From Gossip to Goals... The Cabinet's History

The Cabinet (think Presidential…not kitchen) began in 2004 when three of my girlfriends and I gathered at a coffee shop in New York’s West Village on a Saturday afternoon.  Instead of indulging in the usual gossip, we decided to talk about what we wanted out of our lives.  After all, we were in our mid twenties and wasn’t it about time we had some goals?  As it turned out, giving a voice to our dreams wasn’t a problem, but devising a rational and pragmatic plan to actually turn them into reality seemed utterly beyond our reach. We all had our lists of failed attempts.

So we set two firm goals as a group: to meet once a month and leave each meeting with four goals to tackle in the following four weeks. In keeping with the tongue and cheek seriousness with which we took ourselves, we named these monthly meetings “Cabinet Meetings.” Henceforth, we became The Cabinet.  

Each triumph (the big and the small) has only created more momentum toward challenge and success.  One member enthused, as she prepared for a job interview in her ideal profession, “This goal-setting thing really works!”  
 

Sasha's Story
 

Back in grade school, my friends and I would dream for hours about what life would be like when we were older, cooler, and wiser.  At 13, that magical age was 25.  Well, when I joined the illustrious quarter century club, I realized that I was still dreaming about other people’s “cool” lives instead of cultivating my own.  Enough was enough.  In 2003, I hired a life coach to help me create a vision for my life and hold me accountable to taking the steps to achieve it.  The hard and real work to change the direction of my life had begun.
 

During that initial call, my coach asked me what I wanted my life to look like; what were my 1 month, 6 month, 1 year, and 5 year goals?  Gulp.  I was terrified.  I wasn’t a doer!  In my mind, I was chronically irresponsible, overwhelmed, and unreliable.  I was the queen of coming up with big ideas and NEVER following through on anything.  But, my coach insisted that just by making the initial call, I demonstrated that I had it in me.  All she asked was that I commit to small goals each week, assuring me that climbing a mountain is merely a series of baby steps.  With small yet deliberate steps, I have become a goal setting and goal accomplishing maven!
 

If working with a life coach could have such a powerful impact, what would happen if I got my friends behind me? The evidence is clear, when it comes to support “the more the merrier!”  So I contacted three motivated, focused, and caring friends in New York to start a goal setting group, The Cabinet.  We all met for the first time in December of 2004 to get ready for a new year without failed New Year’s resolutions.  Life really becomes fun when you are invested in other people’s dreams and they are invested in yours. With support and accountability ANYTHING is possible!   - Sasha