Good habits

I walk most mornings around my neighborbood.  This morning because of a good habit, I did  and composed a wonderful blog post in my head.  I should have come home and immediately typed it up.

Ah now I remember the composition:

This past week I’ve had time “off” from watching my “babies”.  I generally care for two little girls throughout the week but due to a school break and other events, I wasn’t scheduled to watch them.  Monday morning, I realized I didn’t need to get up at my normal time and begin my day because I didn’t have my normal responsibilities.  I did have responsibilities to complete but nothing to get me out of bed at my normal time.  Then I considered some of my goals – and was grateful for habits, good habits. 

I don’t like to exercise but because I have a goal to be healthy, I got up and did my exercise routine. 

I don’t like to do school but because I have a goal to learn, I got up and did my schoolwork.

I don’t like to do dishes but because I have a goal to make my home a more pleasant place to reside, I got up and did dishes. 

I wouldn’t have been able to do these responsibilities if they hadn’t have become habits – good habits.

These good habits helped me accomplish my steps towards my goals.  Bad habits can pull us in the opposite direction – keep us from accomplishing our goals.  I work hard to overcome my bad habit to not exercise.  I can find all sorts of excuses to not exercise but because I have worked hard to establish the good habit to exercise, I was able to overcome my natural tendencies to NOT exercise.  And every time I work on the good habit it strengthens something within me to keep going.

Yeah for good habits!

2nd week and considering

This week we were given two assignments - one to write a 50 item bucket list and the other was to create a Stars and Steppingstones Chart.  Well, according to the reading, I'm kinda too old to be doing a Stars and Steppingstones Chart.  The first level of stepping stones as one works backwards is 70-50.  I fall into that age category.  So it seems  that I have no stars left to chart...

Yet, I had to do a 50 item bucket list.  What was I going to put on that bucket list?  We watched video clips from the movie, The Bucket List and listened to the theme (?) song.  I know I don't want to go skydiving, or drive a car at high speeds (though that was one of my bucket list items in my twenties, never did it and now I don't want to).  But what do I want to do with the rest of my life?  As I pondered this, I considered what I would have put on my bucket list at 20 and I have achieved most of those items.  I wanted to be married in the temple, I wanted children, I wanted to raise children, I wanted an education.  I got things I didn't want on my list like a mortgage and living in Utah for 20 years.

But to partially answer my question from last week, where do I go from here?  I go forward.  I do still have stars that I want to reach even though I'm over 50.  I particularly like what Brother Jeffrey A. Thompson said during his June 1, 2010 BYU devotional address about talents and abilities as he delineated Martin Luther's understanding of work, "If you grew up in a cobbler shop, your calling was to devote yourself to making shoes.  And doing so, you participated in the work of God by covering the feet of His children.  Luther believed that virtually any type of work could be a calling, so long as it rendered service to mankind."  Brother Thompson further discussed John Calvin's take on Martin Luther's insights with "...[H]e argued that God endows each of us with particular talents and gifts, and that it is our calling to discover those gifts and to seek out ways to use them in service our fellowmen."

So in this dusk of my life, I can now use my accumulated talents to help others draw nearer to God.  What a wonderful gift this will be.

For the class assignment, we were asked to consider the following questions from Randy Pausch's Last Lecture:

Why do you think Randy Pausch was able to achieve so many of his childhood dreams?  I think he was able to achieve so many of his dreams because he had a clear focus as well as parents, friends, and mentors who were willing to help him along with his dreams.  He also understood that there would be roadblocks for some of his dreams.  He chose to find ways around, through or over those roadblocks to get where he wanted to go.  He was also willing to take the advice and/or criticism of those who helped him to become better.

Do you feel that dreaming is important? Why or why not?  I do believe dreaming is important.  It is sometimes the only aspect of our lives that keeps us going on the dreariest of days.  I especially appreciated how Randy Pausch described his NFL dream.  He didn't make it, but he still worked at it and he chose to learn and use the lessons he learned from the work he put into that dream.  Granted there are some dreams that are unattainable - like playing in the NFL for most - and we choose not to learn from the following of the dream or become discouraged for not being able to obtain it, then it will hurt us.

Discuss at least one of your childhood dreams.  Explain why you believe you can or cannot achieve this dream.  One of my childhood dreams was to create beautiful clothing.  I don't think I wanted to be a fashion designer on NY's 5th Avenue but maybe I did.  I learned to sew because my grandmother was trying to teach me a lesson.  I learned to sew despite opposition.  And I have created beautiful clothing - though I've never had a "collection".  I have made wedding dresses.  I have made costumes. I have made dresses for my daughters.  Some of the clothing wasn't necessarily beautiful, but it was functional and had purpose.  And this dream still gives me purpose and helps me get up some mornings.

The journey begins - what do you do upon goal completion

I have begun classes through BYU-I online.  I have chosen to do Family History as my minor, but will probably pursue Entrepreneurship and/or Social Media/Communications as certificates.

This week through the Entrepreneurship readings, I'm a little excited and a little apprehensive about this course.  I think it will help me define my future focus in my life and give me tools to move forward.  I also think this course will help me mentor my children as they move forward in their lives as well.

The question that came to my mind this week, as I was pondering what I was learning and from some of my own personal experiences, is what do you do after you have accomplished your goal?  I'm really hoping this question will be answered in this course.  There are some goals that are ongoing or perhaps we know what we will do after the goal is accomplished, such as having the goal to return to live with Heavenly Father.  The Plan of Salvation teaches us what will be ongoing.  But in the case of accomplishing my weight goal, what do I do after that?  I know (and hope) to maintain that goal, but maintenance seems anti-climatic after that.  Another aspect I've seen at the completion of a goal is starting a business.  In the research I've done for my passion of convertible clothing, I've noted a lot of businesses get in and then get out (or they fall out).  I've talked a little bit about this with my brother, Joe, and he told me that you need to have your business ready to sell.  I was a little reluctant to accept his statement, but then as I've "wondered" through these small business, I begin to see what he means.