Make a Goal And Then a Plan

A dream is just an idea until you make a goal and then a plan on how you intend to reach that goal.  For years I dreamed of creating a new me, but I never made any lasting changes until I made a 4 year plan in the me initiative.


I know a 4 year plan seems daunting, but let us be realistic.  It took me 15 years to hide myself from life.  And I do mean hide myself.  I wore my fat like armor keeping me from having to interact with the world.  I became this quite, mousy person who in no way represents the me I have been my entire life.  If anyone noticed the me underneath all of that armor, I would immediately go and add more armor.  This was not something I did consciously, I didn't even realize it was happening until it was almost too late.  When you reflect on all of the time I spent hiding, a 4 year plan is a very short time in comparison.


Every person's dream is different, so their plan is also different.  My dream is to be able to live the life I want to live when my youngest daughter graduates in 2020.  I will only be 42 and I plan on enjoying the 20s I spent being the soul provider for my daughters and the 30s I spent taking care of my parents when that time comes. 


My plan is laid out like this......


Year 1 - Get my eating habits under control and start losing weight while I work on finding my confidence and learning how to love myself first.


Year 2 - Turn my exercise routine into a habit, continue refining my eating habits and getting fit as well as lose weight while continuing to find my confidence and learning how to love myself again.


Year 3 - Update my wardrobe and start "dating" my friends to re-learn how to be social with adults and continue everything from year 2, while being open to dating just not actively looking.


Year 4 - Start actively putting myself out there in the dating world, put myself in more social situations and figure out what I want to do with my life going forward, while continuing everything from year 2 and 3.


Don't worry if you have to make changes as you go along.......Plans, like dreams, do tend to change.  It is a good idea to reevaluate your goals and your plans every year. 


What is your dream?  As a goal?  As a plan?