#100

Milestones remind me of the possibilities in life.

Today when we speak of milestones we most likely are referencing some significant event—personally, professionally, politically, physically, emotionally, spiritually, or culturally.

Video recommendation for the week:

Perhaps some of us might think about the milestones in rock history.

For me, this blog post is a milestone: it represents the 100^th consecutive weekly post for this blog.  When I started blogging nearly two years ago, I didn’t know what to expect or how long I would continue to contribute my thoughts, observations, and suggestions. While there are bloggers who post much more frequently than I do—and have a much larger following than I do—I am still proud of this milestone.  And that got me to thinking about the concept of milestones. A few months back I asked folks through Facebook and email to tell me what they thought of when they heard the term milestone.  Here is what I posted:

• Are there any milestones that you have achieved that you would be willing to share with my readers?  What made these things milestones in your life?
• Do you find milestones important and goal-connected—or do they “just happen” in your life?
• When you think of milestones do you think of certain categories: relationships, job promotions, accomplishments, financial, spiritual…..?
• Do you have any advice when it comes to milestones?

For my 100^th blog post, I share some of those thoughts. 

• I don’t think in milestones—they seem too definite as if the goal/achievement/dream has ended and a new one has begun.
• One could say that having a child is a milestone, as if it instantly changes you—well, you are changing before, during, and after. One could say turning a certain age is a milestone, but again, it means we are fixated on an artificial event/time of day/year, etc.
• Milestones are created when you accomplish something significant in your life. When I enrolled in college, I had to overcome challenges, sacrifice time and money. Now, I can say “I am a college student!”
• After forty-nine years of following the Boston Red Sox on a pitch-by-pitch basis, they finally win a World Series in 2004!” ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­
• Hmmm…that takes some thought, actually.
• It’s important to start with a clear intention of what you’d like to shoot for, but then to let go of the outcome because  the outcome you are expecting may not be the best option for you. Also, the outcome you are expecting might be less than the possibilities available to you! In other words, milestones are good check in points, but I think we can get too obsessed with EXACTLY what the best milestone should be. I think it’s good to set goals and place milestones, but I caution us all that we limit our full potential if we limit ourselves to what our egos can envision and we can pre-judge ourselves as being failures if we don’t reach the EXACT milestone that we set for ourselves.
• My biggest milestone at the moment is realizing that there REALLY are some evil people in the world who will do anything to get ahead.  Say anything. Things that I STILL can’t wrap my head or soul around.  This has been a hard lesson to learn and accept –that there are two worlds in which people live and sometimes, they cannot be bridged. 
• When I hear milestones these days it’s always in reference to infant developmental milestones (Is my son on track? Is he too slow? Too fast? Will I mess him up?). It’s challenging to think about my own life’s milestones and why I value these events.
• I am a great believer in setting goals although I don’t always stick to my plans.  I sincerely believe that setting goals is far better than wandering around with no direction.  I have always used pictures—real or in my mind—of what I wanted to accomplish, and it seems to work.  I look at accomplishing goals as beginnings, not endings.  The accomplishment of one goal should be a stepping stone to another one or a different one.
• The important thing to remember is that we can’t stop when we reach a goal or a milestone.  What we have accomplished should lead to bigger and more challenging milestones.  I don’t believe in “resting on one’s laurels” or reaching a certain place and stopping.  I think milestones and goals are important as long as one lives. I think human beings were meant to be striving and accomplishing in order to feel alive and fulfilled.   
• Be prepared to change directions as new opportunities open up along the way.  Much of what has happened in my life appears to be taking advantage of opportunities that arose when I wasn’t looking for them and perhaps didn’t even know they existed.  Life is a series of choices—choices lead us to different milestones and opportunities.  The important thing is to make conscious, carefully considered choices and not just let life happen to you.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to respond. For me, milestones remind me of the possibilities in life.  They ARE those markers (like mile markers on the highway) that guide us.  They are something to shoot for like. But they are not the end of the journey.  Key West may appear to be the end with mile marker “0”.  All that means is that we can adjust course and head east…or hop on a boat and continue west to Ft. Jefferson.  Mile markers mark the progress along the journey.  They are not the end of the line.

Where is your next mile marker…and the next…and the next…?


Enjoy your week—and H.T.R.B. as needed!

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog post. Please pass it (and any of the archived posts on this site) along to friends and colleagues. You can also follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. If you get a chance, visit my Facebook page and join in–or start–a conversation (www.facebook.com/stevepiscitelli). Also, if you have suggestions for future posts, leave a comment. Have a wonderful week!

© 2012. Steve Piscitelli and Steve Piscitelli’s Blog.