A Unicorn and a Goal of Five

I like telling myself bedtime stories. 

Yeah, I know that sounds silly but, as a person who has a great deal of difficulty in getting to sleep, I've learned that if I tell myself long complicated stories with lots of details I will eventually become drowsy.  Typically I repeat the same bits of the stories over and over again because the details will help me nod off but also because I don't want to end the story.....if I do, I'll have to start a new one and that will leave me sleepless for a week.  Some stories will go on for months while there are endless revisions and re-tellings; there are other stories that I have come back to time and again for years.

Do you wanna know what the stories are?  Well, sorry, I'm not gonna tell you.  If I did, they wouldn't work so the secrets must remain mine to keep.

There's one thing I'd like to share, though, and it's something that I learned from a character in one of my stories.  Believe it or not, I can actually find out new stuff from someone who only exists in my own head! 

This fictitious elderly gentleman is a reliable person who is known for giving sage advice on making goals, and he tells the same thing to his employees as well as his family.  It's a simple plan to make a list of six things only.  Not four, not seven, not ten.  Six. 

The plan for the six goals works like this:  the first three items on the list should be things that you are reasonably capable of doing and that you can accomplish within the near future.  Working on those three things will give you a sense of ability so that you will comfortably be able to move on to other tasks.  The next two items should be more difficult and they will require more time to complete; you might even need to learn new skills or have to study to get the necessary knowledge.  Working on those two things will help you to become stronger and to find more faith in your will to achieve.  These first three goals will be constantly updating and changing, so you should expect them to be in flux.  The next two will necessarily remain longer on your list.

The sixth item is unlikely to change.  Ever.  It should be very, very difficult to achieve and the time it could take to accomplish is unlimited--indeed the sixth item may never be fully within your grasp.  It should be your deepest hope and your sweetest dream.  And you will call it your Unicorn.  You can have only one Unicorn.  Never more than that.  This will give you focus and keep you on course.  Although you might elect to tell others your first five goals, the Unicorn must remain a secret hidden in your heart; if you tell anyone, the Unicorn loses its power.

I've been thinking about the goals lists for the character in my story.  But I never really connected that to my own need (and admitted inability) to set goals for myself.  So in one of those silly Aha! moments that I tend to have while I'm chatting to myself alone in the car while driving to the Post Office, it suddenly came to me that perhaps I need to try to maintain a Unicorn and a Goal of Five.

Consistency has always been my hobgoblin.  I never do anything the same way twice.  When I make lists of things to do, I immediately rebel and turn entirely to stone.  Although I am utterly inconsistent, incongruously I am also deeply persistent.  The two sides rub together in me in the most irritating ways but I wonder if the charm of the Unicorn could work on me.  After all, it's a gift from my own imagination. 

Will I tell you if this works for me?  Probably not.  But I am sharing so that you can try it out for yourself if you like.  Maintaining a bit of whimsy along with some common sense seems like a wise way to face the world.

Life is good.
Go chasing after a Unicorn.