Thursday, November 24, 2016

Five Year Plan: Gay Goal Setting For My (Hopefully) Very Gay Future

November marks a mile marker for me, I am under five years left in prison. I realized this yesterday when I looked at my watch and it read 11-22. My parole date is 11-2021.

I try to get prepared for the outside world and I think I'm doing an OK job, a decade isn't that long. I do have some questions though, is everything voice activated? Will I have to ask my coffee pot to turn on? If I ask for a Droid will I get a cell phone still or will someone try to sell me a robot? I fear I'm going to be that idiot in the grocery store yelling at the self serve scanner because I don't understand, I don't speak "beep"

In all seriousness, five years is not much time to accomplish a firm foundation to build on. I have a goal setting packet I created using the S.M.A.R.T. system, its 7 pages and I adjusted it to be exhaustive and intense. I am going to use that to create a plan for Reaching Out!, The organization I will build for victim prevention. I will write another one a release packet. So that I have a good plan in place to face challenges and obstacles. Like employment, I have a friend who has offered to help me out, but I cannot have just one plan, I need to have many plans in place or "contingency" plans. 

I am teaching many classes in here and I am on several committees, roles I enjoy because they serve the community and in turn I learn from that hands on experience. I have much to do and not much time to do it. On a lighter note, I fully intend to participate in a drag show, it sounds like fun and besides it gives me a reason to practice lip-syncing and my fierce runway strut, just imagine me flipping my hair over my shoulder and fiercely sashaying away, fierce guurl!

What is your "5 Year" plan? You may be not in prison, but your not perfect. What does your future look like? Are you happy? What can you do to improve that? Even if your happy now, what can you do to be happier? What are your goals? Is it social injustice? Perhaps your goal is to participate in a march or protest, maybe you need to organize one. Social media can be a powerful tool for bringing beautiful ideas to life. Just want to make sure I am in good company, are you moving forward in life?

Are you living life or is life living you?

With Love
Jeff Utnage

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