Set a Crazy Goal

I don’t usually like New Year resolutions, probably, because I don’t like New Years.  I am not one who ever loved staying up late and the thought of a holiday being centered around midnight has no attraction to me.  New Years day is really just another day that is a little anti-climactic and for some, a day of recovery from too much drowning their sorrows or celebrating their successes the night before.

Now don’t get me wrong, I like goals.  I just don’t think you need to just set them on January 1.  But since tomorrow is the big day when lots of people are feeling the pressure to improve something it is just as good a day as any to make a commitment.

I am here to encourage you to set a crazy goal.  That is what I did on May 8^th when I decided to lose weight and raise money for the Food Bank at the same time.  I predicted I could lose 50 pounds and I lost 53.  I wanted to raise $50,000.  That was a much harder goal.  I asked, pleaded, begged and embarrassed myself into getting people to pledge money for every pound I could strip off.

Things were going fine on the dieting part, but the fund raising side was not as promising.  At the end of my campaign on November 1 I had commitments for about $38,000 and that was because I had lost three more pounds than I predicted.  I tried to get Ellen DeGeneres to mention the blog and the Food Bank on her show, to no avail.  $50,000 was just a crazy goal.

But crazy things do happen and as of today I have passed the $50,000 line with 202 gifts to the Food Bank.  I still have about 25 more pledges that I know will pay sometime so I am passing that goal big time.  I have to say, without that goal I don’t think I would have done it.

So what do you want to do this year?  Really dream big.  Don’t pick lots of little things or even lots of big things.  One or two life changing goals are enough.  Write them down, share them with everyone you know, make a plan, revisit the plan often, take small steps everyday to reach your goal, show up and don’t quit.

And even if I don’t like it as a holiday I want to wish you a happy New Year.  May 2013 be your best year yet.