Milestones.

Goals define where you’re going, and milestones let you know if you’re actually getting there.

Long-term goals are not easily accomplished and require planning, time, and perseverance. Incorporating smaller steps along the way help show growth and progress.

Businesses often use Gannt charts for project management and their charts will indicate important dates on the project plan, key events and goals, and desired completion dates. The chart is very visual and clearly helps a team stay on track and motivate them to reach the next milestone. A marathon runner uses a stopwatch and checkpoints to track milestones. As the runner gets tired and their perseverance is tested, checkpoints along the route keep them going. They know that if they make it to the first checkpoint, they can certainly make it to the next. Eventually all of those checkpoints become the finish line!

The word milestone resonates with me because I am a parent. As my children grow I am obsessed with their developmental milestones. I know that the journey from infancy to young adulthood takes a solid 18 years, which is many years of patience, discipline, consistency and dedication. Focusing on developmental milestones during each stage of development gives me a general idea of the changes I can expect in the next stage. I need those milestones to illustrate to me that we are on the right track!

• I will never forget their first smile, word, or step.

• I will never forget the first time they used the toilet, brushed their teeth, and learned their colors and numbers.

• I will never forget when they learned to ride a bike, rode the school bus for the first time and lost a tooth.

• I will never forget when they took their first dance class, rode a horse, and learned how to add and subtract.

• I will never forget when they had their first sleepover, texted, spent their money at the mall and wore a bra.

• I can’t wait until they have their first heartbreak, go to prom, graduate, fall in love, get married and have children.

As my girls grow older their milestones seem to get a little further apart but that won't discourage me during the 18 year journey as I will always have something to look forward to. While I am definitely tested everyday during the parenting marathon, at every milestone we reach I know we got through it and will make it to the next.

For my One Year Booze Snooze, in the beginning it was all about small wins. Then it became about achieving milestones to keep me me focused and driven. Back in April I wrote a post titled I am willing and I am purging. I had a clear understanding of my goal and where I wanted to get to in the end but I needed to create some milestones so I would know if I was actually getting there. I identified six key milestones (60, 120, 180, 240, 300 and 365 days) and for each of those milestones I attached a reward to sweeten the pot.

I have hit a milestone! 120 DAYS

To celebrate 120 days Rick and I are going to splurge for an overnight at a beautiful resort in Scottsdale and a tasty dinner. Milestones always lead to more milestones so...

180 days here I come!