Kendra Pierce
December 5, 2013
Gerald Giles
Written Goal Evaluation
Social
Goal- Become more comfortable talking to people I don’t know. Start working towards becoming more comfortable speaking in front of crowds and/or groups.
Summary
I have put a lot of work into this one. It has been a little bit difficult for me because I get fairly shy around people that I don’t know but I have made a conscious effort to go out of my way and make “small conversation” with people that I normally wouldn’t have. I think as I do this more and more it has been getting easier and easier. I decided to combine this one with my service project and teach the fourth grade an art lesson. To some this might be simple but for me it was very intimidating knowing that all of the attention was going to be focused on me and their whole project was based around what I taught them. I was very nervous but I pushed through it and once I started it and got it going it became much easier. I have a time scheduled to go back and do another art lesson. Every little it of exposure will help me get through this goal with the best possible outcome.
Spiritual
Goal- BECOME MORE IN TUNE TO WHAT MY BELIEFS OF A HIGHER POWER ARE.
Summary
I think reading the book Constructing a life philosophy has really helped me with this goal. I grew up as part of the LDS Church. We were taught to never seek another religion so I never really got to explore what other options there were. When I fell away from the church I don’t necessarily think it was because I stopped believing what they were teaching but more so that I didn’t agree with some of the teachings. I haven’t had the time to explore different religions but I have become very interested in the teachings of this book. I feel like it has shown me what other possibilities there are and “allowed” me to explore them more in depth. I will continue to work towards finding what I believe until I know that what I find it what I whole hearted believe.
Wealth
Goal- Monitor and document where I am spending money as well cut back spending to an as need basis. No more buying frivolous items or wasting money on things I do not need.
Summary
This has been one of my favorite goals to work on because it involves saving money instead of spending it. Spending money is so much fun but after there is always a feeling of guilt. Through this upcoming holiday season I have been particularly careful about what I allow myself to classify as a need and what I classify as a want. My husband and I have chosen to limit our Christmas quite a bit. We went through a lot of our belongings and got rid of what we don’t need. It would make no sense to us, to go back out and buy more stuff that we don’t need. Our children understand why we are cutting back and have mostly been ok with limiting their Christmas lists. I have done fairly well through other times as well not just holiday stuff. I have started to shop online a lot more then I have in the past. This allows me to buy the item I am looking for and not leave the store with lots of “great deal must haves” that I usually pick up while I am running in to get that one item. I would say this goal has been a success.
AESTHETICS
Goal- Pay more attention to the beauty of nature.
Summary
I have been amazed at the outcome from this goal. We are surrounded by such beautiful things every day and before this class I did not see the beauty that others saw in our surroundings. I have taken time to look at my surroundings and look at the beauty in each thing. I have lived in Utah for 27 years and I am just now seeing all the beautiful colors that surround us in the fall. The mountains are incredible, the sunsets and sunrises are beyond gorgeous and the people that surround us are all unique in their own way. This has been an eye opening experience for me and I can’t wait to see the beauty in so many other things as my life goes on.
Control
Goal- To become more confident with the decisions I make.
Summary
This goal is still a work in progress. I knew from the beginning that this change would not be complete over night. I have many obstacles that I have to get over to accomplish this. I was in an abusive relationship for 4 years (not to long ago) and during that time I was not “allowed” to make my own decisions. If I tried I was blamed for everything that didn’t go right with my decision. I quickly learned to not make any decision so that I could not be handed the wrath of a bad choice. This is mostly why I created the goal so that I could overcome that part of my life and start to gain control of my own decisions regardless of the outcome. I have made it a point to stand up for my decision over the last month or so and I know the more I work towards this, the better I will become at perfecting it.
Creativity
Goal- Become a better problem solver by using creative methods.
Summary
I think this goal has turned out to be very successful. My main focus when I wrote this goal was directed to my children. It seems like they are always fighting and arguing and so on. I felt as if everything I did go through one ear and out the other, nothing seemed to work for me. I have been working on coming up with new ways to solve problems and it seems so be working well so far. I realize that this goal will never be 100% complete and it will be one that I will always need to work toward and look for improvement but I am very proud of myself for putting in the effort needed to help them through the problems instead of masking them with temporary solutions.
Family
Goal- Spend more quality time with each of my children individually.
Summary
This is another one that will always need attention, but I do feel like I have made a great improvement with spending time with each of them. I have found little bits of time that we squeeze in between all the chaos and made sure that they each get a few minutes of my undivided attention every day. This can be a conversation in the car or cuddling up on the coach for a quick book reading. Even studying spelling words in private with just the child and me with the other kids doing something else. I have tried to incorporate all the time I can in helping them feel more loved and appreciated individually. I have seen a great improvement in our relationships and also in their school work
Humanity
Goal - Find enjoyment in being around others.
Summary
I have done really well with this goal. Prior to writing these goals I got irritated with people fairly easy. Simple things would set me off and I would loose my patience from that point on. I am really trying to focus on the big picture and not so much every individual word or action of the people I am around for that moment. There was one night inparticular that I was being tested to the max. I was at an event with my husband and it seemed like everywhere I turned there were people saying or doing things that bothered me. Instead of acting on my instinct I thought about the whole situation and chose to remove myself from the scene for a little bit. My husband was amazed at my actions and I felt so good after for keeping my cool and bringing myself back around and not letting that ruin the night. I will continue to work on this, as this will be one that needs lots of attention and focus over time.
Physical
Goal - Loose a total of 20 pounds by exercising 4 times a week and eating healthier foods.
Summary
I am half way to my goal and still have a few weeks to finish it out in time. I have been exercising like crazy and I have learned to love it. I have used self-talk that I learned in the “What to say when you talk to yourself book” and have trained my mind to see exercising as a part of my life and not as an option. I feel like my whole lifestyle has changed as I have progressed with this goal. I may not have the weight numbers to show it yet but I feel so much better both mentally and physically.
Renown
Goal- Have the confidence I need to stand up for myself when credit is due.
Summary
This has been a great obstacle to work on. I have always been fairly intimidated with standing up for myself but I have found that I have done it a few times in the last few months and a few of those times it almost felt natural, which is great. As long as this is done the right way and not in a self conceded or rude manner I think it is very appropriate to stand up for credit when credit is due. I found myself in the middle of a group project for another class where all the other group members were slacking and expecting me to do the work. I did the work but then emailed the teacher and explained how things were going. I felt bad for “throwing the others under the bus” but I felt great for standing up for my self and my hard work. I think this is a great goal for me to continue to work on, and I hope sometime soon it will become a part of the way I think and not have to be something that I have to analyze prior to speaking up.
