Markola
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Through my 30s and 40s I used to write all of my goals on one index card each January and keep it in my wallet. One typical bullet was, "Become a national VP (in my field) in 5 years." Well, I accomplished that one and found out quickly that I do not like the extreme accountability to others and I really could not stand my highly-torqued CEO boss. I dialed it back to a director level at a different org with a truly nice boss and I am much happier. I haven't managed to write an index card in 2-3 years now, so that tells me I'm in a good groove. At 51, when I do write one next, a goal will be "Finish this current project, quit and slow travel the globe with my wife for a year." "Do more bonefishing." "Go to Aspen Ideas Festival once." Those are the kind of goals I'm driven to these days - for personal enjoyment and growth, bucket list stuff, not career stuff, which inspires more of a "been there, done that" feeling. I'm glad I still have that personal kind of ambition, at least!