(Read the overview for the basics of this 90 day push.)
In the Moment
I realized when I started to write this, that I’m looking past this current set of goals to the next. Which is the LAST thing I need to do. On one hand, the simply act of setting and tracking goals has been good for me. On the other, I’ve fallen far short of the kind of focus and intensity I demand of myself (I’m not talking superhuman levels, just that sense that I’ve extended myself beyond comfort).
It would be easy to coast through this week, with a “better luck next time” sort of attitude, consigning this set of goals into the “better than nothing” hopper. But these were just the beginning, training wheels to get me back in the goal habit (more accurately the “life evolution habit” the goals simply being the evolutionary catalyst) – and I want momentum.
Best way to do that is really drop the hammer this week – and position myself for a more passionate engagement with my goals. When you get to be my age, you’ve got a lot of failures and a lot of success – when I’m feeling lazy I focus on my successes, when I’m feeling ambitious it’s the failures. Pretty sure I’ll never find a perfect long-term state of motivation (it’s forever a moving target), for now I’ll settle for awareness of slacking.
I’m a creature that loves comfort (which could also be read as “content” or “lazy” depending on my mood) and a degree of discomfort is required for real growth. I’m conceiving some creative discomfort for my next set of goals, and I’ll discuss those next week when I wrap-up this goal set, and chart a path forward!
The 90 Day Goals
Black Nouveau Edits – Success
Slogging through “Hard Knox”, looking forward to restarting after this goal to allow for legit re-write (25 pages a week works for editing, but based on my available time, is too ambitious for a rewrite). Start page: 95 End page: 120
Weight Loss – Success
Lose a minimum of 1 pound per week. Week start: 279.0 Week end: 278.0
(Stickk goal: 278)
Blog posts – Success
Write and post a minimum of 3 posts per week.
Journal – 5/16/15: Dull Humans, Order and a Rant
Noodling: Dormant Passions
90 Day Transition: Week 9 Report
Key Learnings:
- Never give up: That should probably read “never give up when you’re on the right path” – I know plenty of people (including me) who would benefit from dumping poorly conceived plans. But what I’m getting at here is that I was getting into a mindset of “punting” this last week, and that’s the last thing I need. The last bit of a race is where you see what you’re made of.
Things to watch:
- Slacking off: Seriously people, I’m fighting a terrible case of the “whatever’s”, resting on your laurels is fine if what you want is laurels – I want to achieve escape velocity from the 9-to-5 paradigm, and I know deep in my bones that I’m not performing at that level. So, will finish strong, so I can start strong.
In summary, stay in the present moment, because the present moment is all we got. One of the weird side benefits of having formal goals, is you’ll see opportunities for things beyond your goals. I don’t think I would have pieced together that I could leave the subway behind for the summer and bike to work if I hadn’t been thinking about my other goals. It’s remarkably easy to assume that your current course of action is the “right one” when you don’t question it.
Anyway, I’m terribly late getting this posted this week, so I’d best get this up! Get out there and create the life you want, be kind be excellent!
“People of mediocre ability sometimes achieve outstanding success because they don’t know when to quit. Most men succeed because they are determined to.” – George E. Allen