While cleaning out an old computer today, I found this gem. This is something I wrote almost exactly 10 years ago. No idea now why I wrote it, but man, I’m glad I did. Maybe 29 year-old me knew that 39 year-old me might need a reminder that a lot is possible in a decade.
Start Moving
A wise man once said, “If you set a five year goal for yourself and never start moving toward it, in five years you’re still going to have the same goal, but you’ll be no closer to reaching it.” The past three years of my life have seemingly been a perpetual rebirthing cycle. This has caused my five year plan to become merely a rough draft that has been scratched through, thrown out, and rewritten more times than I can count. I have a few aspirations that I am certain of, but as of today, I’m still a little unsure of what I want my destination to be. However, I have decided to get moving!
My children are my number one priority. More than just being a good mother, I want to be a woman they are proud of. I desire their respect, not because I demand it, but because my character has earned it. When they are grown, with maybe children of their own, I want them to be able to say, “My mother loved me well.” Loving them well doesn’t just mean being a good provider. It means setting an example that will be an aspiration to them. My prayer for them would be to believe they are capable of the impossible, to never stop growing, and to consistently love others as they love themselves. My life must set that example.
I have many clear, short-term goals I would like to achieve. I want to make the US Masters Nationals in swimming.
I want to start and finish the season with the Nashville Roller Girls.
I want to get some kind of academic degree. I want to have something – anything – published in the very near future. While none of these hopes are earth-shaking, they define my passions and my passions are the make-up of who I am.
If I could do anything with my life, I would move to a sunny place and sip fruity umbrella drinks as I write bestselling novels.
However, my practical side often reminds me that the publishing world is, at best, uncertain. My family cannot afford for me to be a starving writer forever. With that in mind, I will most likely major in some type of sports-related medical field and find a career that I truly enjoy. No matter my day job, I can always burn the midnight oil behind my keyboard.
In twenty nine years, I have ticked off most of the major life headlines: I’ve been married, bought some real estate, had a couple of babies, held onto a good career for a decade, and then retired. When my husband died suddenly three years ago, the foundation of our little family was shaken to the core, but now I can see that he left me with a precious gift. I really grasp the cliché that today could very well be my last day and I must make it count! I have been given the opportunity to reinvent myself and I’m finally taking it. I’m training, I’m writing, and I’m studying. Now, hopefully before I finish my final draft on this life, I’ll figure out what I want to be when I grow up.
— Elicia, 2010
Thank you, young Elicia, God, and the universe for this. Thank you readers for giving my books a chance and not letting us starve! As you can see, I have a lot more mouths to feed!
Cheers to the next 10 years. It’s time to set my next set of goals.
Where will YOU be? Drop your goals in the comments if you dare.