Goals for Spring 2009

I haven't thought about goals in quite a while, so I wanted to get a rough framework down for them here. Perhaps I'll start by mentioning a point or two in each category, then sometime in the coming week flesh out this post into a full goals checklist.

Family

• I've been doing a fair job with spending time with my kids, especially reading to them and playing board games with them. Still need to work on my patience.
• Need to make more one on one time with the Mrs. Also more dates.
  

Social

• I've been meeting some new people, especially to play board games. Need to push myself to go to more social gatherings when possible.
• I've been keeping closer contact with several of my long distance friends and family, which is great. I need to continue to enlarge that sphere.
  

Gaming

• I've been playing lots of board games, both in person and online. I still need to meet more people in the area who play games, and introduce board games to more people I already know.
• I would love to attend a board game convention this year.
  

Professional

• I'm not sure what to do in this category. I'm beginning to feel stagnant at my job so I either need to somehow mix things up a bit and find a way to push myself more, or find a new job. I'll need to engage in some deep thinking here very soon.

Financial

• This is a tough category in this economic climate. I've lost a bunch of money on paper, especially in my retirement accounts. However, I've also been able put a lot of money away as the market has slid, so in the long run this will be quite advantageous. My only goal is to continue to invest at these great prices.
• As far as emergency fund, I need to get get back to 10k since this summer could be light on cash for the family, and we need to have liquid assets available for any future changes of plans (Mrs. going back to school, relocating to new area, etc.) Ultimately my financial goal is balancing between taking advantage of great stock prices and maintaining a solid emergency fund.
  

Intellectual

• I've been listening to lots of board game podcasts, and I'd like add some history and science ones to my list. Dan Carlin's Hardcore History is the first I'll try.
• Reading has been on my back shelf for a little while now, but I need to bring it back to prominence, both for enjoyment and for intellectual improvement.
• I'm not sure if writing in my blog counts as an intellectual undertaking, but I've definitely been doing well with it, and need to find a way I can maintain a steady output.
  

Physical

• During the fall and early winter I walked to work quite a bit, which is a great way to get exercise. I need to place more emphasis on this activity this spring.
• One reason for the importance of walking is that I have not made going to the gym a priority at all. It seems as if I don't have the time for it, though obviously I could make time if I really wanted. I need to decide if this is really essential, or if frequent walking is enough to stay fit.
  

Spiritual

• I have done little to no spiritual exploration as of late. Last year I did meet with the local Mormon missionaries long enough to understand what they believe and where they're coming from. It's debatable whether their Church is even really a religious institution (many would call it a cult), but regardless is certainly not for me! I need to make the time to find my spiritual niche.