“A dream becomes a goal when action is taken toward its achievement.” — Bo Bennett.

Growing up, we made goals.

Think back on every stage of your life. You had a goal.

When I was a kid, I wanted straight A's. I strove to get All-American recognition for water polo and aimed to swim in college.

In college, I pushed myself to graduate early and start a career. With kids and a husband, I helped them achieve their goals while saving for retirement.

Post-retirement, why should these goals stop? There are so many things I still want to do!

I'd love to quilt a blanket, compete in a Masters swim meet, and grow lavender for lavender lemonade. We'd love to take the grandkids to Disney and travel to Bali. I've always wanted to be a part of helping get water to communities or schools built for kids.

If I was a betting person, I bet you have a set of desires you would love to tackle. Why not start planning today?

Now is the moment for you to plan goals around what you want versus being torn between your goals and what others need.

It's your time. Set yourself up to do the things you have always wanted to with these three steps!

Imagine if all your wishes from 15 never evolved into where you are today! Yikes! To reflect on where you are today, ask yourself these inventory questions:

●What makes you excited?

●What is healthy for you?

●What gives you purpose?

●What do you consider fun?

●What inspires you to be creative?

●What allows you to feel independent?

These questions guide you to discover yourself and set goals based on that person.

Consider signing up for virtual challenges to keep inspiration. Or find a walking club to meet like-minded people.

Not all goals have to be enormous. I tend to overdo the coffee and need proper hydration. An ongoing goal of mine could be to drink the recommended amount of water per day.

When you create a goal - think about making it SMART. Each letter stands for a specific focus:

● Specific - "Read more" is a goal, but when do you know if you actually hit it? "Read one book a month" is a specific goal you can definitively say you hit.

● Measurable - "Complete a Sudoku puzzle a day" or "spend $50 or less eating out each week" is measurable.

● Attainable - Sometimes, we make goals so high or unreasonable no one can actually achieve them. I would love to be a millionaire by winning the lottery, but that's not an attainable goal. If the goal is too big to be feasible - you are not likely to continue on it.

● Relevant - If you are vacationing in Spain, you may want to learn a handful of terms. A goal could be "complete 20 minutes of Duo Lingo daily until our vacation."

● Timely - When you bind your goal with time, you are more likely to stick to it than put it off.

You have every right to reward your achievements.

Find an accountability buddy or group. It helps if they have the same interests or goals. Check-in with each other. This helps you keep your motivation.

Finally, if your goal needs help from outside sources, plan out those resources. Your library is a strong resource for helping you match up with professionals or others with similar interests.

Remember - the goal isn't perfection - it is the beauty of working on achieving something important to you.

So, go make some goals! The team here at Vibriance and the entire Positive Aging Community will be cheering you on the whole way! Cheers to You, Positive Aging, and Goal Setting!