Three years, eight months, three weeks and 4 days after the “First Factor” I am up to post #500. After a vote on Facebook it’s time to write about one of my goals for 2012. There’s only one problem. I haven’t set any goals for 2012.
So I guess that’s what this 500th post is going to be…a list of my 2012 goals. Hey! Here’s a cool idea. How about I make it a list of 12 goals? Pretty clever huh? OK not so much. But here it goes anyway. I’m going to try and be specific. At the end of the year I will evaluate my success. I don’t think I’ll accomplish them all but I’m going to do my best. I’m starting off with a very common one.
1. Get to My Goal Weight: I’m going to do my best to lose enough by my birthday in September to change the first number on the scale to a “1”. Of course, the ultimate is to be at my goal by the end of the year. To do this I have to start being a weight loss surgery patient again. The discussion of just what that means will be my first post of 2012 on my “Getting To My Goal” blog.
2. Run A 5K: In 2011 I met my goal of walking a 5K. I did it with my dog Dory by my side. This year I’d like to try running that same distance. I’ve never been a fan of “just running.” But I have come to understand the challenge of distance running. When it comes to running along uneven terrain or pavement, the limited movement of my left foot is of a bit concern. But there are people who have overcome greater physical limitations than mine and they run marathons. If they can do it so can I.
3. Transform A Room: Ever since our sons moved out Paula and I have wanted to make one of the rooms, that were the boys’ bedrooms, “Paula’s room”. This means emptying all the stuff that’s currently stored in the room, redecorating it (new paint, curtains, pictures on the wall ect.), and putting Paula’s stuff in it.
I also want to turn the room at the other end of the house where the desktop computer is into “Ron’s room”. This means it will be a combination, office, computer room, recording studio, and Disney memorabilia display area. I’d call it my “man cave” but it won’t be that “macho” and there won’t be a television.
Note: I only wrote that last sentence so I could use the word “man cave” one last time. I don’t plan on ever using it again because was it was on the list of “banished words” published by a Michigan university at the end of 2011.
4. Celebrate A Decade of Marriage: At the end of the year, on 12/12/12, Paula and I will be married for 10 years. So for the 3rd year in a row we are observing a milestone event in our lives. I will probably do my best to make 2012 a year for growth and strengthening of the relationship with the Love Of My Life. But I want this goal to be more specific.
I want to plan an extra special 10th Anniversary getaway sometime this year. I’m not sure exactly where we would go. Destinations on Paula’s list include: Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon. I don’t think she would be opposed to a return visit to Washington DC in the fall either. Of course there’s always the beach vacation she said she wanted last year.
5. MLB / Amusement Park Trip: After a year of not attending a major league baseball game it is my goal to see at least one this season. Going to Wrigley Field in Chicago, Bush Stadium in St. Louis, or Progressive Stadium in Cleveland are tops on my list of choices. No matter where I go I would like to make the trip double header with a 2nd day spent at an amusement park. Ultimately the park of my choice would be Cedar Point in Sandusky Ohio, an hour away from Cleveland. The default option for this goal is going to a Cincinnati Reds game and then a return to Kings Island park.
6. Ventriloquist Promotion Packet: This is the first in a set of goals that will result in growth in my “vent” career: What it includes is the composition of a ventriloquist based resume, a short biography, a publicity 8X10 of me and my vent friends, and a performance video DVD .
The most difficult of these components will be the video. I will have to work hard at getting the right routine, venue and audience that will make a good video. Ventriloquist Taylor Mason gives some good advice on making a promotion video in his “Ventriloquism For Dummies” book. I will use that advice to make my promotional DVD.
This packet will help me make contacts to perform at churches, organizations and club functions, and birthday parties. Other goals such as: more consistent practicing, writing material, and character development are also part of this goal.
7. Care For My Granddaughter: As mentioned in a previous post I will become a grandfather for the first time this coming April. So sometime between May and December I want a day taking care of Aria by myself. I know this may seem like a strange goal for a man who is 50+ but I want to have a bonding day with my little peanut. I think it’s important and it will be a joy I have never known before.
Now this goal may cause a bit of concern to some but it’s not like I haven’t taken care of an infant before. True it’s been a while but as part of my preparation for accomplishing this goal I am going to try and take a grand parenting class before Aria is born. I can’t wait to have a “grand daddy” day with my first grandchild.
8. Bible Reading Plan: At the start of this year I’m going back to a scripture reading plan that I started last January but didn’t stay with. As recommended by my favorite preacher, John MacArthur, I am going to start a new way of reading the New Testament. This involves reading a portion the same New Testament book (about 4-6 chapters) every day for two weeks. This repetition will help me become familiar with the scripture allowing me to recall it in the future. By the end of the year I’d like to be through the gospels and Acts.
9. Write Christmas Play: During this past holiday season after attending the annual children’s program at my church I was inspired to write my own Christmas play. I wouldn’t be able to write my own music so I’d use some of the classic pop songs and carols. I’ve come up with a premise and it’s something I know. It will also allow me to use my ventriloquist skills as well.
10. A Book A Month: For Christmas 2010 I received a Kindle e-reader. Early in the year I read the latest “Kingdom Keepers” book and in August I finished “Brain Storm. But in the last quarter of 2011 my rate of reading slowed considerably. Although I was reading 2 or 3 books simultaneously, I didn’t finish a single one.
In addition to the Bible reading program I have already listed my reading goal for 2012 is to finish read at the average rate of one book a month. Making a total of at least 12 books for the year.. I am in the middle of reading 3 already. I will aim to all finish them by the end of March. I have a couple of others already on my Kindle. I will finish them before buying the others on my “want to read” list. So the material is there; I just have to put my mind to finishing one a month in 2012.
11. A New Ministry: Okay my current ministries at my church are the children’s sermons, helping to teach children’s church and leading music for AWANA.
I’m not sure what it’s going to be but this year I want to become involved in a new ministry at my church or within the Christian community in my area. I have already accepted the position of being a substitute offering counter. But I really don’t consider this a ministry just something I have decided to help with because my wife is now our church treasurer.
At the start of the year several possible opportunities are already on the horizon. The new Family Life Center at our church will open in a couple of months. This will present the chance to volunteer in ways I don’t even know about yet. I have no doubt that I will complete this goal.
12. Buy A Ping Pong Table & Build An Offering Scale- I love the game of table tennis. I haven’t had a lot of chances to play in the long time. If I had the room to use and store it I would get one for my house in a heartbeat. It has been a goal of mine for several years to buy one and donate it to my church. Once again the problem has been that the church really doesn’t have a place to store it.
The new gym at our church will have plenty of room for a table. So there is no doubt that I will be buying a Ping Pong table and donating it in 2012. What makes this even better is that I have recently overheard a couple of guys from the church talking about starting monthly Ping Pong tournaments. That will be a dream come true for me.
Now I know almost with certainty that the first part of this goal will be achieved so as a challenge I have added the second portion to this goal.
Every year during Vacation Bible School the boys and girls are asked to bring in an offering to help a designated cause (usually a special missions project or something like that). There is a “contest” to see which group, boys or girls, brings in the most offering.
To help make the moment when the results are revealed a bit more memorable I want to build a giant scale to weigh the results. It would actually be a prop that could be manipulated for “dramatic” purposes.
Since I admittedly have the vision but not the skills required to make this project a reality I am going to essentially become a project leader. I’m going to have to recruit a carpenter, painter, and someone with engineering and practical design abilities. This should be the real challenging part of this goal.
I’ve had this idea for a couple of years now but have never followed through on it. 2012 is the year I’m going to “make it so.”
So there you have my 500th RH Factors blog post; the list of my top 12 goals for 2012. I have more goals but these are the top 12 that I wish to share with my readers.
I’ll do my best to keep you updated when I complete a goal throughout the year. At the end of 2012 I will review this post and let you know what I have and have not accomplished.
What are your goals for 2012? Email them to me or send me a message on Facebook.
Before I finish this milestone post I want to once again thank you for reading my blog. Sometimes it’s difficult to keep in mind that I’m not just sitting in my living room typing random thoughts, a story or my opinions on a keyboard. I am communicating through a form of media that has the potential to reach more people than I’ve ever met in my life.
As I’ve experienced in the past some of those people can be very cruel in their comments. Thank you for your kind words and support. They are an encouragement as with the next post I take the first step to my next milestone: My 1000th post. To borrow a phrase from the new Star Tours ride in Walt Disney World… The Adventures Continue.
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