Welcome to AWN’s Monthly Recon Rendezvous! We’re so glad you’re here. As the name implies, Recon Rendezvous is a place of community and connection. It’s an opportunity to explore and learn about our fellow military supporters’ lives, victories, trials, and experiences.
Each month, we “rendezvous” here to provide information, resources, and encouragement. Thanks for contributing to your interactive empowerment for military spouses all around the globe!
Happy New Year, folks!
If you’ve been here longer than 14 seconds, you know I’m a sucker for lists, dreams and plans. Naturally, the new year brings a great opportunity to reflect on the past year and dream for the future. It’s a perfect time to set and achieve some new goals!
What better way to get some tips about hitting new goal-focused milestones than asking you? That’s what we did—we asked the following question on our Facebook page and the feedback we received was pretty inspirational.
What tips or tricks do you have for accomplishing goals? What is one of your most memorable, noteworthy, goal-related achievements?
Let’s see what our fans had to say about making the most of all things goal-worthy:
“Take baby steps!” — Alexa C.
“Writing things down is the best way to accomplish them. You can check them off as you go! Graduating from college was probably one of my most noteworthy achievements.” — Mary O.S
“I’m visual so I have to see my goal every day. I make it big and hang it in my bathroom. This year is focused on continuing our financial planning.” — Ivy A.P.
“My greatest achievement this year was transitioning from active military life. We pulled through as a stronger family as we moved from North Carolina to Alaska because we knew we wanted to find a way back after being stationed up here a couple years ago. My tip is to engage teamwork and perseverance by never giving up on your goals. Anything can be done with nothing.” — Sabrina G.
“My way of getting to my goals so far has been: Make a plan, but be willing to adjust it, take breaks if needed, but never give up. Also, my favorite motto is: ‘Be willing to learn. If you refuse to learn and grow you have given up the right to succeed.’ It helped me out years ago when I raised my seven other siblings while my mom was sick with cancer and eventually passed away. It helps me now through the many moves and lonely nights and days as a military spouse.” — Ashley S.W.
“My goal is to play and laugh more by not being so uptight about cleaning and managing the family. In doing so I need to be less hard on myself.” — Missy D.
“Set realistic goals and reward yourself in between when you’re still going strong!” — Bianca P.
“Once I get on a good roll, I keep rewarding myself. If I work out for four days straight, I give myself an easier workout on the fifth day.” — Jackie M.
“My tip is forgiveness! Don’t give up the first time you fail or stumble. Start over and keep on!” — Shelby D.C.
“The why is the biggest thing for me. My greatest goal achievement was losing 35 pounds while my hubby was deployed this year.” — Heidi L.
“Make your goals routine or easy to implement. I started keeping an old pair of tennis shoes under my desk at work once I decided I wanted to walk during my lunch hours. Then, when lunch time hit, it was easy to change my shoes and go! I do the same sort of thing when I want to use my elliptical. Come home, feed the cats, change to workout clothes, and knock it out. If I sit down or start doing something else it’s much harder to get that workout in. Those are my tips for fitness goals. I agree with a lot of the other comments, too, that writing down your goals helps a lot! My favorite goal achieved from 2017 was bringing my husband to my grandmother’s house so he could see it and the town I was born in.” — Angie A.
“Using a planner or journal.” — Amber B.
“Break down goals, they’re easier to achieve in steps.” — Nyrhtak K.
“Being stubborn helps me! I refuse to give up even when I fail, which we all do. We all jump off the goal wagon but then I give myself a pep talk and little pow wow in the mirror to snap out of it and start again until I get it done. Also, it’s important to keep in mind that Rome was not built in a day and same with my goal that I want to reach.” — Stephanie G. B.
“Keep your goals simple and your list realistic. My greatest goal achievement happened this year when I got in shape to fit my ball gown!” — Eve D.
“Biggest trick for me: staying positive. It’s so easy in life to find negativity in everything! It lurks around every corner. One of my greatest accomplishments was graduating from nursing school while my husband was deployed. School was physically and mentally challenging, and with my husband gone, I was emotionally drained as well. Keeping a positive attitude no matter what is what kept me going. You can find something good in everything. I also suggest watching The Office, which kept me laughing the entire time.” — Nicole J.
“Goals need to be written down in order to be accomplished. If it’s written down, you’ll hold yourself accountable. My most memorable goal achieved was completing the Spartan Race. I built my own obstacle course in the woods for practice, trained myself in running, and took 5 a.m. boot camp classes six months prior to the race to train. Making it through the race without injury and crossing the finish line was a very sweet moment!” — Wendi H.I.
Readers, we want to hear from you! What tips and tricks do you have for accomplishing your goals? What is your greatest goal achievement? Comment below!
I love reading these!
It’s nice to see how other people organize I really need to apply this stuff to my life because it is a hot mess 24/7
All of my goals get written down on my note pad. There are different categories that vary from daily goals weekly goals and so on. I also be sure and reward myself for completion 9f goals with trips to get coffee or Popeyes! My greatest goal accomplished this year would be self pacing myself back into college to finally finish what I had started.
I think somehow I’ve gotten away from specific goal-making. Over the past few years, I realized it was more important to just be here with my family. It was hard for me. I struggled and felt lost, but maybe that was God’s plan for what He was teaching me. I guess I try to make short-term goals/plans now. Things that I can work towards while still being present, all while trusting that God is leading. I think one important thing I’ve learned is that someone else’s goal may be awesome, but that doesn’t mean that same goal is meant for me.
Really want to focus my efforts in 2018 on spending quality time with our family and really building the relationships that God has placed in our life. I can be a perfectionist and can sometimes be to mine and my family’s default. The reality is that life can be rather messy and imperfect!! So I’m going to be EMBRACING the messy, imperfection!!
This year I made a few goals, but have not set deadlines for any of then. Instead, I simply allow them to happen when they happen, taking inspired action when it comes instead of obsessing over my goals.