Did you not know...

I can still amaze my children.  This is a big deal to me.  I rue the day I'm no longer a superstar in their eyes.  It's already becoming that way with my teenagers, but my younger ones still have times when they're wowed by me.

One night I was helping my youngest get ready for bed.  He started Kindergarten last month, and he is learning so quickly.  This was our conversation:

"Mommy, do you know how many months there are?"
"Yes, I do.  Did you learn that at school today?"
"Yes.  Mommy, tell me how many months there are."
"Twelve."
He gives me a big smile.
"Mommy, do you know how many days of the week there are?"
"Yes, there are seven."
"Oh, man!  You know everything!"

He had such a look of awe on his face because I knew the answers to his questions.  The first year of school all of my children have learned rapidly.  I look forward to hearing about new discoveries.  I relish the way their face lights up with fresh knowledge. 

I still need to do that myself.  I should continually be learning, and enjoy the process along the way.  I want to read more and explore interesting ideas.

At least once a week, this little five year-old will start a sentence with, "Mommy, did you not know..." and then proceed to tell me what new fact he's learned.

What fascinating information have you recently discovered that could finish that sentence?

Baby Steps

This is not a new concept, nor is it something that is unfamiliar to people.  Baby steps enable you to make small changes, one step at a time, to reach big goals. 

I’ve been thinking about this idea and how I’ve used baby steps to accomplish some major goals in my life the past few years.  I didn’t realize that’s what I was doing at the time, but looking back now, I can see that the process was so simple.  I followed this concept to finish my college degree, reach my weight goal, and run a half-marathon.  I put together this list of the steps that work best for me when I want to achieve an extensive goal in my life.

1.        Set the big goal first, but not a date.  I’m sure by not setting a date, this information conflicts with other advice out there, but I simply move the completion date to a different step.  When I decided to go back to school and finish my degree, I simply said, “It’s time to get the piece of paper hanging on the wall.”  When I set my weight goal, I wrote it down.  It is more important for me to first identify what I want my specific outcome to be. 

2.       Decide what smaller goals will enable the big goal.  One of my big goals I’m working on now is to run a marathon.  I started out over a year ago by making the decision to train for a 5K (3.1 miles) and then worked my way up to a half-marathon (13.1 miles) last December.  The goal of running 26.2 miles is colossal in my mind.  Fortunately, by adding a little extra distance each week of my training, the goal is achieved in manageable amounts.  There are accomplishments along the way when I realize I’m now running farther than I ever have before.

3.       After identifying the smaller goals, set deadlines.  This is where I go back to the second part of Step 1.  I pull in the dates for my small goals, and that helps me see the end date for the big goal.   To finish school, I had an idea of how many hours I was going to take each semester, but I was still limited by my work schedule and the class schedule offered.  When it came down to the last two semesters, I had my graduation date in sight.  With my running goals, I found that if I register for a race, I’m more likely to stick to my training.

4.       Celebrate the little accomplishments along the way.  I didn’t wait until I reached my weight goal to buy some new clothes, but I didn’t replace my whole wardrobe either.  I needed to reward my effort, but still have some motivation to keep going.

5.       When the big goal is achieved, don’t stop there!  This is when I look at the different areas of my life to see what I should work on next.  I set new goals for myself and start the process over again.  Two of my current goals (in addition to the marathon) include de-cluttering my house, and having some of my writing accepted for publication.  Funny how the latter goal seems more achievable.  It’s going to take a bunch of baby steps to have a clutter-free house, but one day my house will be in order.

What goals have you set for yourself lately?  Have you found a different approach that works for you?    

   

       

A Nice Ride

Do you ever make a well thought-out decision, only to have a "What was I thinking" moment?

It happens to me more than I care to admit.

In an effort to improve my marathon training, I started to look for a way to change up my cross-training.  The running miles are increasing significantly now, and I want to keep boredom at bay.  One day a week of cross-training is a regular part of my training schedule.  The last few weeks, I've just walked at the park on my non-running days while my son runs.  I've wanted to do something different, and I prefer to be outdoors when the weather is nice.

A few weeks ago, I was searching for something in the garage, and noticed my husband's bike.  It would be nice to be able to get out and ride for my cross-training.  I mulled the idea over for a while, mostly to justify purchasing a helmet.  Last weekend, my husband adjusted the seat for me, filled the tires with air, and other general maintenance.  I broke down and bought a helmet.  I was ready to ride. 

Did I mention I haven't ridden a bicycle in over twenty years?  Well, you know how the saying goes...

It's not true.  Okay, let me back up.  It's partly true that you never forget how to ride a bicycle.  I was a little shaky, but after a few turns around the yard, I was fine.  So maybe you never forget how to balance on two wheels, but I don't remember the gears being so complicated.  My husband's bike has 21 speeds.  It's made for off-road.  I asked him how I'd know which gear to use.  His answer to me was "You'll figure it out."  I took a few test rides around the house before I took to the road. 

This is the point where I really started to question my decision.  We live at the top of a hill, so no matter which direction I went it was downhill first.  I headed east because that part of the road is straight.  Going west would involve curves.  As I gained speed on the downhill, I started to feel completely helpless.  I pictured myself wiped out at the bottom of the hill.  A phrase I’ve heard ran through my mind “has book sense, but no common sense.”  Amazingly enough, I made it to the bottom without crashing.  I curved around to face another monstrous elevation.  Halfway up, after I had shifted through 14 different speeds trying to find one that would help, I pulled myself over to the side of the road.  I was huffing and puffing.  How can I run 13 miles, but can't get myself up this hill?

I finally made it to the top and took a side road to get more familiar with the riding and shifting, only to discover this road was hilly too.  I turned around.  I had only been "riding" for ten minutes.  I started to feel a little better going down the hill this time, and the shifting was starting to make sense in my warped mind.  I rounded the curve again, to begin the uphill climb home. 

The worst thing about living at the top of a hill is that no matter which direction you're coming from, you have to go up the hill to get home.  I rode into my driveway out of breath, with sore legs and a sore seat.  My total ride time was barely 25 minutes.

As tough as it was, I will get back out there again.  Only next time, I think I'll head west.

Number One Fan

I have a fan.

Now, I'm not talking about the kind of fan that you use to circulate air.  Well, I do have a few of those (and they've worked some major overtime this summer), but that's not what I'm referring to here.  This type of fan is a real person - a person who admires me, my work, my accomplishments. 

I know.  It surprises me too...

I'm not talking about my children.  That would be too obvious.  Sure,there are times they are fans, but once the ice cream is finished and we're all back in the car, they have forgotten that I'm the "best mom ever."

So who is my number one fan?  It's my husband.  (Please pardon the momentary sappiness, I'll need it to get to my point.) 

My husband has always been a source of encouragement for me, but I've noticed it more in the last few years, especially these last few months.  It's the simple things he does to let me know he admires me. 

• When I graduated with my Bachelor's degree, I saw such a look of pride on his face. 
• After he read my first short story, I asked for his opinion.  He said, "Don't take this the wrong way, but it didn't sound like something you could write.  It's something I would find in a book."  I wasn't insulted. 
• When I began running, he didn't complain about the time it took me away from our family.  He gets up while it's still dark on one of his few days off to drive me to a race, then wait anywhere from 25 minutes to 2 1/2 hours (depending on the distance) for me to finish. 
• When I tell him what I need to pursue my goals he tells me "do what you need to do."  No questions asked. 

What I've noticed is how effortlessly it is for him.  He doesn't have to do much to make me feel important in my endeavors, but there is no doubt in my mind that he is my biggest fan.  That's how it should be, right?  But how am I doing with this?  How do I encourage my husband, my children, my parents, my friends?  Am I doing the things I need to do in order to let someone know how much I admire them?

Who out there knows without a doubt you're their biggest fan?  Is it a spouse, a child, a parent, a friend?  We should all have someone to cheer lead for.  I challenge you to take a step today to let that person know just how big of a fan you are.