Who needs a new year to set goals?!?

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I don't know if it's just me,  but something about the cooler weather and impending holidays has always stirred my inner desires to "do something"...and I don't mean shop.  Although I am a New Year's Resolution maker, some of my most defining moments and goal setting/accomplishments have happened in the fall or winter.  When I first started running it was during the week of Thanksgiving many, many moons ago.  When I broke out of my comfort zone and left for a 4 day Green Tortoise adventure to Death Valley (not knowing a single soul...and on what one might consider a "hippie bus") is was in late October.  And, when I started attending the Ashram is was in the rainy month of November.

Here's a look at the bus (it's a bit newer than the one I was on but had the same layout):

So, I guess it should come a no surprise that I am getting "the itch" to do some goal setting, even though New Years is still a month away.  Of course, I do have a major life changing event coming soon...my wedding on Christmas Day...so I won't be hoping on some bus headed for Baja California for 15 days in December (I will however, be spending 20 days in beautiful North Lake Tahoe) but I will be focused on a few new (or not so new) goals.

Because I believe in accountability, I'm posting my goals here.  I'm hoping it will also help to have a place to refer back to should I lose sight of my intensions.  I am of the mindset that by writing down my goals I am more likely to achieve them.  It works for me...and honestly, I find that life can get busy and my mind cluttered, which means if I don't write my goals down there is a good chance I will forget some of the details.  I am also still working on the way I set my goals.  I know they should be specific and measurable...which is another reason to write them out.  Sure, it's easy to remember to "exercise more" but not so easy to remember "exercise a minimum of 25 hours per month" (at least for me).

So, here we go:

Goal 1: Complete the Insanity 60 Day Workout Program.

Goal 2: Meditate a minimum of 10 minutes per day at least 3 times per week (nail mat optional).

Goal 3: Declutter, sell, and/or give away all of the worldly possessions we will be unable to take with us after retirement Dec 2012. (I'll have to write a post about this whole thing soon but basically we are going to be fulltime RVers, traveling the country in about a year).

Goal 3: Find a source for publishing my dad's short stories...even if it's through self-publishing.

This last goal is near and dear to my heart.  It's part of my healing process.  My father, who was killed in a car accident 2 years ago, was a difficult person to figure out.  It was only after his death, when I found a journal and notes he had written, that I even began to understand some of his actions and thoughts.  And, of course, in retrospect, had he shared those thoughts and feelings with me and my sister our entire relationship would have been different...better...more forgiving.  I think he was an amazing writer but found that his self-esteem was so shattered that he never believed in himself or his capabilities.  I guess I want to somehow prove to him that he was talented.  Perhaps my intensions are a little self-serving as well because, you see, I am a lot like him.  So, perhaps if I can do this for him I will also be proving to myself that I am worthy.  Does that make me selfish?  This one is deep...and it is a terrifying goal.  Shoot, give me exercise and diet over this any day!!

What are your thoughts on goals?  Do you find yourself more 'successful' or motivated at different times of the year?