Have you ever focused so much on an upcoming event in your life to the point that when it’s over, you’re not sure what else to focus on? For the last year, I talked about how I was turning 40. For the last month, I talked nonstop about how this was the month I was turning 40. And now, guess what? I’m 40 (as if you didn’t know).

The good news is that I’m not focusing what age I’ll be anymore (or at the moment), the, well *interesting* news is that I don’t have to contemplate life at 40 so much because I’m there (not much different from 39). In October, I decided not to do goals because I just wanted to reflect on my life and think about where I wanted it to go (yeah, I’m slightly embarrassed by this). Now that it’s November I want to have some goals again.

So far, my experience of goal setting has been uneven. Sometimes I like having the goal because I have something to work towards and report back on (my running distance goals, book reading goals [no book reading goal in October... no books read! that must change], and of course, the goal to volunteer at the animal shelter). Others I feel like I hustle to get done, basically for the sake of reporting them on the blog. So I’m trying to think of goals that are more things I really want to accomplish in a concrete way (some of them seem to be “in my head” goals, where it sounds good when I think of it, but I don’t want to carry it out in reality [I like cooking, but for some reason, the cooking goals I set do feel more chorelike]).

I may have also cornered myself with my “countdown goal” structure (where I base my goals around the numbers 5, 4, 3, 2, 1). But, I do still like that structure, so I’m going to give it another whirl. Yep, all that being said, I want to have some goals for this month. Maybe next month I won’t (sound familiar [again] Cathy?) But I really want my goals to help me get things I want to do done…so my thoughts for November are:

Get 50 percent of my holiday gift shopping done [totally self-serving, it will keep me sane in December if I can pull this off]!

I would like to read 400 book pages in November.

I’ve got my running distance up to 6.1 miles, so in November, I’d like it to be 6.5 (or 3.25 miles x 2).

I would like to make at least 2 updates or changes to this blog (I’ve had this domain for almost a year and aside from new posts, have changed very little despite often saying I’d like to add/change things around a bit).

I would like to have 1 “spa” experience…whether a manicure, or using the gift card I was given to a local spa, or even a home facial.

And those are the hopes for November…I’ll admit to not being sure if I can call 50 percent on presents unless I make lists with the firm idea that I won’t get that person anything that isn’t on it!

Another goal for November? Not to see any of this:

the view from our kitchen on Saturday, October 29

Seriously?

So, going back to the beginning, have you ever spent so much time focused on one event that you didn’t know what to do with yourself when it was over? Please describe!