Goals and Resolutions

Today, I had my first class in Game Theory, where we discussed "Learning Goals" for the class. There is so much meta-cognition these days! My goodness.

Regardless of the corny classroom nomenclature of the day, I do have a few goals for the semester:

1. Spend less money by curbing my Starbucks/Caribou habit to one overpriced coffee beverage per week. I have a mutual fund to establish. Who doesn't want to be a millionaire (corrected for inflation) using index funds? 
2. Intentionally network by scheduling two networking/professional advice conversations per week. I have a small notebook for documenting these incredibly enlightening conversations. I also have a prototype for a business card and a stack of substantive resume paper ready for action. Thank God for same-day printing. Tip of the day: shop around for printing rates. I guarantee that you could save an arm and a leg.
3. Apply for three jobs per week. My internship coordinator has challenged me to raise this number to five. In this economy, I'm up for the challenge. 

I've tallied one job application and two conversations so far this week. The song of the Starbucks siren is not yet strong enough to take me captive to my own indulgence! 

On a broader note, I believe there are three central components to establishing goals for oneself which I used to formulate my goals. After years of short-lived New Year's resolutions, I ask you to consider what is an appropriate goal.

1. Goals ought to be challenging beyond the convenience or difficulty of an ordinary routine. This reasoning assumes that there is diminishing marginal cost of choosing the new habit or activity over what was done previously. Based upon the assumption that it is possible to accomplish this over the course of a few weeks (21 days at the least), the marginal cost of choosing among alternative options approaches zero over time. Yet another assumption is that the initial marginal cost of decision making is positive, indicating that the resolved behavior is counter-intuitive or non-habitual.
2. Goals also ought to be possible, or "plausible" as politicians like to say. Though anyone who has watched 2am infomercials will tell you that miracles happen-typically involving the Bow Flex, some goals are simply unrealistic. If you aren't training with Jillian, Bob, and the gang at the Biggest Loser, the odds are against you that you will turn into a body-builder or supermodel within the next few months. This is not Debby Downer speaking. This is Realist Rita. Even so, microeconomics teaches us that we have asymmetric value functions, meaning that people feel loss or failure more strongly than a gain or a win. Don't set yourself up for failure. Allow yourself to experience the benefits of little wins contributing to your main goal. Failure is NOT fun. If this interests you more, click here. 
3. Goals should be attractive enough to demand your investment. Take ownership of the efforts you are making. Do something you have a passion to do. One word: incentives. 

As for accomplishing these goals, I recommend you visit The Five Minute Economist to see what he has to say. Great material. He mentions StickK, an employer of one of my good friends, Tanner. It's a wonderful concept founded by those brilliant Ivy Leaguers that MBAMama likes to befriend. 

Running Lady

The public high school nestled in the center of the borough serves five districts. During my four years at this school, it seemed as if there was an even distribution of family incomes represented by the student body. My cohort, of the 450 students in my class, included 100 or so students who enrolled in AP classes for the better part of their high school experience. I'd estimate that the majority of these kids would be excluded from free tuition were they to be accepted at Harvard.


For this reason, it's not uncommon to see high school students, obviously still in puberty, hurtling down the road in their parents' late model BMW X5 or Lexus RX 330. My vehicle of choice was a 2000 Toyota Sienna XLE, a very, very late model soccer mom-mobile, may it rest in peace. Back in high school, I had the privilege of driving this fine "desert sand" vehicle to and from school. Without fail, my copilot, Miss Diva-in-Training would push our departure closer and closer to 7:15, the last possible minute to leave and still be on time. We would hurtle down the hill at 40 miles per hour in rain or snow, for there are no other weather patterns where I live. It is during these briefer and briefer trips that I found my idol, Running Lady.


Every morning, we would pass a tall, thin blonde woman in her late fifties happily jogging on the side of the road with a happy yellow lab. She was always stylishly dressed in the latest activewear, presumably from lululemon. I assume this because it is expensive, but worth every penny, but I digress. There she was, a vision of middle-aged fitness in lavender and black. After accidentally nearly killing her a few times, I knew that I wanted to be just like her when I grew up. That and alive.


With this in mind, I was very excited to begin my journey to be like my role model and start running again. I noticed that the local drunk kids prefer Nikolai liquor, whatever that is, as evident by a count of two bottles within two miles. I am also very proud to report (again, I know) that during my 6+ mile run, I only walked up one hill, which was vertical. Good for me! So far, no shin splints and the hips and knees are feeling fine. I like to think that I am well on my way to achieving my goal.


Running Lady (I bet your name is Marsha), wherever you are, may you live a long and accident-free life! May your joints never wear out and may your dog always be happy and well-hydrated!