Goal Geek

Go Team!I told myself I wouldn't succumb to that most common of blogger maladies: apologizing for delayed posts, and in my case, utter absence. Maintaining Goal Geek has represented a number of goals in itself for me. For one, I wanted to discipline myself to write regularly on a focussed topic. Secondly, I wanted to see if I could use this site as a spring board for bigger and better ideas. After six months of blogging very regularly, I decided I was tired and ready to take a vacation of sorts. The last two months of not posting has afforded me the opportunity to re-examine my motivations and goals while debating internally whether I should just shut the site down.

In the midst of these reflections, I recently received a submission via the contact form from "a loyal Goal Geek reader" wanting to make sure everything was okay. Wow. Talk about turning my thinking around and injecting some enthusiasm back into the mix! I can tell how many subscribers and unique visitors I have each day any time I want, but to have just one person check-in has made all the difference in keeping on track with this project and my related goals. (Thanks again, Joshua!)

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Here is a great way to get and stay motivated to keep working toward your goals: Join a contest or competition! From "The Biggest Loser" to fantasy stock market contests, competition has proven to be a popular way to stay focussed and make a game out of the necessary sacrifices of time and effort. Part of the appeal of a contest or competition is the social aspect; you may get to know your competitors well by working toward common goals. Certainly there is much to be gained in the form of knowledge and experience your competitors may bring to the table. Alternatively, maybe competition causes you to put forth your best efforts to prove to yourself and others what you are capable of. Better still are competitions that can be repeated, allowing you to compete against yourself by attempting to improve on your last effort.

Competitions have long been a part of academic, professional, and even hobbyist endeavors. On the academic side, there are contests for athletics, scholastics, the arts, etc. It isn't too hard to find competitions in these same areas for the adult non-student by searching the Internet. Professionally, who hasn't been a part of an incentive program of one sort or another? From friendly (or cut-throat) sales contests to competitive bids, there are any number of ways to incorporate competition and contests in the workplace. And for the hobbiest, look no further than photo contests, poetry contests, gardening, cooking...you name it. Get busy and get your head in the game - the local fair is just around the corner! ;)