Stress.

Stress has been killing me lately. Between my job, research, and my two kids I have been a bundle of nerves, stretched so tight that I could explode or implode at any moment. Luckily, my boyfriend and I planned a mini-vacation to the beach before I did myself any permanent damage.

It was just what I needed. We got away from everything  and enjoyed our time together. It was the best vacation I have had in my entire life.

Upon re-entering reality, I have come to realize that my hierarchy of things to focus on had fallen  completely to shambles. This had caused me to stress about things that I didn’t even need to be stressing about. I had lost focus of my goals and dreams and had begun pursuing a haphazard collection of goals that didn’t even interest me enough for me to give any of them my full energy.

Since I have dedicated this blog to freedom – mainly personal freedom – I want to take this time to state my goals for the next year as clearly and precisely as I can so that if I ever get as off-track as I have been recently, I can remind myself of what I felt was important to me when I was in a moment of greater clarity.

 Goal #1

I will refocus my research on education, specifically on developing the curriculum that I have been working on. I will continue to study Objectivist epistemology and other areas of Objectivist thought in regards to education. I will also finish reading “The Underground History of American Education.” I will probably have to start over at the beginning and read the entire thing through since it has been so long since I have picked it up.

Goal #2

I will continue to give my all as a teacher, and will continually apply the principles of my research to my job.

Goal #3

I will work towards living a healthier life by eating better and exercising more. In the past I have viewed this as a weight-loss goal, which I feel has hampered my efforts at accomplishing anything. Instead of focusing so much on weight, I will focus more on being healthier. While weight loss is something that will make me healthier, I will maintain a focus of overall health rather than just weight loss.

Goal #4

I will remember, as I strive to meet these goals, that I have a family that needs me. I will take better care of myself so that I can better meet their needs. I will try not to become so overwhelmed by all of the other factors in my life that I can’t be everything I need to be to them.

These goals reflect the main areas of my life that I would like to work on. I expect myself to have made major improvements in all of these areas within a year. And a year from now, if not periodically before then, I will check back and see how I am doing.