What are your goals in life, besides losing weight and keeping it off?

What are you working towards?  In the last couple of days I have learned that Montanacowgirl is working towards joining the army and Andrea is working on a dissertation.  They just made me think, I really need a goal to work for, besides eating right and exercising which is something that will never be "finished" until I die.  What other sorts of goals are people trying to meet?  I need some ideas.  I graduated from high school #4 in my class.  I graduated Magn *** Laude from college.  I am now an sahm.  I love my kids and I am very busy trying to keep up with dishes, laundry, cooking, and tidying up after my little one-man destruction unit, but I need something more.

I have many, but there is not one of them that I can accomplish readily while in ill health or while immobile. So weight loss at the moment is Job One....and everything else will come when it comes! :)

I have felt "goal-less" in life for a while now.  Some background:  I got my business MS at age 40, so for a while it was getting my degree. Now that that is obtained (took me ~8 years during my mom years), my goal was to be a loving grandma and wife to my new hubby (the true love of my life).  Now I feel I need to make more money to get better poised for retirement (~10 years from now). Translation:  pay off bills. I am en process of landing a great business deal related to the job I now have in Child Nutrition. It is more research-based.  I'll know more very soon - in the next few days.  Sounds like you need to toss out some prayers for God to lead you if you don't have a burning desire to do mre than you are doing now.  Which BTW, is awesome. An educated mother is such a gift to your family. I hope your DH realizes the treasure that you are.

I graduated with my bachelor's in Accounting in 2003 (@ 39), am currently working on a Master's in Logistics; I have three more classes to complete.  I am taking them 1 class per semester in order to continue working full-time and accomplish my wl goals; also employer will only pay for one class a semester, have already taken the one they are offering for summer, so WOOOHOOO, got a summer break.  DH thinks I should go on and get my doctrine, but I'm scared to death of the dissertation.  I am so proud of Andrea, because I would be fainted lying on the floor if I had that to face. Other than that my goals simply are to get the bills paid, save enough for retirement, raise the last daughter at home, and retire so we can spend time doing all the things that we always wished we could do but didn't have enough time, money, or both.  Will probably do the semi-retire thing like my friend who works about 24 hours a week, if she wants to.  LOL!!!  Can't imagine myself ever being able to sit at home and watch soaps. I too was sahm until my children started to school, was one of the most rewarding careers I could ever hope for.  Good for you, this planet would be a much better place to live if more people could afford to stay at home and raise their children at least for the first 4-5 years of their lives.  So I would say you have a very admirable goal, to raise decent human beings instead of holy terrors.  LOL!! Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that just because a parent can not afford to stay at home means that they will have demon children, I know some people who have very well behaved, well rounded children who were not able to stay at home with them, but I know some children that have had NO raising (with or w/o a sahp).

Being a SAHM mom is hard work in itself though! Right now, I'm doing that and trying to finish up my degree before the end of the year/before I enlist. Trying to keep the house up and entertain my 4-year-old daughter tires me out!

Thank you ladies for the encouragement.  I know how important being a mother is and I love it.  My children really are good kids.  People at church tell me, complete strangers on the bus in New Zealand used to tell me, and friends all tell me how polite and well-spoken they are. Babysitters always say, "Call me anytime.  Your kids are a dream to take care of."  It's just that sometimes I get impatient for what's next after the preschool years.  Every now and then I need reminders just to be present and enjoy the here and now.  Thank you again.

I'm a sahm of 3 boys. I'm trying to learn to play the piano. I took lessons when I was young, but of course don't remember much. My 9  year old is taking lessons so I just do the lessons with him. It's been fun and it gives me something to do for myself.

I have always wished that I was a "goal oriented person".  I've never really been the kind of person who sat down and thought about setting goals and on the rare occasion that I did, I never seemed to follow through.  I applaud each of you for reaching for something and getting there - - or, if you are still working towards a goal, sticking to the process. When I was young (12 - 13) I decided I wanted to be a lawyer.  Being raised by a single mom, I knew she could't afford college tuition, so I decided that I would join the Army and earn college tuition through service in the military.  Meeting my future husband at the tender age of 14, however, derailed that plan.  We were married 3 months after I graduated high school in 1984 and I never did get to "college" let alone law school.  I've taken paralegal classes at community colleges off and on in the past, but decided that I'm happy as a legal secretary with over 17 years of experience.  Plus, having to account for billing every single minute of your day must be a b**ch!  Career-wise I'm satisfied.  Marriage/family-wise, I'm thrilled.  The only 2 "goals" I have in mind right now are: 1) to get my husband to finish organizing the garage so I can get the boxes being stored in "my room" out of there so I can put my treadmill in the room and actually use it; and  2) to motivate and get my husband to FINALLY write the book(s) he's been working on for the past 25 years - - and by "write" I mean to actually put on paper the stuff in his head!! Is it wrong that I don't have "goals"??  Maybe this is why I can never seem to finish what I start?? Sonja

Hey goals don't have to be huge....and it sounds to me that you like me have goals to get someone else to do what they promised and that's the hardest job of all...LOL.  I discovered a great way to get those honey do things done...(Bert cover your ears, you didn't hear this.)  Get out there and start organizing that garage you'll find that a.) you enjoy doing it. b.) he comes home and sees what a mess you made and finishes it, or c.) you fini**** together.   As for writing that book I'm sure you can't do that for him unless he wants to dictate it and you type it which doesn't usually work for writers.  I have to have a notebook and an inkpen in my hand to be creative, can't do it on the computer first.  I'm old school, LOL. AND THERE IS DEFINITELY NOTHING WRONG WITH BEING HAPPY IN YOUR JOB AND MARRIAGE, THAT'S WHAT MOST FOLKS ARE LOOKING FOR IN LIFE!!!!!  ENJOY THAT!

Angie:  Thanks for the encouragement - - and the laugh     I've actually bought him a small hand-held digital recorder that he keeps in the bathroom (go figure).  He says he dictates into it from time to time, but usually just so he doesn't forget important plot items or dialogue he wants to keep for the book.  We've talked about buying the dictation software so he can actually download wave files for me to transcribe.  I just can't get him to commit to doing the dictation.  HEY - i do have a goal!!  I forgot -- we recently (like 2 weeks ago) decided to save more money each month so we can pay off some debt over the next year so he can quit his computer programming job to write full time.  This means of course that I'll be the bread winner in the family - - at least until his books get published and (God willing) sell like hotcakes!!