Family & Friends

Guppie, Tadpole, Minnow, Frog: The Secret To Reaching Your Goals

Posted by Jean

The American Red Cross swimming program, at least as implemented at one Westchester County, NY daycamp, has discovered the secret of reaching your goals.  Break ‘em into achievable benchmarks.  My young friend Sasha, age 5, started camp as a non-swimmer, as did my own kids years ago. Back then, a half decade or so ago, kids had to cross a slew of items off their list to move from Level 1 to Level 2 and so on.  It could take an entire summer to scale a single rung. No more. This year, within her level, Sasha has been challenged to hit a number of benchmarks within Level 1.  She started as a guppie, moved to tadpole, then was a minnow, now she’s a frog.  And, reports her mother, “she feels great!”

Of course she does. 

This is why losing 10 pounds is best achieved by aiming for 2 pounds a week — then taking satisfaction in the small movements of the scale.  And middle income folks who aim to save reasonable amounts save more — in total dollars — than those who set the bar too high.  Set a mark you can reach, cross it off your list, and like my friend Sasha, take pride in every move you make.