Short Term Goals (one or two weeks):

• P – get up when my alarm goes off
• P – create monthly budget
• B – write prioritized to-do list daily
• B – enroll in one class
• H – attend 6 yoga classes

Long Term Goals (this quarter or longer):

• P – read at least one book per month
• P – stick to budget
• B – set up online portfolio
• B – post consistently at design blogs (3x/week)
• B – meet all (accepted) delivery dates
• H – never a week shall pass w/o gym workout

I have a long history of occasionally putting together lists like this, but in the old days they’d sit in a spiral-bound notebook, where they could easily be hidden and then forgotten altogether. No more. This public spectacle is an animal of a different stripe, and meant as a symbolic gesture (to my subconscious) of the seriousness and sincerity of my commitments.

As we all know, if you don’t set goals, you are not likely to achieve them. There are snappier versions of that old truism/cliche but in this case the phrase is apt. What’s more, declaration of such goals to friends and family is a tangible action, and a brings with it a much higher level of awareness than those old notebooks could ever manage (although I have berated myself after re-discovering such lists, after months of neglect).

So here goes. Wish me luck!

It was a tough gig, although it had it’s fair share of perks. One of the perks was that I spent up to several hours a day driving my Honda Accord around the Bay Area highways and byways, often listening to sports talk radio or, alternatively, my collection of the 7 Habits. Over the two years I spent at that job, I listened to the whole series of five tapes probably 10 times. After a while, the principals and teachings of Stephen R. Covey became pretty ingrained in my brain. For someone as hungry and ambitious but maddeningly disorganized and procrastinating as I was, those tapes were about the best damn influence I could have had: a set of tools to manage my own thoughts, goals, and behaviors – a set of tools that I had pretty much completely lacked up until that point.

…

Another huge influence on my being are the Buddhist teachings of Nichiren Daishonin. The core principals of Cause and Effect, the power of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, and the realization that I am connected to all other things in the universe – these concepts and tools have shaped the way I view the world, how I think about things, and how I behave, since I was very young. Buddhism has given me a moral compass, forms a core pillar of my self identity. Guess who introduced me to Buddhism? My mom, who has been practicing since I was just 2 years old.

Riding the bus to work the other day, it occurred to me what a profound impact these two things have had on my life, and just how much my Mom has influenced me vis-à-vis these two things. Along with my involvement in sports and my higher education, these teachings form the intellectual and philosophical cornerstones of my being. And without my mom, it’s highly likely that I’d lack them completely.

How bout that. Thanks, Mom.

…but how does one tune into that little voice to hear the musings of the soul.