Goal Setting: Making Every Moment Count

The start of a New Year is usually fraught with good intentions. Great plans to change this and that. Goals aplenty, to move us from here to there. To make life better. To feel a sense of progress. Maybe to even silence some nagging regrets.

Ah, goal setting promises so much…

Yet once life happens, resolutions evaporate as quickly as a brief early morning-shower of rain in the midday heat. Good intentions often don’t even make the 1st of February. But … but that’s okay. I think too many people shrug off even making a few resolutions because they’ve failed to keep them in the past. When they were younger and more naïve.

But what if one sticks?

Dreaming is a good thing. Without a sense of vision, we wander around in circles. And in a flurry of good intentions, there may just be a spark of resolution that changes your life. What if of the many good intentions you have, one or two take root?

I think life experience and wisdom should lead to goal setting that is balanced. Where the challenges we’ll face are factored in and potential obstacles are accounted for. But I don’t we think should stop dreaming or expressing our desire to improve. There’s an old adage that says, if you’re not growing, you’re dying. There’s a lot of truth in that. If we settle for average, that’s all we’ll ever get.

Goal Setting: Realistic or Far Fetched?

So, what is my goal for this year? Well, I’d like to photograph newborns from every suburb of Melbourne.

Realistic? Let me see. Let me do a quick bit of research on what this would entail. Here are the suburbs of Melbourne:

First, the inner city Melbourne, such as Carlton, Carlton North, East Melbourne, Jolimont, Flemington, Kensington, North Melbourne, Port Melbourne, Fishermans Bend, Parkville, Southbank, South Yarra, West Melbourne, Docklands, Batman’s Hill, Yarra’s Edge, Albert Park, Balaclava, Elwood, Middle Park, Port Melbourne, Beacon Cove, Garden City, Ripponlea, St Kilda, South Melbourne, Abbotsford, Alphington, Burnley, Clifton Hill, Collingwood, Cremorne, Fairfield, Yarra Bend, Fitzroy, Princes Hill and Richmond. Then the Northern Suburbs of Melbourne, such as Bellfield, Briar Hill, Bundoora, Eaglemont, Eltham North, Greensborough, Heidelberg, Ivanhoe, Lower Plenty, Macleod, Montmorency, Rosanna, St Helena, Viewbank, Watsonia, Yallambie, Alphington, Mt Cooper, Fairfield, Kingsbury, Northcote, Preston, Reservoir, Regent, Thornbury, Attwood, Broadmeadows, Bulla, Campbellfield, Clarkefield, Coolaroo, Craigieburn, Dallas, Gladstone Park, Greenvale, Jacana, Kalkallo, Keilor, Meadow Heights, Mickleham, Konagaderra Springs, Oaklands Junction, Oaklands Park, Roxburgh Park, Somerton, Sunbury, Jacksons Hill, Goonawarra, Tullamarine, Westmeadows, Wildwood, Yuroke, Aberfeldie, Airport West, Ascot Vale, Avondale Heights, Essendon, Newmarket, Moonee Ponds, Niddrie, Strathmore, Travancore, Brunswick, Moonee Vale, Coburg, Coburg North, Merlynston, Newlands, Fawkner, Glenroy, Westbreen, Gowanbrae, Hadfield, Oak Park, Pascoe Vale, Coonans Hill, Diamond Creek, Doreen, Eltham, Hurstbridge, Midhurst, Kinglake, Kangaroo Ground, Plenty, St Andrews, North Warrandyte, Watsons Creek, Wattle Glen, Yan Yean, Yarrambat, Laurimar, Eden Park, Epping, Lalor, Mernda, Mill Park, South Morang, Thomastown, Wollert, Woodstock and Whittlesea. Next, the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne, such as Ashburton, Balwyn, Deepdene, Bellevue, Greythorn, Camberwell, Canterbury, Glen Iris, Hawthorn, Glenferrie, Kew, Surrey Hills, Bayswater, Boronia, Ferntree Gully, Knoxfield, Lysterfield, Rowville, Scoresby, The Basin, Wantirna, Bulleen, Doncaster, Donvale, Park Orchards, Templestowe, Warrandyte, Wonga Park, Bayswater North, Croydon, Heathmont, Ringwood, Warranwood, Blackburn, Laburnum, Bellbird, Box Hill, Kerrimuir, Houston, Burwood, Bennettswood, Wattle Park, Tally Ho, Forest Hill, Mitcham, Heatherdale, Mont Albert, Nunawading, Vermont, Badger Creek, Belgrave, Chirnside Park, Chum Creek, Coldstream, Dixons Creek, Don Valley, Ferntree Gully, Ferny Creek, Gruyere, Healesville, Hoddles Creek, Kallista, Kalorama, Kilsyth, Launching Place, Lilydale, Macclesfield, Menzies Creek, Millgrove, Monbulk, Montrose, Mooroolbark, Mount Dandenong, Mount Evelyn, Narre Warren, Olinda, Sassafras, Selby, Seville, Sherbrooke, Silvan, Tecoma, The Patch, Tremont, Upwey, Wandin, Warburton, Wesburn, Woori Yallock, Yarra Glen, Yarra Junction, Yellingbo and Yering. And the South-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, such as Beaumaris, Black Rock, Brighton, Cheltenham, Hampton, Highett, Sandringham, Avonsleigh, Bayles, Beaconsfield, Beenak, Bunyip, Caldermeade, Cardinia, Catani, Clematis, Cockatoo, Cora Lynn, Dalmore, Dewhurst, Emerald, Garfield, Gembrook, Guys Hill, Heath Hill, Iona, Koo Wee Rup, Lang Lang, Maryknoll, Modella, Monomeith, Mount Burnett, Nangana, Nar Nar Goon, Officer, Pakenham, Rythdale, Tenby Point, Tonimbuk, Toomuc Valley, Tooradin North, Tynong, Vervale, Yallock, Yannathan, Berwick, Cannons Creek, Clyde, Cranbourne, Doveton, Endeavour Hills, Eumemmering, Five Ways, Hallam, Hampton Park, Harkaway, Lynbrook, Lysterfield South, Narre Warren, Pearcedale, Tooradin, Warneet, Bangholme, Dandenong, Keysborough, Lyndhurst, Noble Park, Springvale, Carrum Downs, Frankston, Langwarrin, Skye, Seaford, Kananook, Karingal, Bentleigh, Caulfield, Carnegie, Elsternwick, Glen Huntly, McKinnon, Murrumbeena, Ormond, Aspendale, Bonbeach, Braeside, Carrum, Chelsea, Clarinda, Clayton South, Dingley Village, Edithvale, Heatherton, Highett, Mentone, Moorabbin, Mordialloc, Parkdale, Patterson Lakes, Waterways, Ashwood, Chadstone, Clayton, Glen Waverley, Hughesdale, Huntingdale, Monash, Mount Waverley, Mulgrave, Notting Hill, Oakleigh, Wheelers Hill, Armadale, Glen Iris, Kooyong, Malvern, Prahran, South Yarra, Toorak and Windsor. Finally, the Western suburbs of Melbourne, such as Ardeer, Cairnlea, Calder Park, Deer Park, Delahey, Derrimut, Kealba, Kings Park, St Albans, Sunshine, Sydenham, Taylors Lakes, Altona, Brooklyn, Laverton, Newport, Spotswood, Williamstown, Braybrook, Footscray, Kingsville, Maidstone, Maribyrnong, Seddon, Tottenham, West Footscray, Yarraville, Burnside, Caroline Springs, Diggers Rest, Hillside, Kurunjang, Melton, Ravenhall, Rockbank, Hoppers Crossing, Laverton North, Mambourin, Point Cook, Tarneit, Truganina, Werribee and Wyndham Vale.

Yikes! Okay, a tad unrealistic.

So, let me refine the goal. I want to photograph newborns from all over Melbourne making sure that every session is unique and special to the clients I have.

Now I’m onto something. Far more realistic. The “all over Melbourne” part enlarges my thinking; the “every session” part focuses my efforts.

There are many advantages to goal setting, but among the best things about making resolutions is that it energises you to make every moment count. Rather than just drifting, wandering (and wondering), and floating around, goals sharpens us. Resolutions make us more alert. We snap out of the brain fog and treasure the moments that arise.

So, go ahead. Set some goals. Aim high but be real. And if you miss a few targets, no sweat. There’s always next year. But just imagine if you hit a few?

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