Goals and Mindset

My mother is a very smart and determined lady. Growing up, my siblings
and I always knew one thing about our mother—when she set herself to
accomplish something, she will accomplish it! There was never any
question. She would make her plans known and stay focused until it was
completed. Nothing was impossible to her. She just acted as if she had
already achieved the goal, and this made the impossible possible.

I am so privileged to have witnessed this and it has done wonders for
my life. Instead of having New Year's resolutions, I have goals. I set
my goals, make them known, and then go through the process of staying
focused until I've accomplished them. Looking back, I remember some of
the bigger goals that I've set.

1997 - I wanted to buy a baby grand for my daughter as a Christmas
gift. Eliza was only 9 years old, playing wonderful music, and her
piano teacher said she would soar even more if she had a good piano at
home where she could practice. I worked really hard to earn enough to
buy the piano and with my husband's help, we had the baby grand
delivered one ordinary day in August. I still remember Eliza’s face
when she saw what was being delivered, then she sat at the piano and
played for almost two hours.

2000 - I had not seen my paternal grandmother for decades and when I
heard that she was beginning to lose her memory, I set the goal to
have enough money to have my husband and kids meet her. She lived in
Australia—that would take a lot of funds. I wore a kangaroo pin
everyday to remind me of my goal. By that summer I had enough to buy
the plane tickets and had a wonderful month with her. She passed away
two years later.

2006 - With my four children all grown, it was a perfect time for them
to see the Philippines—the country where my husband and I grew up. All
the kids had their busy school and sports activities, so I knew this
was going to be a huge challenge to get them all together for a summer
vacation. I told them early in the year that the goal was to go to the
Philippines that summer. They didn't think it would be possible, yet
they also understood that with the goal set in place, there was a
great possibility they would be packing their bags for the tropics. We
spent the whole month of August traveling throughout my homeland—the
experience was priceless.

I could go on and on about goals and why you should set them. But
basically, it works! Take the time to put one together.

• Write down your goal in a place where you can see it every day. 
• Tell people about your goal. 
• Set a deadline on when you plan to achieve it. 
• Then stay focused, keep a positive mindset, and don't let anything take you off course.

You will be amazed by how your mind will train your body to do
what needs to be done. Like the line in the song "Believe" from the
Polar Express says... "Believe in what you feel inside and give your
dreams the wings to fly. You have everything you need if you just
believe."