Welcome 2010

My favourite thing about the New Year is that it's time to set new goals. Time to day dream about the impossible and start to process all the ways you can make them happen.

Goal setting can be overwhelming at times, especially for those new to it. There is SO much that you want to do, see, have, experience.. where do you start? Well, it gets easier over the years, especially once you start achieving the goals you set out for. It's encouraging and exciting to know that those crazy dreams you have just might come true. My advice - take baby steps. Set short term, small goals where you are most likely going to achieve them. Achieving goals, especially long term goals, is usually not done in one giant step, but is a combination of multiple smaller steps, done in time with other smaller steps along the way. The process is somewhat of a dance. Breaking down those steps is where the real work is done and goals are achieved.

2010 marks the end of a very important journey for me. The close of a chapter so to speak. In 2005 I made a 5year goal of completing an Ironman, and as many of you know, I am registered for and on track to complete my first Ironman this year in Penticton. So, I realized this morning, it's time to set a new 5 year goal!!!

For those that know me, they know The List. The List was first referenced (funnily enough) in my first blog posting of 2009. It's also accompanied by a photo of me before running the 2006 Honolulu marathon with the list written on my hand as motivation. Completing a marathon was the first item on the list (check). Completing an Ironman is number 2 (almost check).

I got so excited when I realized that it was time again to set a five year goal. It didn't even occur to me until today that I was due to make another crazy dream a reality. I was excited for a brief moment about all the day dreaming that I was going to get to do when it took about 30 seconds for my goal to come to me. (drum roll please).........

See the World!

5 years, 5 continents. I know technically there are 7 continents but I don't really need to see Antarctica (brrrrrrr) and I think I've had my fill of North America. Sooooooo, one trip a year I will see the world one continent at a time. Asia, Australia, South America, Europe and Africa. Wow - how cool is that?!

I've already got the wheels in motion for my first trip. I had been planning a trip for this April, but have since re-arranged to September. It makes more sense to take 6 weeks off post-Ironman and relax rather than pre-Ironman and be thinking about the training that I'm missing. So, the idea is to take 6 weeks in Sept/Oct and explore Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia).

2010 will be such a busy and exciting year for me. The Olympics are just weeks away, then 5 months of dedicated Ironman training, the big day August 29, 2010, then 6 weeks in Asia to reward myself for 5 years of hard work and determination.

In a midst all of this will be weekend trips away, training camps, roadtrips, I'll be moving, volunteering, working (?) and who knows what else. I can hardly wait.

I hope all of you had a great holiday season and I wish you all the best in 2010, whatever your goals may be.

S.