The Wordsmith's Forge

This year during Three Weeks for Dreamwidth, I'm writing about goal-setting frameworks for goals_on_dw. Read Part 1: Introduction to Goal-Setting Frameworks, Part 2: The 1-3-5 Rule, Part 3: The 12-week Year, Part 4: ABCS (Achievable, Believable, Committed, Specific), Part 5: Backward Goal, Part 6: BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goals), Part 7: BSQ (Think Big, Act Small, Move Quick), Part 8: CLEAR (Collaborative, Limited, Emotional, Appreciable, Refinable), Part 9: Goal Pyramid, Part 10: Golden Circle, Part 11: GROW (Goal, Reality, Options, Way Forward), Part 12: HARD (Heartfelt, Animated, Required, Difficult), Part 13: KPI (Key Performance Indicators, Part 14: MASTER (Measurable, Achievable, Specific, Transforming, Evolving, Relevant), Part 15: NCT (Narratives, Commitments, and Tasks), Part 16: OKR (Objectives, Key Results), Part 17: PACT (Purposeful, Aligned, Continuous, Tracked), Part 18: Tiered Goals, Part 19: Theme Word.


Part 19: Theme Word

A Theme Word involves selecting a key word (like "Hope") or phrase (like "Take Time") to guide your plans and choices. It can be permanent or temporary. Many people like to choose a theme word for each year, as part of or instead of New Year's resolutions.



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This poem came out of the May 6, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from janetmiles, nsfwords, see_also_friend, lone_cat, chanter1944, and readera. It also fills the "Caught Red-Handed" square in my 5-1-25 card for the Colors Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by janetmiles. It belongs to the Dr. Infanta and Kraken threads of the Polychrome Heroics series.

Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the more detailed warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes drawbacks of superpowers, vulgar language, allusions to mad science, necessity and difficulty of studying supervillain bodies, sensitive data, reference to past educational neglect, discrimination based on type of superpowers, kidnapping and coersion, data theft, vague reference to terrorizing and killing unprincipled mad scientists, abuse of supervillains, pickpockets, irresponsible and violent use of superpowers, arrogance, bullying, and other mayhem. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.

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These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Photos: Prairie Garden
Photos: Savanna
Photos: House Yard
Climate Change
Anti-Spam Outages
Birdfeeding
Today's Adventures
Photos: Charleston Food Forest 5-10-25
Sinking Land
Photos: House Yard
Chimpanzees
Birdfeeding
Philosophical Questions: Hatred
Sunshine Revival
Birdfeeding
Follow Friday 5-9-25: Harry Potter
Hobbies: Flower Arranging
Birdfeeding
How to Fight Capitalism
Speak Your Language Day
Birdfeeding
Cuddle Party

"Not a Destination, But a Process" has 132 comments. "The Democratic Armada of the Caribbean" has 82 comments.

Last week's Poetry Fishbowl went well. I am still writing. "The Care and Feeding of Supervillains" has been sponsored and will appear presently.


Three Weeks for Dreamwidth runs April 25-May 15. During this time, people post content only visible on Dreamwidth (although it can be reposted elsewhere after the event ends). There's usually a flurry of activity as bloggers share anchor posts, new fiction, icons, banners, questionnaires, friending fests, memes, and other goodies. Community hosts often hold special activities in their communities too. Watch your reading page for more festivities. (See the introductory posts from 2022, 2023, 2024.) To find posts for this event, follow the Threeweeks feed.



This year during Three Weeks for Dreamwidth, I'm writing about goal-setting frameworks for newcomers.

Goal-Setting Frameworks
* Part 1: Introduction to Goal-Setting Frameworks
* Part 2: The 1-3-5 Rule
* Part 3: The 12-week Year
* Part 4: ABCS (Achievable, Believable, Committed, Specific)
* Part 5: Backward Goal
* Part 6: BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goals)
* Part 7: BSQ (Think Big, Act Small, Move Quick)
* Part 8: CLEAR (Collaborative, Limited, Emotional, Appreciable, Refinable)
* Part 9: Goal Pyramid
* Part 10: Golden Circle
* Part 11: GROW (Goal, Reality, Options, Way Forward)
* Part 12: HARD (Heartfelt, Animated, Required, Difficult)
* Part 13: KPI (Key Performance Indicators
* Part 14: MASTER (Measurable, Achievable, Specific, Transforming, Evolving, Relevant)
* Part 15: NCT (Narratives, Commitments, and Tasks)
* Part 16: OKR (Objectives, Key Results)
* Part 17: PACT (Purposeful, Aligned, Continuous, Tracked)
* Part 18: Tiered Goals

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"The More Bizarre It Gets" is now complete! This poem opened and closed quickly. Cavalier and Tarnish work together at a Renaissance Faire.

"Babes in the Pineywoods belongs to the Big One thread of Polychrome Heroics. It has 18 new verses. Bo-Art and Creamjeans interact more with the Pineyspooks.


The weather has been wet here. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, several starlings, several catbirds, several blackbirds, several mourning doves, a pair of cardinals, a pair of indigo buntings, two brown thrashers, two male goldfinches, a robin, a blue jay, an adult fox squirrel, a young fox squirrel, and a skunk. I spotted a female cardinal in the red birdbath, which is the first time I've actually caught that one in use. Tulips and trilliums are done blooming. Daffodils are winding down. Currently blooming: violets, dandelions, columbine, honeysuckle, alliums, Solomon's seal, lilies of the valley, pansies, violas, marigolds, petunias, red salvia, wild strawberries, verbena, lantana, sweet alyssum, zinnias, snapdragons, blue lobelia, perennial pinks, wood hyacinths, raspberries, impatiens, oxalis, moss rose, pink peony, poppies. Irises and blackberries have flower buds. Some mulberries have green fruit.

This year during Three Weeks for Dreamwidth, I'm writing about goal-setting frameworks for goals_on_dw. Read Part 1: Introduction to Goal-Setting Frameworks, Part 2: The 1-3-5 Rule, Part 3: The 12-week Year, Part 4: ABCS (Achievable, Believable, Committed, Specific), Part 5: Backward Goal, Part 6: BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goals), Part 7: BSQ (Think Big, Act Small, Move Quick), Part 8: CLEAR (Collaborative, Limited, Emotional, Appreciable, Refinable), Part 9: Goal Pyramid, Part 10: Golden Circle, Part 11: GROW (Goal, Reality, Options, Way Forward), Part 12: HARD (Heartfelt, Animated, Required, Difficult), Part 13: KPI (Key Performance Indicators, Part 14: MASTER (Measurable, Achievable, Specific, Transforming, Evolving, Relevant), Part 15: NCT (Narratives, Commitments, and Tasks), Part 16: OKR (Objectives, Key Results), Part 17: PACT (Purposeful, Aligned, Continuous, Tracked), Part 18: Tiered Goals.


Part 18: Tiered Goals

Tiered goals separate into layers. There are various ways to do this, so there can be different numbers of layers and different names for each layer. Let's take a look at some popular options.



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These pictures are mostly from the savanna.

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This year during Three Weeks for Dreamwidth, I'm writing about goal-setting frameworks for goals_on_dw. Read Part 1: Introduction to Goal-Setting Frameworks, Part 2: The 1-3-5 Rule, Part 3: The 12-week Year, Part 4: ABCS (Achievable, Believable, Committed, Specific), Part 5: Backward Goal, Part 6: BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goals), Part 7: BSQ (Think Big, Act Small, Move Quick), Part 8: CLEAR (Collaborative, Limited, Emotional, Appreciable, Refinable), Part 9: Goal Pyramid, Part 10: Golden Circle, Part 11: GROW (Goal, Reality, Options, Way Forward), Part 12: HARD (Heartfelt, Animated, Required, Difficult), Part 13: KPI (Key Performance Indicators, Part 14: MASTER (Measurable, Achievable, Specific, Transforming, Evolving, Relevant), Part 15: NCT (Narratives, Commitments, and Tasks), Part 16: OKR (Objectives, Key Results), Part 17: PACT (Purposeful, Aligned, Continuous, Tracked).


Part 17: PACT (Purposeful, Aligned, Continuous, Tracked)

PACT establishes goals that are Purposeful, Aligned, Continuous, and Tracked. Purposeful means that the goal supports a meaningful achievement or a key mission within an organization. Aligned means that it matches other objectives and follows the chosen strategy. Continuous means that it requires ongoing work. Tracked means that someone monitors the steps required to meet the goal, ticks them off as completed, and adjusts as needed for changing circumstances to keep on course.



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Today I took a few pictures in the house yard.

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People have expressed interest in deep topics, so this list focuses on philosophical questions.

What is the most fertile soil for hatred? Fear, ignorance, jealousy, or something else entirely? Is it possible that some people are genetically predisposed to hatred?

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Today is sunny and mild.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a few sparrows and house finches, along with several blackbirds out foraging in the recently mowed grass.

I put out water for the birds.

I set out the flats of pots and watered them.

EDIT 5/9/25 -- Today's main yardening project is the goddess garden.  I have started trimming around the edge and digging grass from the inside, but it is slow going.

EDIT 5/9/25 -- I did more work on the goddess garden.

EDIT 5/9/25 -- The greenhouse has arrived!  :D  It is in two big heavy boxes.  The delivery guys were kind enough to put them in the garden shed  for us!  Quality blue-collar workers still exist, they're just rare as hen's teeth nowadays.

EDIT 5/9/25 -- I did more work on the goddess garden.  I'm about halfway around the outside edge.

I've seen several mourning doves, several catbirds, a brown thrasher, and a robin.  Yes, the catbirds really meow, and you can hear it on that page.

EDIT 5/9/25 -- I did more work on the goddess garden.  I'm about 3/4 around the outside edge.

EDIT 5/9/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 5/9/25 -- I did more work on the goddess garden.  I finished trimming and cleaning around the outside edge.  Next I need to do the inside of the garden.

EDIT 5/9/25 -- I did more work on the goddess garden.  I pretty much got the inside cleaned up.  Next will be reinstalling the goddess statue.

I've seen a young fox squirrel in the forest garden, smaller than usual, with a less bushy tail, and not very confident aloft yet.

EDIT 5/9/25 -- I reinstalled the goddess statue.  \o/  All I have left is planting copious amounts of moss rose.  That's my usual summer flower for that location, after the spring bulbs have finished blooming.  There are also various types of thyme, some of which have run into the grass but that's okay.

EDIT 5/9/25 -- I planted 4 pink peppermint and 4 peach moss roses around the goddess statue.  I'll need to do the outer ring later.

EDIT 5/9/25 -- I planted 12 assorted color moss roses around the outer ring, just inside the bricks.  And that project is done! \o/

I saw a skunk digging in the south lot.  This one has a lot of white on its head, a white stripe down the left side, but mostly black down the right side.  So I think it's different from the others I'v seen.

EDIT 5/9/25 -- I planted the last 4 moss roses in a pot by the old picnic table.

I watered the goddess garden and pansy pots.

As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.  *goflopnow*
 

This year during Three Weeks for Dreamwidth, I'm writing about goal-setting frameworks for goals_on_dw. Read Part 1: Introduction to Goal-Setting Frameworks, Part 2: The 1-3-5 Rule, Part 3: The 12-week Year, Part 4: ABCS (Achievable, Believable, Committed, Specific), Part 5: Backward Goal, Part 6: BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goals), Part 7: BSQ (Think Big, Act Small, Move Quick), Part 8: CLEAR (Collaborative, Limited, Emotional, Appreciable, Refinable), Part 9: Goal Pyramid, Part 10: Golden Circle, Part 11: GROW (Goal, Reality, Options, Way Forward), Part 12: HARD (Heartfelt, Animated, Required, Difficult), Part 13: KPI (Key Performance Indicators, Part 14: MASTER (Measurable, Achievable, Specific, Transforming, Evolving, Relevant), Part 15: NCT (Narratives, Commitments, and Tasks).


Part 15: NCT (Narratives, Commitments, and Tasks)

NCT stands for Narratives, Commitments, and Tasks. Narratives are the stories you tell about your life and career, which give meaning and purpose to your actions. They create context and motivation for the goals that you choose. Commitments are strategic goals and priorities that follow with your narratives. they shape actions over the long term. Tasks are particular steps that work toward fulfilling commitments and advancing goals. They are concrete and measurable actions that need to be completed. Thus NCT is a resilient framework for making and pursuing long-term projects.



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