Assessment of Goals

As with all goals, it is important to check in with what progress has been made.  This process validates the effort that has been made, can mark the goal as complete, and otherwise can inspire you to keep going.

I had a post about a month ago outlining some of my ideas of what I wanted to work on.  

I have posted eleven out of my proposed fifteen posts for November.  No, I didn't meet that goal, but that was pretty damn good considering all of the other things that we had going on that month.  It was validating regardless.  It also showed me that I don't have to step quite so hard on the soapbox every time--I've had a tendency to think that I need to turn things into a big philosophic point each time.  Some things lend themselves that way, sometimes I need to let things be what they are, and sometimes what I've come to say doesn't need it.  This opens the door to say other things.  This also takes away some of the pressure of coming up with a good idea, which even though my mind knows is okay the rest of me still needs that occasional reminder.  

Piano lessons are moving along.  I have been working on a piece that I would not have been brave enough to try a few months ago.  

At work I have certified in another module and am moving closer to a promotion--just a couple more pieces to finish there.

What sticks out most though is that I have been going to the gym more regularly.  Typically, I've been going at least twice a week, now, usually trying to swing some combination of a personal training appointment if possible, a yoga class, and a some swimming.  Have I lost any weight?  Nope.  But I'm not disappointed by that.  Firstly, weight is just a number, an indicator rather than the end all and be all.  However, I can swim a mile much more easily than I had a month and a half ago.  In fact, I can swim that mile and then go run errands.  I can make it all the way through my personal training appointment without having to stop and sit down.  My endurance is not showing physically, but am feeling enough of a small difference to be optimistic and keep trying.  We also got Wii Fit U, which has been encouraging me to walk more if nothing else.  Nutrition has always been a touchy subject for me because I know that my rules are not mainstream and always in flux as far as what I can eat.  I am considering some different ideas in this area, but am not ready to talk about them much as of yet.  Got a bit of research to do still.  

So, in short, progress is there.  

It's easy to get disheartened, when changes are drastic or when goals aren't met precisely.  When I have a bad day health-wise, it's easy to fall back into that way of thinking that says "if I really loved myself, I would stick with my eating/exercise plan even though I'm feeling this way."  Still working on that one, sometimes.  The real trick I've found, though, is to give yourself goals that you can actually measure and you can actually meet.  

The "meet" portion is a little more obvious, except perhaps in the time spectrum.  Give yourself enough time to meet your goals, accounting for those bad days in there and with enough leeway in your self-judgement.

The "measure" portion is one of those duh moments when you think about it, but I've talked to more than one person that when frustrated with his or her goals, I pointed out that maybe they need to define and potentially change what they're measuring by.  Are you giving yourself a fair measuring stick?  When my goal for a long time was just "to get better," I was continually frustrated--that goal was so vague that I had no way to actually mark any progress.  Pick a specific step or "try X for # of times in a month" as a goal rather than the whole thing.  Your progress needs to be measurable and to an extent defined.  Otherwise, it's much, much harder to keep going on that main goal.  

Thank you for holding me accountable for what I set out to do.  Thank you for your encouragement along the way.  I hope I can repay it in kind.  Keep heart and press on, my friends.