Goalsetting 101: What Not to Do

I'm a bit of a 3 in 30 failure this month. Okay well that's not entirely true.

I am a *complete* 3 in 30 failure this month.

I have tons of excuses why but really, they're not good ones. I got a little off kilter at the end of November and actually had a couple of goals in mind for December but I never shared them and didn't feel sufficiently motivated to act on them. Big mistake...huge. {Quick, name that movie}

I have participated in the challenge for only 2 months. I knew that I was making progress but I didn't realize the goals were preserving my sanity. I'm slowly coming to understand that I need reachable, short-term goals if I ever want to escape the natural chaos that follows me. 

Saving you the trouble of learning this the hard way, here is the easy button version of what not to do...{In quotes, because I'm feeling random and inspired today. Mostly random.}

1. Never, never, never, never give up. (Winston Churchill)
2. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
3. If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.
4. Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another. (Walter Elliot)
5. Good ideas are not adopted automatically. They must be driven into practice with  
    courageous patience. (Admiral Hyman Rickover)
6. If I can't be a good example, I will just have to be a terrible warning.

Something else that definitely warrants mentioning...I've missed the fellowship of the other 3 in 30 participants. I didn't realize how much I thrived on the community part of it--encouraging others and being encouraged. I can't do it alone, and I'm not going to try!

Even though it's the middle of the month, I'm going to jump in and participate. I'm lost without it. But since I'm late, I'm going to make just 1 goal... 

This stack of magazines doesn't look 2 feet tall but it is. And there's a box full to go along with it. I have all these old magazines that I either haven't read or I have read and didn't recycle. By the end of December, my goal is to annihilate this huge pile of magazines. Doesn't that sound like fun?! Remind me next month to organize all the recipes and ideas I pull out of these magazines!

Thanks for stopping by! How is your month going? (Hopefully better than mine!)