Dreamer? or Doer?
Goals help us bridge the gap between dreaming and doing. I’ve been big on goals since starting Sierra Madre - goals stretch us and move us to action. They give us a reason to get up early and can really be a lot of fun (contrary to popular belief). They aren’t always easy and sometimes we bite off way more than we can chew, but all in all goals provide a lot of inner energy and create the will and plans we dreamers need to do the impossible.
Juli and I always set aside time together (alone, no kids, hallelujah 🙌) to work on our annual goals.
We like to break our goals down into five simple categories:
- Spiritual
- Kids (Family)
- Health
- Work
- Experiences
The Experiential
The experiential segment might be last, but make no mistake - it’s basically (and selfishly) our favorite. Juli and I love experiencing the world, seeing new places, and doing new things. Traveling, camping, climbing, hiking, mountaineering, and paddling are just a few of our favorites.
As we ‘planned’ out our year, we began to realize it was (finally) time to put more energy back towards our family’s experiences. Raising 3 toddlers can really take it out of you, but our kids are getting old enough now (two 4 year olds and a 2 year old) that they can scramble around and keep up with us (kinda). So we set out a few ambitious goals for our family and also our personal goals.
Here’s how I landed on my Top 3 Experiential Goals for 2020.
After putting in an incredible amount of work and energy into Sierra Madre in 2019, I realized very quickly that I had begun to neglect what got me into Sierra Madre to begin with - experiences in the WILD! Maybe you can relate, life gets busy, we’re pulled a million different directions every day. It’s easy to get in the grind and wake up old. (can’t tell you how many times my elders have said this to me) As a man of action, I refuse to let life drift by - I’d much rather be intentional than passive. Setting these experiential goals are the first step for me - what’s your first step?
My Top 3 Goals for 2020
They aren’t magical, but I’m excited about them and maybe they’ll inspire you!
- SLEEP OUTSIDE, I’m putting time on the calendar every single month to get outside and enjoy an overnight (or 3) in the wild, in 20 different locations. Some might shake their head at this, haha, why sleep outside when you've got a house? Well thankfully my go-to air camp system keeps me just as comfy as my home bed - but the peace that comes with being outside is the real answer here - try it!
- GREEN SMOOTHIES, Health is one of those things we all know we’re supposed to do but pending your will power (or lack thereof) it can be super challenging. This year I’m drinking a green smoothie every day, simple but very effective to help me start thinking more about what I eat. Ultimately, i want this machine to last - I'd love to show my kids' kids (can't bring myself to say grand kids yet) how to build a campfire one day.
- CLIMB TWICE A WEEK, Climbing is one of my secret passions - there’s something freeing about focusing on one single activity. An activity that forces unadulterated focus from your body and mind. Being in shape to do this really adds up to being able to enjoy the wild MORE and this is a huge personal pillar for me.
That’s it - super simple yet I know that if I do these three things I’ll feel like I crushed my overarching goal of “Getting outside more” in 2020.
I’d really love to hear your top three for the year? Comment your goals for 2020 below!
If you’ve already got your goals, but not sure how to make sure you keep them - be sure to check out this blog ~ “Keeping those Pesky New Year Resolutions" to learn my 4 step formula to crushing your new year goals!
Cheers, Richard
