Goal Setting

Apparently this is the most effective way of achieving something.

I took myself off to see "Julie and Julia" last night. Top performances all round - if a little unsettling seeing Meryl Streep supposedly playing a woman of 6ft 1" (it was all fine until you saw the stack heels in the last scene - I'm rather sensitive about tall girls - being 5ft 11" myself) with a warble rather than a voice... but then I'm English and frankly if Julia Child was anything like Fanny Craddock - then I suppose I can relate....

Julie (played by a very un-"Enchanted"-esque Amy Adams) decides that she needs to set herself a goal. Watching her having lunch with her insanely over-acheiving friends - you can see that the poor thing feels a little inadequate - sweet (ouch). Anyway - her (heavenly) husband and she come up with this loopy idea of cooking all the recipes in Julia Child's book over the course of a year. It isn't easy - but which worthwhile goals ever are?

I've NEVER had goals - well I had one once - and I achieved it 13 years ago.... that was to go to University - I didn't really think about what I wanted to do afterwards. I would like it noted that my goal was never really to finish University or to Graduate from University (I took those as a given) - it was just to go. Then I thought - OK, now proper boyfriend - rather good one came along in between 1st and 2nd years and all looked good. Then I thought - ok might as well finish - I'll do what I have to - I proudly graduated with a 2:2 (could have tried harder).

Then... the boyfriend was back home in Mum and Dad land - so off I went back to the home turf.... thinking "Ok, so I'm 22, I'm a GRADUATE, I'm loved up with a guy 6 years my senior - I give myself a year to be decent, a year to be engaged, a year to be married and then by 25 I'll be a mother - excellent - when I'm 32 all 3 children will be at school and then I can think about possibly opening a shop......

I'm 32 now, I'm single, I live alone and I have a blackberry - for work. No kids. I'm a "Sinky" - (Single Income No Kids)..... must come up with better acronyms!

So, I did have goals, but they relied on someone else to make them come true.. or did they?

Since then, my goals are shorter term. When your roof, income and social life are all acceptable - what do you work on next? I suppose the answer to that is to make them better.

I am a regular reader of an informative blog called "Early Retirement Extreme". Jacob, the author provides many insights into life from and anti-consumer's point of view - which given the (somewhat ironic) title of this blog I'm sure you will appreciate. I love him - but I really don't want to be him. He lives in a "mobile home" as we call them here in the UK and thinks that washing your clothes too often means that they last less long - a little bit dismissive of me I confess - he's got some VERY good points. And he has an entertaining writing style that keeps me engaged. Not that I'm ever going to make my own washing powder - or have an air-conditioning unit that I'll need to learn to service - add him to your feed!

In this economic climate (who came up with that phrase? sounds political to me.....) there is a refreshing revival of the old fashioned ideas that your Granny's Granny would have taken as normal practise. And good for her! It shocks me that I'm the only one in my office that will willingly sew a button back on to the boss's jacket. Long lost skills are being revived - and I'm really quite excited about that.

The point is - if you want something and you can't have it yet - work out a way to get it and when you need to have it by. The hardest bit - is working out what you actually want and then what it is in your power to actually get.....

But I have red soled shoes...... and I've got interest free on purchases until March.....