making good decisions Archives

Thom and I are traveling this week so I invited one of my blogger friends named Susan Mary Malone to share some of her SMART ideas with all of us. Susan lives near Fort Worth, TX and since I found her blog a couple of years ago I am one of her biggest fans. Not only are her ideas practical and relevant, they are also thought-provoking. Please enjoy Susan’s thoughts on goal setting and why they matter.

I’m starting to hear from a lot of folks who made New Year’s Resolutions, and how they have already gone by the wayside.

Don’t you just hate when that happens?

I’m not into the usual sorts of resolutions. Chiefly because, well, they don’t work. Statistics show that 45% of Americans usually make New Year’s Resolutions. And only 8% are successful in achieving them.

Have you noticed that too? Most of us learned this for ourselves a good while back. I’m thinking the 45% of folks still making them are young. [Read more…]

Kloe & Me on the day we brought her home from the shelter.

Like it or not, most of us are familiar with the idea that much of life is a trade-off. Like to live in the city? Then you’ll likely have to put up with noise and people. Hate exercising? Then you may gain weight and lose muscle mass. Want to live in the country? Then you might have to drive miles to find a Starbucks for your morning latte. But even if you are aware of the trade-offs you’ve made in your life on a regular basis, you may not have considered them in terms of the “opportunity costs” involved. What I’ve recently discovered is that when faced with trade-offs, calculating what are called “opportunity costs” is a great way to stay true to your values and focused on the benefits of a simple and happy life.
[Read more…]

This is Why Goal Setting Really Matters

How Trade-Offs and Opportunity Costs Help To Create A Simple & Happy Life