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What does it take to achieve a goal?

We have all done it, whether we wish to admit it or not. As the clock strikes midnight to signal the New Year, we set a goal or two  for what we want to accomplish. And then sometime by January or March, we have watched that goal disappear.

Why do some people set goals and achieve them and others not? Often not, not having enough time is the excuse. In the book Life’s Little Instruction Book compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr., he writes, “Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”

Our Town reporters interviewed seven people to learn what goals they set in 2014 and what it took to achieve them.

All experienced set backs or doubts, but they also found the strength to push forward Whether young or old, they didn’t use age as an excuse. In fact, that’s the first thing they had to eliminate – making excuses.

A Nike ad reads, “The road to athletic greatness is not marked by perfection but the ability to constantly overcome adversity and failure.” Ask runner Michael Traeger of Mount Angel about failure. He shares his struggles that lead to achieving a goal.

Author Eudora Welty said, “It doesn’t matter if it takes a long time getting there; the point is to have a destination.”

One last thought from author Karen Lamb, “A year from now you will wish you had started today.”

Here’s wishing Our Town readers a happy new year and hoping they take to heart C.S. Lewis’ advice, “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”



Teri Therkelsen
Teri Therkelsen

Letting go of roles
Teri Therkelsen, 55, Mount Angel

Goal: Completing a 150-mile pilgrimage route in North Wales in two weeks and opening an in-home preschool.Why: “More than anything it was about letting go of those roles as teacher and mother. I was completely without cell service. I had no voice contact with my children for 20 days. The treasure of the trip was getting to know myself better. I needed the pilgrimage, I needed the space of not knowing. I needed to stay and walk in that place.”

Hurdles: “Part of it is my age. I thought, ‘Why not? What am I waiting for?’ The best years are ahead. I have more freedom now. I don’t have the day in and day out responsibilities of raising five children of my own. I think it was that empty nest that precipitated this change and the passing of my mother underscored the need to fill my life as completely as possible.”

Lessons: “When I went to Wales I didn’t know what I would be doing when I got back. Now I’m once again devoting myself to supporting the early love of learning. I feel so privileged to offer myself to the world from my own home. I really feel smaller and more present.”

Encouragement: “We all need each other to follow our dreams because that’s what we exchange with one another. It’s for you and it’s for everyone else. The people that inspire us are the people that have gone for their dreams.”

Melissa Wagoner



Rita Horter
Rita Horter

Stepping out of comfort zone
Rita Horter, 32, Silverton

Goal: To do the things she always wanted to try. “I was tired of not living up to my potential. Life doesn’t wait, it keeps moving. 2014 was the year I decided to pursue my goals of becoming a Pilates instructor and a certified health coach.” She also started teaching Booty Barre classes and ran a half marathon.

Hurdles: She felt contained by others expectations of what she should be doing and what she thought was practical. “I learned to give myself the permission to do the things that didn’t make sense.” She also lacked the confidence to step outside of her comfort zone.

When someone says they don’t have time to do something: “I am married, the mother of a 3-year-old son and a part-time fitness instructor. Sometimes I do feel there is a lot on my plate but I have learned to budget my time like I budget my money. Instead of making a list of things I need to do each day, I set a time when I have to do them. Also, I learned to be honest with myself and access how much time I was wasting such as checking Facebook.”

Lessons: “That life doesn’t wait. Do it now. Tiptoe if you must but just take the steps. Each little step adds up to something pretty big. There also is an excitement and joy that radiates when you achieve a goal.”

Encouragement: “Everyone has a gift to give the world and by not going after it, you are kind of being selfish by not sharing that gift with others. It’s not being selfish by going after what you want to do.”

Kristine Thomas



Michael Traeger
Michael Traeger

Seeking God’s help
Michael Traeger, 27, Silverton

Goal: Running the Boston Marathon in under three hours. He accomplished his goal on April 21 with a time of 2:59:04.

Why: “My friend said the Boston Marathon was the pinnacle of racing. Runners try for years to qualify to go to Boston. I felt like it was something I wasn’t sure I could do on my own. It was a test of myself and me reaching to God for help. It’s almost a spiritual thing.”Hurdles: “My history for about 10 years was my addiction to substances. That was the biggest hindrance in my life.”

Lessons: “I tried many times to get clean on my own by dropping this or that. I tried so many avenues and none ever lasted, but when I decided to seek God, at that moment my life changed so I learned I can’t do it on my own.”

Encouragement: “No matter how hard something seems, if you put your mind to it you can do it. Crossing that finish line; there’s nothing like it.”

Melissa Wagoner



Rick Arritola
Rick Arritola

Breaking ground, breaking bread
Rick Arritola, 68, Mount Angel

Goal: Starting an evangelical, Bible-based church in Mount Angel with his wife Char; Ryan and Jill Schiewe, Joe and Vicki Costa, Frank and Patt Arritola, Pastor Eric and Laura Spuur. The church meets Sundays at 10:30 a.m. at JFK High School, Mount Angel; www.mtangelbible.org; 503-845-2804

Why: What really struck Char and I when we got saved 15 years ago was the truth and power of the Bible; we couldn’t get enough of it. God calls us to be a light in the world and we want to let people know that he sent his son to save us and that eternal life is available to all and can be theirs right now.

Hurdles: We rely on God’s timing and he will provide all that we need as we need it – our pastor; organizing and incorporating as a church, discovering ways to minister to the community and finding places to meet as we grew from 15 to more than 70 in the past six years. Not having a physical presence – a church building – means we need to be creative in letting people know we are here. We do several outreach programs, such as our recent Christmas carol program, taking part in the Fourth of July parade, food drives, holding a vacation Bible school in the park and offering programs for all ages.

Lessons: It’s not about building an organization; it’s about helping people understand what Jesus did for us and entering into a personal relationship with him. I never understood that until I put my trust in Christ alone. Salvation is a free gift from God and the way we receive it is through Christ alone.

Encouragement: Knowing Jesus Christ and living for Him and knowing our sins are forgiven is the greatest joy one can know; it’s a life-changing experience that God has provided through his son.

Brenna Wiegand



Sheldon Lesire
Sheldon Lesire

Finding an avenue for creativity
Sheldon Lesire, 32, of Belgian Underground Brewery Silverton

Goal: Purchasing the required equipment to run a successful nano-brewery debt free, which required the sale of a classic BMW he swore he would never part with.

Why: “I found a way to tell compelling and inspiring stories while practicing a craft where I have developed some skill.  Brewing is such an incredible creative outlet for me, blending history, art, narratives, cooking, science, business, and finally community-building.”

Hurdles: “The time required to run a side business held me back, but once I was finished with grad school I found I had some more free time.  A lack of startup funds has hindered me as well, but with our Kickstarter project, at bit.ly/BUBkick, we’ve found a way to rally our community to help build this thing together.”

Lessons: “While doing background research, I’ve read half a dozen books and memoirs about the Belgian Resistance.  For me, it’s been a way to reconnect with my Opa, who was involved in the Resistance and passed away when I was five.  In addition, I’ve learned a lot about the business of brewing by visiting breweries and talking with other owners around Oregon.”

Encouragement: “There’s always room to branch out, learn more, and find another avenue for creativity and self-expression.  There’s always a challenge but if one takes each little thing as it comes, even large goals can be accomplished.”

Melissa Wagoner



Phil Sowa
Phil Sowa

Never too old to pursue a dream
Phil Sowa, 68, Scotts Mills

Goal: The initial goal was to hike the Pacific Coast Trail from outside Bakersfield, Calif. to the southern border of Washington. The goal changed three months after starting – with my wife’s blessing, of course – to include hiking all of Washington. Next summer I want to do the remaining 560 miles starting on the Mexican border.

Why: Because I can, even though I am old. There is a thrill there and I’ve never done it. I basically love being healthy, love the outdoors and love managed risks. It is a great place to be when you are looking for you. It is an amazing, private time with so much coming at you and no one is fielding it for you. It was a challenge and fun running into younger people who kind of looked at me like, ‘This old guy is going to carry a 45 pound pack?’

Hurdles: Taking the time away, getting in great shape for a trip unlike any I’ve taken before, being 67 and turning 68 on the trail. Being a former Navy Captain, pilot and commander of a ship, I knew I could do it but it makes you wonder what you are going to do on the trail and find. You wonder about supplies, blisters, weather, and things like that. The trick is to start late enough in the early summer to avoid residual winter snow in the mountains and finish early enough to avoid snow in the fall. It was a humbling experience.  

Lessons: Walk the PCT when you are young and able. But how do you convince your employer or dean of students to give you six months time off and still come back to your job or classroom? Do we currently have it backwards? Work while young and play while old? We should reverse that – explore/play/hike the PCT while in your 20s and healthy and then, when older, get a degree and a job later in life after one has “grown up” matured and mellowed out. I also learned that if you don’t really need it or use it, don’t carry it, that mountain lions are magnificent creatures best observed from a distance, that the trail itself dictates everything – you walk it, take what it gives you or leave it, and that nicknames come to you from within or from others you meet on the trail.

Encouragement: Hiking the PCT is a logistic monstrosity which includes cost, mailing supplies, transportation, medical advice, etc. No way could I have done it without the help from my wife, Joanne, and son, Matt and his spouse, Cory and other relatives and friends. Lots of help and advice from other hikers on the Trail came at critical times. Folks called “Trail Angels” found all along the 2,660 miles voluntarily everything from transportation to food and water, showers, laundry, or a place to spend the night. The help they provide is appropriately called “Trail Magic.” Who they are and what they do is magical in every sense of the word.”

Dixon Bledsoe



Leah Stolte-Doerfler
Leah Stolte-Doerfler

Grateful for every day blessings
Leah Stolte-Doerfler, 51, Silverton

Goal: To hike the 500 mile trail of the Camino de Santiago in Spain as part of her three month sabbatical from being the pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church. Her words for 2014 were trust and vulnerabilty. “By taking this journey, I was stepping away from all I loved, my family, friends and job and I would have to trust everything was going to be OK.” It took her 36 days to walk the trail.

Hurdles: The first four days were exciting. Then a switch happened when she realized she was walking 500 miles. She pushed people away, feeling she needed to be alone. “The hurdle was my introduction into a new and quiet place I hadn’t been before.”

Lessons learned: To be grateful for the little things in life and to realize that they often come at the right moments, like when I was walking by the freeway and a trucker honked at me. It was the little burst of encouragement I needed. I learned you often are given what you need when you need it. I also learned to be vulnerable and to trust in what I was doing. I didn’t have a static experience or a vision on the trail. My experience was God’s gracious provision over and over again. Camino is not about my walking. It’s about God’s provision. Every day I learned to be thankful for the little blessings. That was my profound gratitude to God.

Encouragement: I think anybody can walk the Camino if they have enough time and listen to their body. That is a huge lesson. It’s listening to where we are being called and how that’s unfolding. We are think the world will stop if we step away from our work or our family to take time for ourselves. The world is going to keep going. We need to acknowledge God is God and we are not and the world will keep going if we disconnect.

Kristine Thomas

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