Do you have long term goals?

[Fallout]

Thought it would be interesting to see what the spread is on this forum. How many of you have firm long term goals and are working towards them? It can be as modest as getting a certain job and getting the right house, or as crazy as moving to a mountain and building a love palace. And in contrast, who of you haven't got a scoobydoo, and are living day by day either not caring, or with no clue what you're doing and what to aim for.

I kind of assume most people have SOME long term goals, even if they're not sure, but perhaps I'm wrong. I'll post up 4 options, me thinks.

[Wideboy]

Yes professional millionaire.

I will own my own joinery firm one day, I've had offers for partnerships but partners cause agro


Either that or win the lottery, which hol said I would

[jambo]

As I stated in the interview for my current job "I don't think I'm really a 5 year plan kind of guy. I mean, I joined here to build some servers on a 3 month contract 2 1/2 years ago and I'm now interviewing to run the all your infrastructure projects. That's not exactly a route I would have planned, but I'm interested in the role, I think I'd be good at it, and the fact I'm still sat here shows I'm not the sort of person that quits as soon as anything else pops up".

Got the job.

[Thunderace]

To ride or not to ride?

That is the question!

My medium term goal is to get myself a medal, then get out of this sh*t ridden job!

After that who knows?

[Jayneflakes]

You need a another option, some of us have reached very hard goals and then had to find new ones. :smt064

I remember that I cried after successfully lead climbing my first E2 when I was a climbing Instructor, because I was so proud to have completed it. I did have plans to take my climbing further and one day reach MIC, but that fell by the way side when my health failed me.

What I have now though is for the very first time in my life, is a real feeling of peace and of being settled, so goals I have now are more basic and to do with being with my partner. If anything, my goal these days is to spread happiness and kindness when ever I can, to help those who share my passion and spread the love. :smt054

Oh hell, I have become a damn hippy! Someone shoot me in the face right now? :smt067

[BigBaddad]

I'm working my way to very early retirement. I want to do lots of traveling

I'm also working on world domination, mwahahaha.

[metalangel]

In two weeks I finally realize a 14 year-long goal of returning to Canada, which has been delayed by over a decade (though I'm not complaining... much) by Mrs Metal. This leads into a one year course at college leading into a three year course, where I'll come out the other end an ASL interpreter.

Up until the start of this year, the Canada goal was always there but I had no real plan in mind on how we were going to achieve it.

[Littlepeahead]

I think it's still Ewan McGregor in the long term but I'll settle for a long weekend with Fallout in the short term.

(I'm talking about my goal to ride round the world of course)

[Bri w]

Too old for long term goals ;)

I guess there are some things I'd like for the future but in all honesty I'm enjoying the now too much to worry about tomorrow.

[missyburd]

As long as I am happy and able to put fuel in my bike, be with friends and continue with my hobbies then I can take each day as it comes, I don't do forward planning. Anything can happen between now and the best made plans, I'd rather just enjoy the here and now.

[Bibio]

done most of them apart from finishing my BSc

only thing i have as a goal at the moment is to get a man shed and i might just decorate the house but i think that's a bit to much of a goal/task.

an ambition is to tour Europe for about 6 months.

[robh539]

Fallout mine is to win the euromillions tonight, falling that alarmbal you or make it to Friday. ;)

I think it's still Ewan McGregor in the long term but I'll settle for a long weekend with Fallout in the short term.

(I'm talking about my goal to ride round the world of course)

Cottage for two please lol

[tigersaw]

My first job was working in a garden centre. I want to retire and then do it again. Or own one.

[NTECUK]

To old to attain the ones I wanted when I was a teenager.
Now its just to see my son happy and settled.
Just live each day at a time.

[Ch00]

Have some small goals to aim for, plan on taking the skippers exam next March so it will be head in the books for the next 6 months.

[MattCollins]

Done and dusted. It hasn't been an easy road, but now I can do what I want, when I want.

[Winder]

To see as much of the world as possible. I've got a list of places/things I want to visit and explore pinned to my wardrobe and I try to tick one off each year. Some are close to home to keep costs down. 2006 was diving in the Red Sea, 2007 was Paris, 2008 was the Eagles nest in Austria, 2009 was ruined by a last minute trip to Afghan, 2010 was Oia in Santorini (on all the tv ads ) 2011 was just to climb the highest peak in England and this year I ticked off the Grand Canyon. Not sure which one to go for next year.

[hongman]

Well, now that I'm newly single my long terms plans have changed just a bit.

For me, I want to:

Get fit and rejoin some kind of martial arts club. Probably MMA this time.

Buy a property.

Get on some advanced motorbike training.

Overall just learn to be happy in myself by making myself better. And of course all that. Career stuff.

Above all I want to be a good example to my kids in life lessons.

[dizzyblonde]

Move from this god forsaken house, it always gets s detour. In the mean time, as this will take some time, I want us to be self sufficient from my allotment by this time next year, teach the kids a few things there too.

When the time is right we will leave the country to set up home. Every day we are one step nearer but then*take five steps back. Long term plans are like this, but I know no matter what it takes our plans together will succeed.

[metalmonkey]

To be pain free, I think that it would reasonable not to go sleep in pain and wake up in pain would be awesome.

[Bri w]

To be pain free, I think that it would reasonable not to go sleep in pain and wake up in pain would be awesome.

Know what you mean... got some great meds but hate the wooly head in the mornings.

[dizzyblonde]

To be pain free, I think that it would reasonable not to go sleep in pain and wake up in pain would be awesome.

Think a lot of us share that, I'd quite like to wake up knowing everything has magically disappeared for both of us, instead of which bits going to give grief today!

[BanannaMan]

Oh hell, I have become a damn hippy!





No need to make long term plans.
If Jayne starts listening to 60's folk music I'm fairly certain the world will come to an end in 2012.
:wink:



My long terms. Change jobs. (not free to discuss) then retire and move to countryside somewhere in Wales.

[metalangel]

Wanna buy a house, Bill?

[Sir Trev]

When you work for large companies your mid and long term goals are often pointless if your face does not fit or if you don't want to play the politics game, as I found. So I have comfort goals now that I've reached a level I'm happy to stay at and feel way less stressed as a consequence.

[speedyandypandy]

Plan:
Happy Wife, if she's happy I'm happy.
3 kid due in Febuary, so 3 kids brought up well, small goal is that the boy learns how to wash clothes, cleaning and make food along with all the sterotype things a boy will know, the girls to learn how to check oil, change tyres and know how to use a battery drill(our 3 year old is already taking out her Bosch playtools when I'm working).
One more guild license, I've two now, Instrumentation tech and Electrician.
One or two steps up the company ladder.
Refurbising the house, alot by myself, see the end off round 1 before I'm 40(7+ years to go). Round 1 ends up with a new dobbel garage with a basement in it(bike-cave), a rent out flat(taxfree money), dobbel carport with a big shed.
Get the two Suzuki Harris bikes in parts up and running, go classic racing with them.
Get one of the CB750KZs up and running with braced frame, alot of go faster parts, modern and old.
Once the CB is a good road bike take the curvy and make it into a SV 750R, ohlins, Dymag, Brembo and a 10-20kg diet.

Most plans don't have a dead line, I'm a dad, and sometime one must dropp everything in ones hands and be a dad and enjoy life.

[femaleacid]

I don't really plan ahead - I like to go with the moment!
So all I can say is my lifetime goal is to be happy and live life to the fullest. :D

[timwilky]

To retire.


Sounds simple. But

Will the pot ever be large enough?
Will the government stop raising the age?
Will I live that long?

[dizzyblonde]

Me too, but switching off is not an option for me. Where once the goals were financial and materialistic they are now more health/fitness or all that spiritual wellbeing crap that comes when you get into your fifties.:rolleyes:

It's our aspirations and our achievements that define us as people. It does'nt matter if one falls short of the other, as long as the effort has been made.

You have to be in your fifties? Oh, maybe I'm just weird then!
Agree with the last line.

However, it does seem the young amongst us have little goal in life, in that I mean living for the moments sometimes ends up meaning by the time you are old, you may have had lot of excitement, but not actually achieved much. I know a few who have regretted doing that, and realise life has actually passed them by.

[femaleacid]

I mean living for the moments sometimes ends up meaning by the time you are old, you may have had lot of excitement, but not actually achieved much. I know a few who have regretted doing that, and realise life has actually passed them by.

I guess that's quite true!
I don't like to plan because there can always be something to change our paths :)
I don't think I even know what I want in life yet. Sometime soon I want to be living on my own two feet though most definitely.

[Dicky Ticker]

Waking up tomorrow morning becomes a goal when you get older.
Goals are hard work and hard work is only good when it is a pleasure that you enjoy doing. Setting the bar high means its a long drop at the other side so be objective with your goals.

[Littlepeahead]

I can't be bothered with all the cut throat ambitious stuff. When they restructured at work last year they were really pressuring me to go for the job of Head of Media, but I knew I wouldn't get it as a male colleague had his head so far up the CEO's bottom that it was pointless to apply. So they then said 'OK well in that case we'll make you Deputy Head' and I said no to that too. I didn't want to do it so I asked what my redundancy package would be. Shocked faces all round from the management.

The deputy CEO then took me aside and asked what I really enjoyed doing. I said that sitting in committee meetings and writing press releases now bored me to death. But I enjoyed taking photos, doing all the coordination of the film crews and photographers and had a real interest in managing the picture library full time. Plus I love the heritage of cricket and the Ground so get me into that more. Oh and a pay rise and new office would be nice if you're asking.

I got the lot. And hoping today the company will also agree to funds my City and Guilds photography course over the next 2 years.

I've been here 10 years and worked hard and it showed they value me enough not just to stop me leaving but to create a job to fit my strengths. So I guess I've achieved the current goals and now just have to find some new ones.

[Fallout]

Fair play Clare. Cut throat ambition is really only for people who see a pedestal they think represents success, when really they are incapable of defining their own.

My only goal is happiness and fulfilment. Haven't got a clue how to achieve that. Whether it's living somewhere, surrounding myself with people I like, or making changes in myself ... or all three, I don't know. Haven't a clue.

I guess my goal is to understand what makes me tick and get myself ticking more regularly. I kind of need people to help me find those things. Last time I really ticked was in Yorkshire. Need to do more ticking like that.

Also Clare, your sig has a sense of irony in this thread.

[dizzyblonde]

I guess that's quite true!
I don't like to plan because there can always be something to change our paths :)
I don't think I even know what I want in life yet. Sometime soon I want to be living on my own two feet though most definitely.

Thats what life deals I'm afraid...paths to choose.
Sure as DT says chasing too bigger dream can lead to a bigger drop back to earth, alternatively a quick unplanned change of path can lead to something great.
I've lived my life hash dash, stereotypically when I was younger, then by no plan at all I bought my house at 23, single. Then came my first son, and a big plan for the bike license. Lots of ups and downs since.

Sometimes people chase dreams thinking at the end of the rainbow there will be much greatness and satisfaction, then one day you take a look at whats within and realise what is great haas actually been there all along, or right in front of your own eyes.

I visited my cousin last night, we have a very distant relationship for whatever reason, and she lives literally down the end of the alley on the end of my street. We say hello to each other at school and thats it.
My dad had called me to say she was going into hospital Monday, as she has breast cancer.
Obviously she was surprised to see me, as I never go to her house. I asked her if she was ok, and she told me she'd been to have biopsies, and at first had been told it was a word I finished for her, as she couldn't remember....fibrous adenoma
'how did you know?' 'Because I've got one of those, I've had the tests too' 'Really, oh I had no idea' 'Yeah, I'm riddled with tumours around my womb too'

For the first time in probably decades since our childhood, we had a proper conversation, I'm shocked that at 42, shes suddenly been and had the brakes put on her life, shes shocked at me potentially living with a timebomb, and have been doing for a year or three, I'm only 35.
People don't say enough to each other, as I said to her when I left, 'maybe now its not too late to stop ignoring each other so much'


Life is precious, whatever path you choose, good and bad **** happens....and theres always room for grumpy opinions, makes it all a bit more colourful :wink:

[Sir Trev]

Cut throat ambition is really only for people who see a pedestal they think represents success, when really they are incapable of defining their own.

This describes my boss and several people I've worked for in the past. Seeing them get stressed out trying to ingratiate themselves with anyone senior to them made me realise early on I did not want to do the same. I'm the one cracking jokes in meetings and lightening the mood. Life is way too short for some of the goals people set for themselves, as Dizzy's post above shows. Life should be a joy, not a slog.

[davepreston]

none
ive had all my dreams and inspirations ripped out of me by the first 30 years ive been on this earth

[Small Clanger]

[QUOTE=dizzyblonde;2754818]You have to be in your fifties?

You don't have to be anything except yourself. :D



Some years ago my wife was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukeamia. She underwent all the chemo and a B/M transplant without whinging or complaining about it, without worrying about what may have been, without wallowing in self pity or being bitter about shattered dreams.
IF I contributed even a tenth of one percent towards her getting through that, then anything else I achieve on this miserable f#cking planet is a bonus.

Long term goals, for me at at least, were driven by financial/materialistic requirements. Not because of greed, but because of my competitive nature and the determination to get precisely where I am. Money does not buy good health, I'm well aware of that. Neither can it buy happiness.

It can buy all sorts of other things though and, importantly, give you and your family the time to enjoy them.

Without short/long term goals (spiritual/fiscal/whatever) to motivate you, what's the point?

[dizzyblonde]

[Qhave to be in your fifties?
You don't have to be anything except yourself. :D


It can buy all sorts of other things though and, importantly, give you and your family the time to enjoy them.

Without short/long term goals (spiritual/fiscal/whatever) to motivate you, what's the point?

Ahh well that's ok then :) me is me, no matter who might find that offensive, weird, not normal or generally not to the usual requirement! Happy in the skin I'm in, well ok maybe a few golf balls dissapearing would be nice, not likely though ;)

Precisely what I thought, what's the point! Who cares if things don't go precisely to plan? That's what part of the adventure isn't it? As they say, you don't get anywhere if you don't try, but its when you do it that counts... Just because I can't go to deepest darkest Peru on a trip now, doesn't mean I can't try go when I'm 62!!

[Owenski]

Simple, earn as much coin as possible then retire on it and do everything Ive seen in my life that I thought "that looks fun"

[Dicky Ticker]

Problem regarding "Coin" is 3 fold
1.You never seem to have enough
2.Getting what you want in comparison to what you need is different
3.By the time you get what you want you are a lot older and pleasure
pursuits change.

Retirement does not last for ever so the earlier you start the longer you have[hopefully]

[Owenski]

I define enough, as been enough to never work again but still enjoy one foreign holiday per year. points 2 and 3 can never be resolved though, thats a given :thumbsup:

[keith_d]

Short term: decide whether I want a job in Luxembourg

Medium term: get all my rubbish out of the spare room and re-decorate

Long term: buy a rental property as a step on the way to having some retirement income

Very long term: retire and travel around Europe in a camper van with a motorbike on the back and somewhere to stow cameras and dive kit inside. Hopefully without being too skint to enjoy it.


If I manage to meet a suitable girlie along the way that would be cool too.

[missyburd]

As long as I am happy and able to put fuel in my bike, be with friends and continue with my hobbies then I can take each day as it comes, I don't do forward planning. Anything can happen between now and the best made plans, I'd rather just enjoy the here and now.

I don't really plan ahead - I like to go with the moment!
So all I can say is my lifetime goal is to be happy and live life to the fullest. :D


I don't like to plan because there can always be something to change our paths :)

Is there an echo in here? :p :lol:

Money is not the be all and end all. One of my big goals was to get my bike licence, that was probably the biggest one, apart from completing my degree. Now I'm working towards a bird ringing licence. I would love to take the bike abroad and do a bit of touring and as I've only visited the one place in Spain in my whole life I have a hell of a lot of exploring to do. Obviously I need brass to do that but it will come in good time, other priorities atm like giving my art career a boost.

[Dicky Ticker]

Maria,get an LGV and drive all over the Continent,North Africa and Middle East at somebody else's expense. See the real country not the tourist spots. Takes a while to do them all and the only one I didn't drive in was Portugal.
Lets just say it was an interesting education:)
Obviously not a practical solution and it took me 35 years but I no longer have a lust for travel out of the UK.

[Biker Biggles]

I did the world travel thing when I was younger,and visited every continent bar Antarctica.Id like to do something similar again,but to different places.Going back somewhere usually leads to dissappointment.

[Bluefish]

Simple, earn as much coin as possible then retire on it and die the next week
Live life now not in another 10/20/30 years, **** happens

[Bluefish]

I did the world travel thing when I was younger,and visited every continent bar Antarctica.Id like to do something similar again,but to different places.Going back somewhere usually leads to dissappointment.
Totally agree, can't understand peeps who go on holiday to the same place every time.

[keith_d]

Totally agree, can't understand peeps who go on holiday to the same place every time.

Or people who go on holiday and take England with them.

[Dicky Ticker]

Not ALL of England-------------just a bottle of HP Sauce :D

[keith_d]

Not ALL of England-------------just a bottle of HP Sauce :D

While I think it's morally repugnant to put HP sauce on paella, we have to make some allowances. :)

[Fruity-ya-ya]

Just happy trying to provide for my wife and two boys as dull as that sounds.

Maybe i need something else ???

[Fruity-ya-ya]

Always did fancy learning to shoot but that will have to wait a good few years.

[Fruity-ya-ya]

Thought about this a bit more today while driving up the M18.

I'm going to finish off all the 'almost finished' diy projects :)