My Five-Year Goals for 2018-2023

I've been giving a lot of thought to my five-year goals. Since moving to Paris, I have all this precious time to think about what I'm passionate about, what I want to accomplish, and the life I want to have once we return to the States and get back to "real life." (While taking full advantage of living in Paris, too.)

I've come up with list of FIVE GOALS I feel pretty excited about. There are a few things I can do while here in Paris, and then other steps that will need to wait until we're all back in the States.

Once I hit "publish" these goals will be out in the universe, which can be magical! It will be time to start talking about them and making them into reality. Or see them change and morph into something else. Goals are fluid like that.

1. Become Bi-Lingual. I'm not even close with French, but Spanish ... yes thanks to years of lessons and my Spanish family. So, once I leave France I'm going to really focus on Spanish. Next Steps: Find a tutor, find friends who are native speakers and invite them on regular lunches, call my Spanish relatives more often, talk to my hijas in Espanol.

2. Become a Plastic-Free Advocate. Using less plastic (and living more sustainability) is something I'm growing more passionate about the more I read and learn. And we can all do it. But some folks might need a push or a little help. So, I'm using this time in Paris to learn how to become plastic-free in our own home -- as seen here -- and by the time I return to the States, I want to advocate and share what I've learned. That means giving talks in libraries, to scouts, classrooms, leading discussion groups and getting out into my community. I might start/join a local environmental group, pick up trash, work with grocery stores to add bulk areas and stop using plastic bags, and more! I'm working on a pretty long list. Next Steps: Keep on going with my quest to be nearly-plastic-free and document what I figure out. And keep researching, reading studies, products, etc.

3. Get in an exercise habit. Like most things, I think exercise is a habit you just need to get hooked on. For me, I've recently discovered that I'm more incentivized to workout if I go with friends. Given I'm an introvert, this seems a little odd but that's what seems to work. So, I've found a few friends here in Paris that feel the same and we've been taking classes together. Next Steps: Continue my progress here, hoping it becomes a habit.

4. Buy a lake house. This is the goal that makes my husband laugh hysterically/shake his head. "That's a HUGE investment." But here's my thought: once we return to the States, our daughters are going to be preteens. Also, we'll probably do less international travel. So, I dream about having a weekend getaway where we can swim, boat, have big bonfires, bring friends and slow down. And maybe even renting it out to generate a little income. Next Steps: Research lakes within a 2 or 3 hour radius. Talk to friends about where they go. Visit those places to scope out the town, roads, restaurant options, etc. It's going to be a slow process that I don't foreseeing achieving until the end of the five years. But any progress is good progress.

5. Become more involved in the community and the girls' school. I've been thinking a lot about how some parents are jerks. And sometimes girls don't have adults they can talk to. And when I coached soccer, at least I could be awesome and positive and encourage the girls on my team and that felt really good. Just sharing my positivity could make a difference in someone's life. So, I'm going to look into coaching again, maybe volunteering for the Girls on the Run team or some other way I can be a mentor at school. It doesn't take much. Next Steps: Start here in Paris by looking in on the girls' school and seeing where I can help out.

That's FIVE! Sending them out into the universe! BAM!

There are a few extra mini-goals I jotted down, too: French braid my own hair, make the perfect biscuit and learn to crochet. Just little tricks I'm trying to figure out.



Related posts:
My 2014 Goals Post in which almost everything CAME TO BE!
More posts about Goals

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