French class is over. My bike ride is complete. The Warrior Dash is behind me. I seem to be in a place of suspended animation, as so many of my much-anticipated events begin to fade in my memory. Homework and training took up a significant portion of my non-working, waking hours. So now what? What’s next?

A period of rest sounds nice, but I don’t function well that way–at least not for more than a couple of days. I need something to work toward, to anticipate. I need an objective. And in reality, I think we all do.

Without something to work toward, I’m not convinced we really move forward. After all, if we don’t know where we’re going, we might not get there. Or worse yet, we might end up somewhere else. Without a goal, how do we keep from simply running in place? We need a destination.

Goals can be big or small, lofty or humble. Either way, they are drivers. They pull us forward when we can’t push ourselves. Without them, daily routine becomes habit, and if you don’t know how I feel about habit, read about it in my Kicking the Habit post.

Don’t let yourself be caught without purpose. (Note: just making it till the weekend is not an effective goal.) Whether your goal is to master a particular cooking technique, to run a mile, to paint your kitchen, to write a book, to get into college, or to make a million dollars, work toward something. When you achieve it, work toward something else. It makes all the difference.

Now, what should I do next?