In our Top 5 Posts from 2007 series, this post is #5! The message is as important and valid today as it was when we first published it, so we’re pulling it out, dusting it off, and giving it another moment in the sun. Enjoy!

One of my goals for this year is “Pass V 7-key”. V is a particularly difficult song on Beatmania (it’s a remix of Winter by Vivaldi), and 7-key is the “non-easy” mode. I’ve been trying to pass V 7-key for years — I’ve gotten as close as 54% or somesuch (you need 80% to pass), but haven’t practiced enough to do it. I chose to make it one of my goals, since I had just gotten IIDX Red and expected to be playing a lot anyway.

One day as I was thinking about what I wanted to do, I decided to play Beatmania. “Not only is it fun,” I thought, “but I’ll be getting closer to accomplishing one of my goals!”

A lightbulb went on.

I had transformed something from simply fun to fun and fulfilling simply by adding it to a list of goals. Whoa! Would that work for other things that we currently find fun and unfulfilling? Things that are enjoyable and necessary, but leave a slight guilty aftertaste for not doing anything “productive”?

The answer was yes.

We talked about this and decided to add a few additional goals to our list. For example:

• spend quality time together
• get enough down time

And now, when we’re relaxing together or having down time, we’re also accomplishing one of our goals for the year! It’s pretty amazing!

What fun thing could you make into a goal?