I know I'm not alone in having a little panic realizing that we're in NOVEMBER already and the year is nearly over. This year has been a mix of fun, frustration, and invisible hard work. My mind has made a lot of progress, but that's not clearly visible. Thankfully part of that progress has been acceptance that my success (weight loss, work, life, whatever) can't be measured by anyone else's yardstick.
Over on A Beautiful Mess, there was a post outlining 4 simple goals for the remainder of 2013. I could use some structure after the year of travel and then being sidelined with the ankle surgery and recovery. There haven't been any consecutive weeks this year where I feel like I've been able to establish a balanced routine. In all honesty, I thought my ankle pain would be gone by now, 3 months post-surgery. That's not the case though, and it's incredibly frustrating. I know more patience is required, but it's wearing super thin. I'm still in physical therapy and am wearing a new brace to get out of the boot.
Yeah, not cute.
Anyway, here are their “rules” for making your 4 simple goals, which I think are great:
1. Choose simple goals that will make your life richer and happier on a daily basis. Choose things you may not otherwise get done but are not difficult to accomplish.
2. Do not choose result oriented goals. Choose activity oriented goals. For example, instead of “lose 10 pounds”, choose something like “eat fresh fruits and vegetables every day”. Get what I'm saying? Positive actions instead of just the end result!
3. Choose personal goals you believe will truly make your life richer just by doing them! They can be daily, weekly or one time experiences.
4. Choose a reward for each goal as it is accomplished! It can be a small or large reward—it's up to you.
5. Blog about your goals, each one as you achieve it and a big post when they are all finished before the new year! (Emmie note: If you don't blog, feel free to share your goals in the comments!)
Here are my 4 simple goals for the remainder of 2013:
Base photo from Elaine Faith on Flickr
They are pretty self explanatory, but I'll give a little context:
- I am really bad eating breakfast. It's always been a struggle but there's no excuse not to eat it. I also need to make sure that when eating it, I've got a good portion of protein.
- I'm headed back to group training sessions tomorrow, and quite honestly I'm terrified. My trainers are amazing and I know everything can be modified, but the lack of activity of late has me worried. I want to focus on 2 sessions per week, and the rest of the time focusing on walking as I'm trying to build back up my endurance and range of motion with my ankle.
- With my work, I spend countless hours jumping from tasks here, there, and everywhere for my clients. I need to schedule at least 4 hours per week to focus on a passion project. This could be during the weekend or at nights, but it just requires setting some boundaries and being disciplined about it. I'm way too easily distracted.
- Since my office is at home, I tend to stay inside like a hermit. Whether connecting with friends in person, via email, or on Skype, I want to prioritize my connections with friends for the remainder of the year.
