One half of knowing what you want is knowing what you must give up before you get it. ~Sidney Howard

People often ask me “How do you stay motivated?” when they hear I’ve completed over 1,000 classes at the Pilates studio or that I climbed Half Dome again and over the course of my life, many people have pointed out the fact that I am goal-oriented.

I have to admit: there is something about a challenge or setting a goal that is so scrumptious and so delectable, that I quiver with excitement once I put my mind to achieving a goal.

I can easily thank my Dad for helping to hone and shape my ability to set and reach goals. One of the first (of many) goals he helped me set was the goal of earning enough money for a Shaun Cassidy record album. It was 1977 and I remember running home from school to tell my Mom about the album. I just had to have it. My Mom said those six words I feared most: “Wait until your father gets home.”

After dinner, I sat down and gave my Dad my best sales pitch: I told him I knew the words to all the songs, there was a bonus poster, everyone was going to buy it once it was released, and I didn’t want to be the odd one out.

My Dad listened patiently to my pitch and considered my request for an advance in my allowance. In the end, he turned me down and told me I would appreciate the album more if I saved up the money to buy it.

I remember feeling disappointed: I was left with the task of figuring out what I needed to do to make the purchase of the album happen.

The album was $5.99 and with tax, I estimated I needed to save about $6.35. My allowance was $1.00/week, so I figured it would take at least six weeks of saving to earn it.

Those six weeks felt like a lifetime. Every Saturday before putting my allowance into my piggy bank, I would remove the black stopper on the bottom of the bank and empty out all the contents: pennies and dimes would scatter out on all over my bed. Each coin and dollar bill were carefully counted and then returned to my piggy bank.

Over those weeks, I learned to say “No” when friends invited me to walk to Preston’s for candy or ice cream; saving for that Shaun Cassidy album was my priority. I offered to do odd jobs around the house to earn extra money and was laser-focused on saving enough to meet my $6.35 goal. In less than six weeks, I had nearly $7.00; enough to buy the album.

I treasured that record and listened to the songs again and again.

Forty plus years later, I still have the album and occasionally, I pull it out as a reminder that I can achieve anything I set my mind to.

In hindsight, I can see my Dad wanted me to learn how to plan, be patient and learn the skills necessary to meet a goal. The memory of that Shaun Cassidy album popped into my mind while we saved for our first house, when I climbed Half Dome, and even when I started my blog.

Now it is my turn to pass along the knowledge my Dad bestowed upon me: “If you want something then be prepared to set a goal, make some sacrifices, be disciplined and earn it.”

And the best way for me to meet that goal? Simple: Lead by example.