My husband is a Steady Eddy. He finds something that works and keeps it. Period. Though lately he's surprised me, going back to school (something he said he'd never do), and contemplating changing from the job he's had the last couple of decades to a career related to the degree he's striving to earn.
I am the opposite. I find a goal I like, do what it takes to meet that goal, and then immediately want to move forward with something new and different. My last job was conducive to my personality because they were advocates of growth and promotion. I was allowed to move and grow. I stayed there for over a decade until we moved out of state, and I loved it! If we still lived there, I have little doubt I would have retired there. So I'm not an Unsteady Eddy, I just like to be able to keep reaching for higher goals.
At home, I am still like that with my writing, and I am not even a writer. Initially, I was looking for a way to bring in money while still being able to be home with my son, and now finish my dissertation (still plugging along), and stumbled across writing. I kept writing, searching, and writing some more and finally ended up with a cover story on a magazine. I immediately felt I'd met a goal (a goal I didn't even know I had until I met it, if that makes sense), and moved on to write other things, in other areas.
I don't usually share my goals out loud, not even with my husband. I don't know why, I just don't like to voice my goals until they're well on their way to being met. I will make an exception though today, and say that my current goal is to work on a collaboration with another professor to write a textbook. It's exciting to think about, and I really want to dig in and get started. I know though, that once the goal is met (knock on wood), I will want to move on to do something else. That is my personality, what makes me happy, what keeps me moving along.
I'm glad my husband is a Steady Eddy, though I'm also glad he's branching out a bit because it helps him understand more my need to always do so. He's is far more able to relate now, to my goals and career-related desires, since he has started schooling on his own. It's fun to watch him branch out a bit.
Which personality do you relate to more? Are you always reaching to improve, find something new, and keep your mind stimulated?
Or are you happier finding something that works and works well, and staying put?
Both ways certainly have their pros and cons, I know...I see them in action all of the time. :)
Rosey, I am more like you and keep evolving with my goals and my husband totally sounds like yours and is truly happy if he finds something that works, too! :)
ReplyDeleteI think it would be so great to find something that just made me completely content and at ease (like our hubby's), but so far that's not me, and I don't anticipate that to change. :)
DeleteI wish you luck in fulfilling your dream of writing. I believe Steady Eddy men make the best husbands.
ReplyDeleteYou'll get no argument from me. :)
DeleteHmmm kinda both at my sea, if something works i stick to it, but if a way comes to make it better I go for it. And after one book is done another has to be spun.
ReplyDeleteYou do have huge ambition. I'm amazed at the numbers you put out. You've already got a double book series going on there, and half way to set number three!! It's impressive. :)
DeleteCan there be a combination of the two? I think I'm a little both; I want to be a person that grows but I tend to stick with what I know and am comfortable with. Best wishes on your new goal.
ReplyDeleteYep, I think most of us a hybrid version of the two. :) TY for the well wishes. :)
DeleteI tend to stick with one thing for a long time....maybe I should change that strategy! Did you link to your cover story in that magazine? Was it online? I that's awesome and would love to read it! :)
ReplyDeleteI did not, it was long before I started my blog. It was hard copy, not online, but I saved the magazine. I only told a couple of people about it, so when hubby and I pass, and the kids are cleaning out my closet they'll probably toss it. :/ Maybe I should put a sticky note on it. ;)
Deletewe have similar personalities...once i dosomething i am ready for the next new challenge...if i stay in maintenance too long i get antsy....
ReplyDeleteAntsy is a good word. I get antsy if I'm not striving towards something new. You have a writing gift though...if I had any gift as predominantly noticeable as yours, I might be inclined to just stick with it. :)
DeleteBoth my husband and I are slow to change which make it's hard to get anything done like get a new car or move but we are trying :)
ReplyDeleteSlow is not always bad, it's just hard for me to handle. :) My husband keeps me grounded (in a good way). ;)
DeleteI think I'm in between. I am usually content. But if I do set a goal I throw myself in it 100 percent.
ReplyDeleteThat's in alignment w/my hubby too. :)
DeleteThat is very exciting, Rosey - I wish you the best of luck!! I am usually the type of person that sticks with what works. I am not a big fan of change.
ReplyDeleteBut you are very busy! I see that on your blog all of the time. ;) Thanks for the luck, I think it'll be an exciting project. :)
DeleteWow! I learned lots of things about you today! That is so awesome about your dissertation! After 4 years for my Bachelor's degree, a year for my teaching credential, 2 years for my Master's Degree (NOT including 500+ hours of field work), I decided to be done, so I doubly applaud your efforts! Congrats on the textbook. What a massive undertaking. I hope we get to hear all about the process.
ReplyDeleteYou're lucky to be working with kids. I imagine the benefits you get daily make all that hard work worth it and then some. :)
DeleteYou and I are alike. Once I reached a goal I'd look at the next challenge and start on that. I don't do that so much now that I'm retired. We are now doing the things we never had time for when we were working. Like boating.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day. ☺
Boating sounds particularly nice to me this time of year. :)
DeleteI think the older I get the more I stick to what works for me. I like Manzanitas comment about Husbands. Sounds right to me.
ReplyDeleteI'm all for the Steady Eddy's too. :) I laughed at your gift card giveaway comment, that sounds about like my husband too. :)
DeleteBoth of us couples are exactly the same. My husband is the steady eddie...I always have to strive to reach the next goal...you were SOO fortunate to find a job that resonated with your growth...I on the other hand haven't been so lucky. Sigh...
ReplyDeleteI was VERY fortunate, and though I knew it, I did not know how much so until I moved to a different state where I would not find such luck (so far, still poking around in hopes of finding it here).
DeleteI think I'm a mix of both. I do love to learn new things, but I also don't adjust to change well. I frustrate easily, but once I get the hang of something, I am so proud and want to learn more.
ReplyDeleteYou've described my 20-yr old in nutshell. :)
DeleteI'm more of a Steady Eddy. I don't do change well. At all! I'm definitely a routine kind of girl. I love routine!
ReplyDeleteI like routine at home. With the exception of travel, that can be thrown in at any time and I'm happy. :)
DeleteDoes getting out of bed count as a goal
ReplyDeleteIt does if it's not the norm. ;)
DeleteHi Rosey, I am about making goals... reaching them and finding new ones.. I'm like you in that way ♡♥♡
ReplyDeleteYou've got a fierce determination that comes through in your posts that I admire. :) I almost always always always meet my goals, but I slide into them sometimes, I do believe. :)
DeleteYour husband sounds like mine. He used to tell me that he will never go back to school but when he retired from the Navy, he did!
ReplyDelete'Never say never,' or so they say. ;)
DeleteI think both the Great Scot and I are somewhere in the middle although I do enjoy inventing things.
ReplyDeleteYou seem very inventive! AND like a great cook!
DeleteIt sounds like my husband and I are like you and yours. He just got medically retired from the Army, and he just wants to find that one thing he can just stick with. I, though, am always throwing new things out there. I'm never content unless I have another idea lined up!
ReplyDeleteBoth really do have their pros and cons, and I think the opposites work well in our house. I'm guessing they do over at your place too. :)
DeleteI think I mostly like to stay in a comfortable routine with things but I'll push a little bit on a few things so long as everything else is still the same way I'd always counted on. I love that you just keep striving for more and more!!!
ReplyDeleteI love that you value your routine. I like a routine with my home life. :) That being said, I've seen you branch out and do some really fun things with your blog (New Orleans instantly comes to mind, but I know there are tons of others). :)
Deletewell since i seem to get called "turbo" a lot.... :D
ReplyDeletelol, gotcha :)
DeleteI want to be steady and know what I want. I love the idea of self help books, a new approach to something in my life and trying things differently. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the luck. I'll take any and all of it that I can get. :)
DeleteGoals are what keep me motivated, so I make them daily. Good for the hubby!lol
ReplyDeleteI sometimes envy his contentment with things, it's nice actually. :)
DeleteCheers to your goals! I wish you nothing but happiness and satisfaction in 2014. Make these visions a reality!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nicole. Very sweet of you.
DeleteI'm constantly looking for the next thing! Some times I drive myself crazy LOL
ReplyDeleteGlad to be in good company. :)
DeleteI am always reaching to improve...whereas my husband is the "its working why change it type of guy" LOL
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to have that home base, yes? And I bet hubby likes you adding the change-ups too, to keep things interesting. :)
DeleteI think I'm a little more like your husband, and my husband is a little more like you! It's good because David challenges me to keep making new goals and grow as a person. Can't wait to hear more about your textbook!
ReplyDeleteIt makes for an interesting match-up, I'm sure, and the two of you seem to get along famously!! :)
DeleteI am always striving to improve and reaching for goals (even ones I didn't know I had!) My husband will pick his goal and keep plugging along until he reaches it, then select another and do the same. Best of luck on your writing!
ReplyDeleteMany thanks, Alaina. :)
DeleteMy husband is definitely a Steady Eddy, but I'm more like you. I like to keep striving for a new goal after I've reached mine.
ReplyDeleteLots of Eddy's in the house today (for husbands). That's a good thing. :)
Deletei think i'm a little of both I am always striving to do more and learn more i want to experience everything but at the same time i find myself occasionally being happy with the way things are .
ReplyDeleteTotally able to relate. :)
DeleteI need constant change! I am always striving for new goals. On the flip side, though, I do have some things that I need to be routine with. So I guess I'm both! By the way, if you write, you're a writer. :)
ReplyDeleteTrue, I am a writer for cash right now, but I don't have that passion true writers have (I know because my husband has it), so I feel inauthentic if I use the title. :)
DeleteYup! I am always setting new goals all of the time. But my man is able to keep one goal and keep with it as long a possible until he is does before he moves onto the next. I have a millions goals and try to do all of them at once.
ReplyDeleteI do one or two at a time, but always have another in mind as I'm working. :)
DeleteI sometimes don't like to voice mine either because I feel like if I do, I might fail. But this time I set reasonable goals, nothing too over the top. Thanks for sharing. I had no idea you had a cover story on a magazine! How awesome!!
ReplyDeleteI don't know why I don't voice mine, I just know that I usually have way more drive if I don't.
DeleteIt looks like my marriage runs by the same pattern as yours. I'm never happy once I reach my goals and I want more while my husband likes it steady and relaxed. That's good, I think, it keeps a balance in the family.
ReplyDeleteA healthy balance is good, I agree. :)
DeleteGoals keep you going to the next day
ReplyDeleteOften very true!
DeleteI am like half and half between you and your husband. I like to keep things that work, at the same time keep looking and exploring for something new
ReplyDeleteSounds like you have a nice balance going on. :)
Deleteim def good with things that work, why change whats not broken :)
ReplyDeleteYou and my hubby are aligned by the same stars. ;) :)
DeleteI am definitely more like you. My hubby is the Steady Eddy. Just like yours. lol. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting.
DeleteI think expressing your goals to others can help you to acheive them, or atleast for me anyways. I am determined to lose weight and do not want to fail.
ReplyDeleteWishing you much success with your goal!
DeleteI think I'm more like you. I love change and experiencing new things.
ReplyDeleteHigh five to you. :)
DeleteI am always changing, I had my dream job and then turns out I found my real dream job later, lol. Life is funny that way. I do like to be challenged tough - it keeps life interesting.
ReplyDeleteLife does seem to work itself out, doesn't it. I always thank God for it. :)
DeleteIsn't it great how spouses balance each other out like that? I'm the steady one in our family in many ways - and yet, in other ways, I'm much more adventerous!
ReplyDeleteI think I am also a hybrid of the two! I'm always searching for things to improve on, but choose so many that I can't get them all done. -Ana (Mommy'sBundle)
ReplyDeleteI am exactly like you. My goals are always changing...always growing...I love the challenge of accomplishment.
ReplyDeleteI think your goal of writing a text book is fantastic and inspiring. I wish you the best of luck with it. Would love to hear more about it, so please keep us updated.
I tend to stick with the same thing for ages.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the magazine cover story!
Goodluck with everything dear. :) I'm everything will slowly evolve and happen :)
ReplyDeleteOnce I have a goal I want to reach it as fast as I can I can get quite annoyed if I don't do it as fast as I think I should. x
ReplyDeleteyeah I call them goals too, unfortunately I make so many that its not realistic. Yours sound reachable - good luck!
ReplyDeleteRosey that's incredible good for you. I'm kind of nomadic I flit around and give everything my all but once I'm done I'm done. I kind of move right on and never look back.
ReplyDeleteI am always looking for more goals to reach. I wish I could be more steady, and be satisfied in the moment, but I am always striving to learn and improve. Writing a text book sounds huge!!! Best of luck for a speedy reach!
ReplyDeleteIm a lot the same way as you. I always have to have goals Im striving for. I tend to become obsessed with things until I can master them and reach my goals
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your new wonderful goal! Hope the texbook will be a huge success! Also good luck for your hubby in his studies.
ReplyDeleteI am a reacher also. And I also like to keep my goals to myself. Although sometimes it would be very beneficial to share them, so I could get help and support from others.
I think both my OH and I tend to stick with what works. Too much change makes us both nervous. There are just too many variables. I am currently going to school, but it took years for me to get comfortable to do it.
ReplyDeleteI think I am more like your husband. I don't really like change and so I guess I am pretty much a steady eddie.
ReplyDeleteI'm like you. I don't really take the time to bask in the sunshine of my accomplishment. I use the positive energy from meeting a goal to keep me plunging into the next one!
ReplyDeleteThat is how I am. I like to set a goal, complete it and move on to the next thing.
ReplyDeleteGoals I have set for myself in the past have never been met. However goals others set for me, I always push through them. Its like I dont think enough of myself, but want to change what other think of me. Quite demented.
ReplyDeleteI kinda a little of both. When it comes to artwork, then I'm always reaching and aspiring for the next thing. Technology not so much. In this area I'm more of a Steedy Eddy! I hate having to learn all that techno stuff all over again.
ReplyDeleteI have set goals for myself over and over again and I can never seem to meet them. I either give up, forget, or just think I cant do it. I really need to get on the ball and push myself
ReplyDeleteI have a few short term and long term goals that I'm focusing on right now. So far they've been going great. We all need goals, something to strive for.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could stick with one goal and work towards it but I am one that keeps switching too.
ReplyDeleteI think I usually stick the same main theme, but I constantly retool my processes. Does that make sense?
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome goal! You can do it!
ReplyDeleteMichelle F.
You make a valid point in knowing our type before we set a goal. Then we can know how to best reach it too
ReplyDeletei am always looking to expand...
ReplyDeleteFirst I hope you will get through this goal with the textbook and move on to even better things.
ReplyDeleteThat would be just awesome to collaborate on a textbook!
Me, I'm stuck.
Okay, not stuck, Just poise to flight.
I love being occupied doing something. I've never bored because of this and I prefer it this way.
I'd have to say I'm a balance of both :)