March 24, 2007

Gotta Get Goals

As most of you will recall, awhile ago I started the Simply Successful Secrets interactive research project.

I am proud to say that the project is still going strong and I haven't tallied up the responses yet because so many people are still participating.

Also, my buddy Alex Shalman has put together a wonderful addendum to this project called Gotta Get Goals, and I am very happy to help Alex get his version of this idea off the ground.

As with the Simply Successful Secrets project, Alex's version is truly going to help people by causing them to take a moment and actually write out the details of what makes them tick.

This has proven to be an invaluable effort that Simply Successful Secrets participants have made, and when it comes to the subject of Alex's version - Goal Setting - I see a huge similar benefit for the people who participate.

Alex, is the model of "giving back" as you can see from his many posts, not the least of which being his awesome Donation Contest.

So, without any further rambling from me, let's get this party started!

Summary of the Rules

In a new post, write about the top 5 to 10 goals that you "gotta get" so that you can truly say you have achieved your wildest dreams in life. These have to be your best, most exclusive, and over-the-top goals.

Put a link and/or a trackback to Alex's original post so he can track the project, and also so he can put up a link to your website after the project has run its course.

Tag as many people as you like, and be sure to put a link in your own post back to the site of the person who tagged you.

These "memes" are not about utilizing your valuable time, but rather about interacting with, learning from, and supporting each other. Spread the link love and the love will come right back to you! Smile

That's it, that's all. Easy and fun to do, and also beneficial to you, as well as to all who read your list.

On that note, here is MY list, and you will see from reading it that I aim for the stars because I know that I can reach them. I encourage every single one of you to do the same!!

Aaron's Gotta Get Goals

1) Build my business ventures so that they bring in $50,000 per month in residual income.

Why $50,000, you ask? Isn't that a bit greedy? Hardly.

That money will be used to pay healthy salaries to employees, to sock away enough cash for all of my family members to live comfortably forever, and for me to travel the world helping my friends and family members, as well as spending quality time with them on a VERY regular basis. Come to think of it, I might need more than $50,000 each month…

2) Travel frequently to visit the aforementioned friends and family, and have complete time and financial freedom during those visits.

I have lived in many places, and I have been an Internet junkie since the get-go. I know and care deeply for people all over the U.S. and my goal is to be able to visit them often, and stay for long periods of time.

3) To maintain a high level of health, and to live for a very long time.

Anyone who knows me well also knows that I like to party and have a good time. However, most people will also attest to the fact that when the party is over, my body goes looking for a salad and some exercise.

I enjoy physical fitness so that I can also enjoy bouts of not worrying about every single calorie that I ingest. Everything in moderation!

4) Travel just for the sake of travel.

I love being on the open road, and it is a rare occasion when I will turn down a road trip.

Whether you are talking about the sands of Key West, the Na Pali Coast (thanks Michelle for the picture and the memories), or just kicking around whatever town I happen to be in, I am all about exploring the world.

Europe, Africa, Australia, Alaska - yup, they are all on the list, and many more!

5) The beach, Bitterman! You know how much I LOVE the beach!

(Sorry, Arthur reference)

My daily visualizations include me standing on the back deck of the house that I own in St. Augustine, FL. I only live about 45 minutes north of there right now, so that journey is already well underway!

6) A beautiful house in the mountains.

The only thing that trips my homesteader trigger as much as having a house on the beach is having a house in the mountains.

I love to hike and would like to learn to ski sometime, and I also FULLY appreciate the majesty and the timelessness of mountain and hill country.

The ideal spot will include a huge back deck that looks down into a lush, green valley, beyond which mountain peaks can be seen for miles. The Pacific Northwest is the likely geography, probably north of Seattle, WA.

Well, I think that about covers it!

I did not include things like successful relationships because I feel that I create those from moment to moment. I am already married and I have a great family and a lot of wonderful friends. The "people factor" in my goals is to just keep what I already have, and to meet new people as well.

I also did not include the cars and other mechanical or technical toys that I want because although I enjoy those things, they are secondary to things like seeing the world, having nice homes, and spending time with the people that I care about.

Tagging

Alex has already tagged a lot of the people that I want to hear from, but here is an addendum to his original list:

Chris Garrett - Chris Garrett on New Media

Drew McLellan - Drew's Marketing Minute

Kathy Mallary - The Inspired Market-her's Blog

Kelly - A Yoga Coffee Outlook

Grigor - Behind the Glasses

Christine Kane - Christine Kane Blog

Shauna and Ophelia - Breathing Prosperity

Liz Strauss - Successful Blog

Gayla McChord - MomGadget

Johan Holmberg - The Probabilist

Antonio Thornton - ThinkBanc

Don't forget! Everyone has goals, so tag to your little heart's content! Maybe if we can find out what is making us humans "tick," we can also start creating a world where those things are available in abundance!

p.s. - This is a chance to write in stone (aka - on the Internet) what you are planning to accomplish in your life. If you can't even take the time to write it down, what makes you think you will take the time to actually do it?