I’ve mentioned having “scales” here to make plans, things like 10 minutes, 10 hours, 10 days, 10 months, 10 years – whatever works for you.
Right now, I am currently on a scale of about 8 months, because in March I finalized plans to go to Disneyworld.
8 months may not seem like a long-term goal, and I admit, I do have other long-term investments and plans in the works (retirement funds, house projects, things like that), but this sort of long-short goal I think is important to have so I want to talk about it.
I am going to call it a Long-Short goal, because one: Medium-Term goal seems awkward, and I think Long-Short gets the “feel” of it better: it is a short-term thing, that actively consumes a lengthy period of time.
How is it consuming?
I am actively saving more funds for the trip.
I am actively focused on short-term appearance goals (aka weight loss), at times to my detriment as I’ve learned, and had to adjust, reminding myself that 8 months is ABSOLUTELY enough time to slowly lose 20lbs in.
I am actively gathering items for “Disney Bounding” aka dress-up.
I am actively reading up on information for the trip.
I am actively re-immersing myself in Disney films and culture.
I am actively talking about it with my mother, who is going on the trip.
I have been proactive in getting the time from work off.
I am actively working with a Disney travel agent.
I am actively watching for flight tickets, as well as looking at Disneybands.
I am monitoring the COVID situation, and working on getting fully vaccinated.
As things get closer, I will actively be getting information on what souvenirs my friends may want.
I will begin to get reservations for restaurants and events (Like building a droid). My park reservations are already made and locked in.
Why do I outline this here? None of you care about my trip to Disney.
It’s to show you this kind of goal, for one. I think it’s important to have long-short goals, because they are usually very engaging, and they get you to really be excited for a moment. The feelings of bliss, excitement, anxiety, worry, fear, happiness, ecstasy, all come together in a way that planning for retirement, doesn’t quite make possible.
It’s not a passive goal, like waiting for a game release. While yes, that is engaging and fun in its own way, it involves two steps – buying the game, and playing the game. The build up to it may be there, but I don’t feel it involves the same amount of preparation, nor the same amount of engagement even when you have the game.
This is no diss on games. I am going to absolutely lose it when Elden Ring is finally released, mark my words, but there’s nothing to be done before then, and while the enjoyment of the game may last months of play time, I know it won’t stick with me the same way that this will.
I know because I’ve done something like this for the Star Wars Celebration in 2019. That was my first real experience of doing something like this – planning a trip further from home, for a particular event, and being engaged in a new environment.
Having a taste of that, I’ve come to realize a certain love of “long-short” goals, so I am already planning after Disney, to take a trip to Boston with my father, because he’s always wanted to see more of the Eastern USA, since he never got to when he was younger – he was mostly on the Western side of things.
I’ve already found an awesome hotel built in an old prison. Now it’s just determining a good time, gathering the funds, and making the plans – but that’s after Disney, and I’ll likely have a year cooldown.
These plans are useful though. They help you imagine a future, and not only that, it’s a future that truly feels like it can happen because you see progress towards it. You see payments. You see dates. You are engaged with other people going on the trip – or if it’s just yourself, you are engaged in looking at places to visit, things to taste, events to check out. You see other people being engaged or preparing for these events, too.
It feels real.
It makes the future real.
Sometimes, that can be hard to feel with death anxiety. Experiencing the excitement and seeing something coming together over a long period of time – being active in it for a long period of time – does help to make it feel real in a way that knowing I’m going to play video games next weekend, doesn’t.
So, if you’re able, try to make “long-short” plans, with yourself, or with those around you. It doesn’t need to be travel oriented, it could even just be an event in your town, or perhaps a project (sewing, art project, writing project, etc.), that engages you over time, requires investment of at least time, and that you can stay engaged with.
For me, I find this most accessible in travel plans.
For you, it may be an art project that depicts a series of events, feelings, or something.
It may be a long novel, where you work on it chapter by chapter, outlining it, and engaging it, bit by bit, and then editing it once it’s all done. Fanfiction counts in this, too!
Whatever it is, I hope you can find a good “long-short” project!