Breakfast Blend

I hadn’t been awake more than twenty minutes, and I was already staring down my first crisis of the day. This was unusual, as most problems at my house don’t begin until after 8:00AM. Sure, my kids were snoozing now, but they were about to wake up, and when they did, they were going to expect to be fed. (Kids these days.) Unfortunately, life had been particularly hectic recently and grocery shopping just hadn’t happened.

As a dutiful and over-caffeinated husband, it’s my job to forage for coffee in the morning. Fortunately, eons of evolution have prepared me well for my role as a hunter slash gatherer of lattes and mochachinos. Bifocal eyes for spotting baristas in the distance. Keen sense of smell for detecting the aroma of toasted almond. I’m the total package. The current situation called for more than coffee, though. It was up to me to gather actual food.

After a quick java stop at Marylou’s, I sped off to the grocery store. I slammed my foot down on the rubber mat and burst through the automatic sliding doors. I strode past the produce. No time for idle chit chat with the deli staff. My family needed me to come through! After a brief stop at the lobster tank (ew, creepy), I pressed on.

Next stop: frozen foods. I stocked up on Eggo Waffles, Toaster Scrambles, Toaster Strudels, pretty much anything that can go into a toaster. In my book, any application of heat to food constitutes cooking, and that’s about as far as the primitive food preparation part of my brain can take me.  Plus, the missus was still asleep, so I had no specific orders. I was free to run amok, so I did.

When I pulled into the driveway, I saw three pajamaed figures looking gaunt and pathetic in the window. Their eyes lit up when I emerged from my car with the morning’s bounty.  I was hailed just as all the breakfast bearing champions had been at the ancient Coliseum. (Toastimus! Toastimus!)

The sun was shining on Aunt Jemima that fine day, my friends.

It was a good three hours before I realized I hade made a serious error. The problem with breakfast is that it’s followed by lunch. As morning gave way to midday, I heard the dreaded question. “Dad, what’s for lunch?” I sighed as I stared into the empty cupboards. Still nothing to eat.

My shopping excursion had been short sighted. I was completely focused on the “Here and now” as opposed to thinking about the inevitable “What next?”. The same thing happens to many of us when we think about the goals we’d like to pursue. We often favor “Here and now” goals that would bring about positive changes and fulfill our most pressing desires.

In order to be successful today and tomorrow, we need to balance our short-term and our long-term goals. We need to find a blend of goals that works.

Who likes quick and fun exercises? I just happen to have one right here. Write down the personal goals that you expect to achieve in the next:

• 3 months
• 6 months
• 1 year
• 5 years
• 10 years

Scoring: Give yourself 1 point for each timeframe you can fill with at least one goal.

Here’s a non-scientific assessment of your score:

• 0 points: You don’t have any clear goals, huh? Well, there’s no better time to start than today. Make it a point to develop a single goal – no matter how small – before the end of the day. Success is a habit and you need to be more explicit about what you’re going to accomplish in life rather than hoping for the best.
• 1-2 points: It’s good that you have clear goals, but take a look at where they fall on the time scale. If they were near-term goals, think a bit further out and try to develop some longer-term objectives. If your only goals are long-term goals, you may run the risk of burnout. Set some short-term goals to get regular doses of winning along the way!
• 3-4 points: Very nice balance. Why not decide which category is missing a goal and think about what you might like to achieve in that timeframe? You’re clearly a goal-setting pro, so go for it! (This was my score, by the way. I need a better 10-year goal other than “learn to use the microwave”.)
• 5 points: Excellent work! You’ve clearly put a lot of thought into those things you’re working to achieve today, tomorrow, and the next day. You’re well on your way to lasting success.

The smart play would’ve been to think about the week’s meal plan, create a proper shopping list, and do it right. This is, of course, what my lovely bride did after she woke up. (Show off.) Next time, I’ll try to put more forethought into my shopping list.

But first, I’m going to make sure my “goals list” is just as complete.

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Set short-term, mid-term, and long-term goals for maximum success today, tomorrow, and the next day.