News: A Note from the Recreation Supervisor

Winter 2018 - Our Motto for 2018.

As we come to the end of each year we plan a departmental motto for the upcoming year, that will help us spring forward toward a new and exciting year for our community. The motto helps us to strive for improvement in our facilities, programs, plans and goals. It helps to keep our activities and events fresh and fun, and helps to keep us from getting complacent with our daily responsibilities and duties – doing our best to be viable civil servants to our residents. The 2018 Motto is… Plan, Implement and Achieve.
 
In 2017, we worked on our Recreation Master Plan and reached out to our community to find out what their needs, desires and dreams are to achieve better recreation in Clifton. In 2018, we will finalize the plan and begin implementing it to set goals for change.
 
Often when it comes to setting new goals or making resolutions for the year to come, we start by making lists of “Things to Do” tasks we have to complete or things to take care of and usually not making a list of “Things you want to do”. With our overly busy lives we forget to plan time to do things purely for recreation and fun. To live a fully balanced and successful life, it is extremely important to set goals in the area of leisure and recreation. “Structure your day to include play”. “Recreation a day helps you work, rest and play”. Having fun activities to participate in can help balance out our life, especially when we become overwhelmed or stressed with all of our responsibilities.
 
Think about what types of activities you enjoy doing in your leisure time. Start by making a list of the activities that you get so involved in, that time just flies by. Once you come up with a list, decide which ones you would like schedule into your week. Even if you were only able to set aside thirty minutes twice a week, this would be a great start. The important thing to remember is that by giving yourself a structure, you are able to make time for doing these activities. After a period of time of regularly engaging in these activities, you will begin to accrue some long-term benefits such as: reduced stress, a more positive attitude, better sleep patterns and something to look forward to on a regular basis.
 
2018 will be a year of goal setting, prioritizing and creating a plan of action for our Department. In addition, our department staff set some personal recreation goals for 2018:
Debbie Oliver – Recreation Supervisor: I am going to commit myself to doing some recreational activities “just for the fun of it”, instead of out of obligation or responsibility and to stop making excuses why I do not have the time available.
Jessica Vasilenko – Recreation Program Coordinator: I am going to get more involved with my children’s extracurricular activities on a volunteer basis.
Bill Lemke – Recreation Project Coordinator: I plan to get back to exercising at least four times a week.
Nathaniel Lewis – Recreation Facility Manager: I have wanted to try VR cycling and think that this is the year to do it.
Estephania Gutierrez – Recreation Keyboard Clerk: I plan to connect more with nature this year by spending more time outdoors.
 
Setting goals gives great purpose to your life... Besides setting personal goals we would like to encourage you to create some family goals. Make a family goal box. Purchase a wooden box from one of the local craft stores. Have the kids decorate the box and then have family members write goals on slips of paper and put them in the box (don’t forget to include some recreational goals too). Throughout the year open the box and remove the goals you have achieved. Hopefully by the end of the year your box will be empty.

Setting goals, helps to turn the invisible into the visible!
 
“A goal is a dream with a deadline.” – Napoleon Hill
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” – Jeff Rich
“A year from now, you may wish you had started today.” – Karen Lamb
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – C.S. Lewis
“The problem without having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never scoring.” – Bill Copeland

Debbie J. Oliver
Recreation Supervisor