Goal Check

What better way to end the first month of the year than by evaluating your progress on the goals you made?  I hope you were able to set some goals for different areas of your life, and find a way to make some things happen!

I took a look at how I've been doing so far, and I already see some areas that need a change.  On the other hand, some of the goals I set have made a real difference in my daily life.  That's a good thing.  Here are some quick notes on my personal evaluation.

1.  Getting up at 5 a.m. is hard.  I've had a lot of trouble with this one.  There have been a couple of days that I made it out of bed near 5, but for the most part 5:20-5:30 seems to be the standard.  I even tried setting my alarm for 4:50 to see if that would help.  I'm going to continue working on this one, and I did start going to bed earlier (before 10) to make sure I'm getting enough rest.

2.  I need to expect trials based on whatever scripture verse I'm learning each week.  The first week was tough with Ephesians 4:29.  I would like to make this a family thing so that I'm doing my job as a parent by teaching my children dilligently.  I completed my first month's reading of Psalm and Proverbs.  If I ever need a little motivation the 31st chapter of Proverbs gives me a good kick, especially the line about rising while the household is still asleep. 

3.  Working on my book has not been enough of a priority.  This is why I need those extra 30 minutes in the morning.  I've pushed aside my smaller goals with this.  I haven't had enough urgency to work on it, and I need to improve my thinking process.

4.  I can do a pushup.  Never mind the fact that I have to do them girly-style.  My health goals have been a good challenge for me, but not to the point where I'm not too exhausted to do anything else.  I have increased my strength gradually over the past few weeks.  My first attempt to run a half marathon under 2 hours was this past Saturday.  I finished (official time) in 2:00:35.  Now that's close!  I was pleased with my performance because I finished strong.  My two fastest miles were the final two.  I'm currently searching for a race to make my next attempt probably in March.

5.  After my last posted about posting weekly on my blog, I missed a week.  Go figure.  Since I began this blog in July, I have posted something new each week.  I don't know what happened last week, but it got away from me.  I think I need to stick to a specific day and get some deadlines in place.  That will help with my book writing too.

I hope by writing about my goals, I haven't seemed self-righteous or pompous.  Not only did I want some accountability by putting my plans in print, but I also hoped that it would help others view dreams and goals in a different light.  I also wanted to point out that it's okay to evaluate, change, and reset at any time.             

Goal 3: My Work

When I originally wrote out my goals by hand, I titled the page "My Career."  Later, as I looked down at the list, I felt a little funny because nothing I wrote brings home a salary. I think I should have titled it something like "Things I would like to be paid for."  Instead, I put my focus on calling these goals my work.  It's part of who I am and what I do whether I earn money from it or not.

I don't feel as vulnerable as I did sharing my faith goals, but I still feel a little nervous sharing them.  They reveal more about me on a personal level, and I'm the type of person who likes to stay in the background.  Yes, I'm a wallflower.    

1. Finish my book.

I started a book last fall that is meant to be an inspirational pick-me-up.  The trouble is that on the tough days, it's hard to write inspiring thoughts for others. I've had to  to give myself some hard deadlines to work on this no matter how bad the day is. These deadlines include a book proposal and sample chapters to be completed. Soon.  This goal is also dependent upon 5 a.m. mornings. I can write when my mind is fresh and not impeded by teenager attitudes or whining youngsters.  This goal is probably one of my biggest challenges.

  

2. Launch a running blog.

Running has become a passion of mine, like writing, but I didn't want to bore my nonrunning readers with the details.. So I'm working a separate blog. It's a little scary to try something different, but exciting too. It is tiered for beginners but I hope it will appeal to runners of any level. 

3. Continue with weekly posts on this blog covering topics as they come up in my life.

I've tried to write ahead and schedule posts, but something more interesting always comes up. I'm going to let my day to day life continue to direct my writing.  I enjoy writing, and this blog lets my personality come through for those who don't know me very well (because I'm so quiet).    

4. Establish more of a local running community.

I'm still working out these details.  I'm a solo runner most of the time, but I enjoy sharing goals, chatting with other runners at local races, and encouraging others.  Again, I'm an introvert so this will truly challenge my comfort zone.

This sums up my goals that I've set for myself.  Next week, I'll post on my progress and how I've fared for the first month of the year.

Accountability.  It works. 

Goal 2: My Health

I started lining out some of my goals with last week's post.  I wanted to start with my faith to keep my priorities straight.  It seems logical to me that the next area of my life to focus on would be my health.  I'm not just talking about my physical health, but my mental health is just as important.  I tried to keep them simple, because I could easily overload my mind trying to improve myself.

Mental Health

1.  Read 12 books this year (6 nonfiction, 6 fiction)
Some of you out there may be rolling your eyes at this one.  Only 12 books?  Well, it may not seem like a lot, but for me to take the time to sit down and read consistently (and stay awake) is a challenge.  I'm also very picky about what I spend my time doing.  I don't want to read garbage.  To keep things fresh, I'm going to alternate between fiction and nonfiction each month.  The good news is that I'm one chapter away from finishing my January pick which was nonfiction.  If you have any suggestions for good fiction, please let me know.

2.  Start getting up at 5 every morning.
This goal helps me in other areas of my life.  I've started the last two weeks getting up at 5:30 so I can get in my quiet time and a few other things before I start waking children for school.  If I can bump it a little earlier, then I can accomplish more.  I'm taking it a little at a time so my body doesn't shut down at 8 p.m.  By the end of the month, I plan to meet this goal and February will make it a habit. 

Physical Health

1.  Become a stronger, faster runner 
This step requires a few mini goals, such as: 
a).  Add more "runner foods" to my diet
In the past I've had the attitude that I can eat what I want because I run.  Lately, I found that I was running solely to burn the donut, cake, hot fudge sundae, etc...  I want to improve my diet so [most of] the foods I'm putting in my system are making me faster, not fatter.
b).  Add strength training to my routine
Research shows that a strong upper body can help you run faster.  Ugh!  I'm a little weak in this area.  I've never been able to move below the first or second weight on the machine for arms.  It was quite entertaining for my children this week to witness that I can only complete (not quite) one pushup.  I hope I can work my way up to 5 by the end of the month.  This is my least favorite goal.   

2.  Run a half marathon below 2 hours, and set a new personal record for the marathon.
I'm working on my calendar this week planning my next races so that I can meet this goal.  It looks like my first shot to break my half marathon time goal will be on January 28.  The second part of this goal requires I find a race to run that does not involve north wind and a downpour.
 
These goals are going to keep me busy, and some of them are going to challenge me physically as well as mentally.  What about you?  Did you set any goals to improve your health?

Goal 1: My Faith

Last week, I wrote about how I make goals for myself now instead of setting new year resolutions.  If you missed it, you can read it here.  I've been working on these goals pretty steadily for a few weeks, with some help from a few blogs and sites that I follow. 

I thought I would do something a little different for my posts in the month of January.  I need some accountability.  What I'm going to do for each post in January is share my goals I've set for a specific area of my life.

This week, I'm starting with the most important one.  Without goals to enrich my faith in God, none of the other areas of my life would matter.  When I don't put Him first, everything else falls apart.  In a big way.  It is probably the most vulnerable area of my life to share as well, but here goes.

1.  Put my daily quiet time first, at the beginning of the day. 
This means I have to make myself get up long before I start waking up kids.  I've been convicted about the amount of time I spend doing other things, but that my quiet time reading the Bible and praying has been "fit in" when I have time.  Translation:  I usually nod off if I push this to the evening.  This week, I've started setting my alarm to get up with plenty of time, so I'm not rushed.  I've also found that I get much more accomplished by putting things in the right order.

2.  Read through the book of Psalm and Proverbs one time each month.
I've posted on this before, and I want to have more praise, comfort, and wisdom present in my life.  What better way to do this than to read the books through at least twelve times?

3.  Memorize one new scripture a week.
I started a spiral notebook several months ago to do this, but it has since become a little dusty.  I dusted it off, and began this week with the last one I had written down.  "Let  no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear." Ephesians 4:29.  Let me assure you, I'm being tested with this one daily.  I need it imprinted in my mind.

These three goals will definitely challenge me, but my hope is that by sharing them, I will keep it up throughout the year.