Goals Give Me the Heebie-Jeebies

Do I have dreams?

Do I have aspirations?

NO! but I have a toilet bowl that’s spring-time fresh,

And I’m as pleased as punch to be a short order cook for a DOG!

~ Bev (the mother in Brad Bird's "Family Dog" episode of "Amazing Stories.")

I can’t help quoting favorite movies (although the above link isn’t a full-length movie, it’s less than 25 minutes).

Recently one of my daughters posted on social media several of the goals she had set and exceeded in 2025. She posted to inspire, not to brag and it was inspiring.

I’m not sure exactly why, but the word “goals” gives me the heebie-jeebies.

This daughter sets her goals for the year and chips away at them throughout the year. Being inspired by her post, I asked myself, “how can I accomplish my “dreams and aspirations” (as Bev’s quote came to mind) in MY way?

I realized being inspired by someone doesn’t mean doing it their way. The inspiration was in moving forward and making my life bigger than my status quo.

I have found for myself that 60-day goals are perfect for me. It just sits better with my nervous system.

Every 60 days, I decide what to continue, what to drop, and what to add next and so on, evaluating and tweaking every 60 days.

Setting intentions doesn't have to be complicated. Just follow three simple steps once you have some areas you'd like to improve.

First, find a word that resonates with you.

Here are a few but if none of them fit well for you, take them to the thesaurus or your preferred AI pal:

• Goals

• Aspirations

• Dreams

• Intentions

• Ambitions

• Visions

• Priorities

• Pursuits

• Commitments

• Aims

Second, find the time frame that suits your nervous system and doesn’t overwhelm you.

Do you want to set monthly goals? Do you like the 60-day package like me? How about quarterly or every 6 months? Maybe you are one of those that likes to see them all on paper for the whole year – go for it! If you go for the whole year, you may consider reverse engineering and break them down into smaller time frames.

Third, track with rewards.

This is a hack that works surprisingly well with most people, not just kids! Print out a tracking sheet so you can check off the days you do something towards your commitments. We use sticker charts for our kids when they do chores, get their homework done, or finish a reading lesson. Heck, they even get stickers or treats for going potty in the right place!

You may feel sheepish about tracking like this but give it a try. You may find it more motivating than you expect! Find a way that resonates with you. For me, a simple checkmark in a box is very satisfying. But you could get stickers that bring you a smile or fill a jar with coins or beads. Find some daily reward system that excites you.

And remember, each goal doesn’t have to be a daily practice. One of my ambitions is to write in a “Mindful Morning Journal” I got for Christmas. My desire is to write in this journal 3x per week.

Past me would have pushed to write every day and then if I missed a day, I’d often just stop because I already “failed” to meet my goal. I have more tools now and I don’t let one slip derail me, but 3x per week is progress over no times per week!

Let Burger King inspire you, and accomplish your aspirations, goals, dreams, or commitments your way! Let 2026 be a year of progress! Even 3% better is progress!

High five! ✋ 

P.S. If checkmarks make you happy (no judgment), I created a simple progress tracker you can download for free. You can use it for monthly, 60-day, or longer time frames. It’s flexible and designed to support progress—not perfection. Get it here: https://www.outofsmallthings.com/LPGoals

Want more than a blog pep talk? Go from reading to doing 👉 https://www.outofsmallthings.com/workwithme

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