Do you have goals?

You know, an object or end that you strive to attain, something you aim for.Anndrea Yetter of Saylorsburg, had a goal to run and complete the New York City Marathon on Sunday, Nov. 6. Her goal was to complete it under 4 hours. She attained that goal. She finished the race in 3 hours, 54 minutes, 10 seconds.I don't know about you, but I think that's pretty fabulous! First of all, she completed the race. Secondly, she completed it in such good time. The winner, Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya, ran it in 2 hours, 5 minutes, five seconds. Olympic gold medalist Apolo Anton Ohno, the short-track speedskating star finished it in 3 hours, 25 minutes, 14 seconds, only 29 minutes shorter than Anndrea's time.Anndrea says she's ready to run another marathon. In an email, she thanks all those who cheered her on along the course."You have no idea how much it helped! It gave me that boost of energy just when I needed it," she said. She also thanked everyone for their prayers and emails."No way could I have done it without you."Her other goal was to raise $5,000 for Grass roots Soccer, a non-governmental organization that does

H.I.V. education and prevention through incorporating soccer, a way to get through to the kids in South Africa, where soccer is the sport of choice. The Pleasant Valley and Lehigh University graduate and soccer player, volunteered with Grass roots Soccer for nine months in 2008-2009.Unfortunately, she didn't quite reach that goal. To date, she has raised $3,700 but has until Dec. 1 to raise the remaining $1,300.To help her attain that goal by that deadline, she came up with a very creative incentive.As a recent graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts, a culinary school that focuses on healing the body through food and natural health, and now a personal chef, she promised her top three donors she would bake them treats of their choice. Living in NYC, she adds that there is "No need to fret. I will ship it!"If you would like to see Anndrea complete another goal and make a donation, you can do it online through her link:

http://www.crowdrise.com/teamgrassrootsoccer/fundraiser/AnndreaYetter or write a check to Grass roots Soccer and mail to PO Box 712, Norwich, VT 05055 with "Anndrea Yetter Marathon" in the memo line."I am so blessed I was able to be a part of such an incredible event because of you," she says to all those who supported her.I have goals. Nothing quite as altruistic as Anndrea's, but they are personal goals.One goal is to become thinner. Some might think that means I'm dieting. Nothing could be further from the truth. I hope to never use that D word again in reference to myself.Through some creative changes in how I eat, I've lost 20 lbs. To show you how insignificant that is, not one single person has noticed it. And that's OK. I have. In my clothing and on the scale. It has been a subtle change but I have become fired up by this and have set short-term goals for myself. I'm striving for two pounds a week and would like to be 12 pounds lighter by Christmas.There. I've said it publicly and I'm hoping it will help me remain true to my goal. If I'm successful, I'll let you know in six weeks.Better yet, here's a challenge for those of you who want to be thinner, too. Let's lose those 12 pounds together.Another one of my goals is to someday have a book published. To help me achieve that goal, I'm going to set a deadline. When I went back to college, I promised myself to earn a degree by the time I was 40. It was a long haul, but I did it by the age of 37. So I'm setting a deadline to get my book published in five years. I'll let you know if I'm successful.Do you have goals?Come on. Set some with Anndrea and me. Let's shake up our lives together.Here are a few inspiring quotes to help us on our way."Goals are dreams with deadlines." Diana Scharf Hunt, author. (As a world-class procrastinator, I need deadlines.)"Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein." From "Life's Little Instruction Book," compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr. (Kind of puts things into perspective, huh?)And I really like this one ..."God gives us dreams a size too big so that we can grow in them." Author Unknown.Let me know what goals you set and when you reach them.Whether we set short-term goals or long-range goals, here's to our success!