The Power of Setting Goals

Its a new year, and I love writing down the things I hope to accomplish for that year. Most of the time I keep it pretty simple, but last year in 2009 I was working on a project for work that involved risk and involved a lot of work, so I set a goal that if I finished the project for work, then my wife (Because she bore so much of the burden and the stress of the project) and I were going to reward ourselves. The project was not looking like it was going to come together for most of the year, we actually came very close in May, 2009 to changing courses all together, so when it was finally finished on Jan.6 (The Feast day of the Epiphany), the first thing my wife and I did was reward ourselves with the goal we wrote down on January 1st, 2009. It was really simple, "to purchase an original Michael O'Brien piece of artwork,". Some readers are probably saying, "what's the big deal,", but that's the point of goals and dreams, it was a big deal to us, we both love his artwork and his style, and truly believe that it will be an ongoing great investment for our family, not only now, but later as well, because I think he's an artist that will get a lot more fame and recognition once his life is over, which is how it happens most of the time. Its fun to write down goals that are simple, and goals that are hard, because you can look back and be amazed when it actually happens. The artwork we purchased is above, and the artist commentary is right here: (You can see his work at http://www.studiobrien.com/.)

Artist Commentary:

I began this painting several years ago, basing it on a scene I witnessed one autumn day, my young son observing the water, hills, and sky at a lake near our home. It was bracing weather, chilly and windy, and I was impressed by the way he remained without moving for so long, gazing at all that beauty, perhaps fixed on the hint of blue sky in the distance. It struck me as an image of the longing within us for the "distant shore" of eternity. There are expanses of fathomless water and high hills to cross, storms and much journeying before we arrive there. Even so, the full light is on the horizon, calling us. And the many-coloured light is all around us too.