My goals were simple when I was young. Be a starting defender on the soccer team. Save up the money to buy a cool car. Talk to women in hopes of a date. Most goals were relatively short term, and easily achieved or forgotten.
As we get older, setting goals becomes more important in shaping our lives. We each have a set of goals or a list of things in our mind we want to do in life. About five years ago, a friend sent me a link about writing goals and discussing with friends. The objective of the exercise was to vocalize goals, allowing friends to help you achieve them. Not surprisingly I was the only one in my group to make the list.
I was reminded of this Sunday, as the New York Times had an article about life lists. These goal lists are the new fad among baby boomers and Generation X’ers alike. It had been a while since I examined mine, so I decided to pull it out.