Yesterday was a rather special day for me, as I achieved a goal I set over thirty years ago.  I do not wish to boast, but yesterday I arrived in the 100th country (Moldova) of my travelling life.  So what?!

 It is about setting goals that are challenging but attainable.  Whereas your longer term goals are likely other than travel, I know there is some very personal mystery or adventure that speaks to you.  You don’t have to justify your mission, but having one certainly adds purpose and meaning to your middle years when life can become rather same-same.

 In 1984, I started to travel with some eagerness and imagined milestones to encourage me to travel to places just a little further away and beyond my then comfort zone.  The first few milestones were timid but achievable; with persistence and planning I overcame them.  Then came the endurance part of putting in the time, resources and resolve to go to countries further afield and off most people’s map and curiosity level.  I matured skills and resilience, as there were many technical and physical challenges in the way of hitting the magic 100.  I learned to minimize my possessions and tolerate many discomforts. I learned where to put my effort and focus, and when to let go and be in the moment.  Eventually an intrepid traveler emerged.

 Perhaps this sounds like an athlete training for a major event or a young person planning their career.  Wonderfully, those training skills for sports and employment also apply to your personal agenda.  But even better, the exercises for achieving your private but real goals have a much longer time span to be realized and can create an immense amount of joy along the way.  Setting goals creates purpose and achievement; the building blocks of well-being. 

 Having a non-financial goal that may take twenty or thirty years to realize creates immense excitement as you plod through the regularity of life.  Fantasizing about the steps to get there and savouring the process sure makes getting up on a dreary Tuesday morning in winter special.

 Please conjure up your own challenging but attainable goal and invest the energy, skills, confidence and time to achieve it.  This purpose is so positive to your well-being.

 PS:  I have set a new goal of 120 countries by 2025.

 Reflection Source: www.Smallercup.org

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