Personal Goals

I wrote this lens in 2011 as a Giant Squid Quest to write a lens about five goals for 2011. This was a great idea because I have always found that when I put my goals into writing I stick to them and have a much better chance of accomplishing them.

I struggled with what goals I wanted to list here. Like most people, I have goals for personal growth and improvement, but I wanted this lens to be more about my online activities. I am active in Squidoo, Zazzle, CafePress, In2Books, Facebook and several blogs.

Though this lens was written for a previous year, I find that it is still very relevant today. Taking the time to think through goals each year and writing them down increases my likelihood of completing them. No, I don't complete every goal, but I certainly get more done than if I hadn't made the goals in the first place.

This image of the butterfly that I photographed at the Butterfly House symbolizes my new beginning for each new year.

This lens will be about my goals for my online activities.

For some people goal setting is a yearly project, but for others it is an ongoing process. I tend to make big goals once a year and then set weekly or even daily goals when I have a lot to accomplish.

I have found that weekly goals for the little things I want to accomplish help to keep me focused on the tasks at hand.

Whether you are talking about a diet, exercise plan, online activities, or any other personal accomplishments, writing down your goals is a great way to keep you focused and on track. Here is a book to help you plan your goals.

When I retired the end of 2006, I took up the hobby of photographing lighthouses. So far, I have photographed 40 lighthouses. My goal for the coming year is to add at least 4 more lighthouses to my list. I would also like to climb the Jupiter lighthouse and take some photos from the top.

March 21, 2011...I completed my goal of climbing the Jupiter Lighthouse today! It was wonderful the views from the top was well worth the climb. I reached this goal in 2011. I photographed 5 new lighthouses in Maryland and climbed to the top of the Jupiter lighthouse. Also I revisited the St. Augustine lighthouse and photographed it at night!

2013- I have far surpassed my goal...I currently have photographed over 80 lighthouses and have climbed to that top of about 10 of them.

My photography is the basis for much of my online activites. One of my goals is to increase my skills. I am currently reading the book the Magic of Digital Nature Photography. I have been reading a chapter each week and then taking my camera out and working on the tips I have read about in the book. I am finding the book to be very helpful.

I am also planning to take a photography class this spring.

My goal is to add a new Zazzle design at least every other day. I also want to recategorize my Zazzle store to make it more user friendly.

This is an ongoing goal for me. Keeping my Zazzle store fresh is important to help increase the sales.

Update 2013- in addition to working on my Zazzle store, I work to keep my Cafepress store fresh. Adding new items monthly.

I have found that one of the biggest ways to increase my likelihood of accomplishing goals is to keep a written record.