify 101. I was going back and forth on this one, but it is a popular one, offered only in January, and several of my online acquaintances were really excited about taking it. Even Yoko, a friend in my building who has become addicted to online classes because of me, was signed up for it. A few days before the class started, I signed up as well. I thought I would use the class to get me on a diet/exercise schedule so I can lose some weight this year. Notice that health and weight were not included on my 2010 Goals List? This is why. I wondered what Aby Garvey would have up her sleeve in this class, so I wanted to save those big health-related goals for the class.

It turns out that this class is more about changing you into a goal-oriented person who lives a positive, gratitude-filled life, not necessarily about helping you achieve one specific goal in a short amount of time.

The first week's assignment is to create a list of 101 Dreams. I tried to alter my blog to reflect my growing list, but I suck at managing this blog, so it didn't work out very well. Aby taught us 5 techniques to use when making our lists, and I tried all 5. The first was to answer several questions about various areas of our lives - relationships, finances, career, things, etc. The, we could do some mind-mapping based on some statements like, "I am at my best..." Another technique was to create a list of things you DON'T want and from that, make a list of things you DO want.

I finally got to my 101st dream tonight. It was interesting to do this list because many of them will be fairly easy to achieve with some planning. I didn't go all out and write down "pie in the sky" dreams, like you might imagine. However, when I got to about #95, I started to really struggle, so I read back over my list again. I found that I had repeated certain things a few times, so I decided to go to 110 just in case. Those last 15 dreams were probably the best ones because I felt like my mind was unlocking a little bit.

I am curious to see what Aby will have us do with these 101 Dream lists because obviously it is too overwhelming to start planning for all these dreams right now.

The other part of this class is to write gratitude journal every night before bed. I am trying to keep up with that because I already know what a difference it makes in your daily life. I recommend to anyone who is feeling a little down. We really do have a lot to be thankful for and the more we acknowledge it, the more we will express it to those around us...which makes for a more positive environment all around.