Life Goals

On Lake Tahoe on a catamaran.

We are always told to have goals in our lives. When we are young our goal is to get into college. After getting in college the goal is to finish college. Many people set their goals wrong, they should set their goal according to the job they eventually want, not just finishing college. Times have changed that going to college means good job and good future. The medical and computer fields have many jobs that don't require a four year college degree and make a good living. College is eventually important to get a management job. Management jobs don't always make the most income and are probably the most volatile, if a company has to downsize they get rid of middle management before they get rid of people with skills other than management. We set goals and reach them and then we have to make more goals. It is a never ending cycle.

Sometimes we have goals that are not obtainable for no reason that we can control. Lives change change at the blink of an eye. I once was driving on the freeway and someone coming the opposite direction came off the freeway and into the median and flipped over and over again towards me. It almost hit me and I stopped and helped them. It was in December and there were Christmas gifts strewn over the median. The occupants were not hurt and were able to get out of the car on their own, after they were helped out of their seat belts because they were hanging upside down. I realized that there whole lives would be affected by that accident. One thing happens and your whole life can change. The goals you set can be changed by influences completely out of your control, whether it is an accident, another person changing their mind, or changes that are forced because of forces of nature. Goals change, lives change, people change ... but life continues and when you look back to that change you realize that you were made different from that change and maybe that is good and maybe that is bad, but there will be another change in the future. Resiliency is important and you have to have variety to be able to enjoy things! Someone told me last week that I need a hobby, and maybe that is why hobbies are so important, if you have a change in your life you can always look at your hobby as stability. Family and hobbies ... everyone should have one!!