As I have said countless times, I like to set very high goals for myself. The sense of accomplishment is that much greater, and the pursuit of the goal is much more enjoyable and exhilarating. It’s about time to officially (though many of you know this already) announce the top item on my 2012 To-Do List.
In the last few months I have gotten myself into excellent shape. I eat better, but more importantly I exercise like it’s going out of style. I hit the gym anywhere between five and seven days a week. The majority of my exercising is of the cardiovascular variety. When I lost weight in 2008 (and again in late 2011), I did it primarily through the use of the elliptical. Towards the end of 2011, I began to get bored with the elliptical, so I finally gave running a try. I was surprised to find out that I was actually pretty good at the whole running thing, so I kept it up.
When I began to lose weight again, my dad jokingly invited my sister (a top-class sprinter in her day) and me to run a marathon in spring. Heidi isn’t much for long-distance running and her work schedule is pretty hectic, so she quickly bowed out. I, however gave it some thought.
The more I thought about it, the more I embraced the idea. I am going to be 25 in spring. It’s about time I start doing some amazing things. I’ve accomplished some decent things in my time, but nothing quite to this level. I’ve gotten myself in excellent physical condition. I might as well put that to good use.
Starting at the end of this month, I will be officially starting my marathon training. I even got new running shoes today! The race is the first weekend of May. At this point I can run 8 miles without any discomfort. I look forward to the challenge of working my way up to 26.2 miles. It is the ultimate test of body and mind, and I am excited to achieve this goal. This is my time. I will let nothing stand in my way.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Monday, January 2, 2012
2012: Let NOTHING Stand in Your Way
Over the last three years, I have definitely felt myself getting “older”, so to speak. Somehow, I have managed to get a small bit wiser over that period of time as well. One way I have managed to get wiser is in making New Year’s “resolutions”. If you look at them in that light, you increase the pressure on yourself and put way too much stock in one day out of the year. If you want to get something done, you don’t need to wait until the next January 1st to get started. If I had done that, I would not be in the physical condition I am now. That said, I am all for setting goals, and I am a proponent of making a “To-Do List” for the year. This list can be amended at any time. Goals can be deleted, added, or altered to fit the landscape of the year. Here is my To-Do List for 2012.
• Run at least 1000 miles over the course of the year. This goal originally was to burn 250,000 calories with my cardio in 2012, but plans have certainly changed, as has my workout. I am no longer exclusively bound to the elliptical. I am actually enjoying my current workout, and I look forward to increasing my mileage. I have another major goal related to this goal, but it is getting a blog post of its own. It’s that big of a goal.
• Continue work on getting the abdominal six pack. At this point, that region of my body looks better than it ever has, but I am not quite there yet. With a smart diet and a consistent exercise regimen, I fully believe that this long-elusive goal can be met this year.
• Become a more patient driver. When I have some place I need to be, I like getting there as early as possible. When I am on my way home, I like getting home as quickly as possible. Because of those desires, I can be a bit impatient behind the wheel. While I have never been prone to road rage, it is one of the few areas of my life that I have difficulty holding back my frustration. I want to see marked improvement in that this year.
• Figure out my professional life in the moderate-term. I have my job situation pretty well figured out in the short term. I have two jobs, and I enjoy them both. That said, I do want a full time career, whether it’s a full time teaching job or something full time that is closer to what I do at the learning center. I’d like to get something in place this year so I don’t have to continue to look/worry/fret/etc.
• Take a vacation. I have wanted to go on trips for the last two years. I didn’t work hard enough to justify doing so. I have put a lot of time and effort into both my jobs in the past year, and after I accomplish the year’s “Big Goal”, I’d like to reward myself and hopefully get the chance to meet some people I have yet to meet in person.
• Cut down on the use of social networking. I enjoy Twitter, Facebook, and Stickam as much as the next person, but in the long run, it’s nothing more than an entertaining diversion. I have enough going on between my jobs and my physical training that I don’t need to spend a ton of time on any of these. While I still plan on using my Facebook and Twitter often, I intend to reduce the volume of time I spend on them. As far as Stickam is concerned, I intend to drastically cut down on the time spent there.
• Expand my writing kingdom. I enjoy having this blog. I really do. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have 130+ posts to this point. That said, there are other arenas that I enjoy that I have yet to explore in terms of putting my writing skills to use. That will affect this blog. I intend on drawing back on posts with this blog to approximately 25 this year. All the annual posts will still be done, so there will be no change that way. In addition to this blog, I plan on launching two new websites. One of these sites coincides with my love of pro wrestling (primarily the WWE), and the other will be a music site. I have a lot of ideas for both of those sites, and I hope to get them launched and running by the end of this year.
I am excited about my 2012 To-Do List, and I am very confident that this list will be completed in its entirety. I intend to add and amend as I go along this year. I encourage all of you to set a number of short and long-term goals and attack them with confidence, intensity, and intelligence. As Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can, or that you can’t, you’re usually right.” Our moment is now. Let NOTHING stand in your way.
• Run at least 1000 miles over the course of the year. This goal originally was to burn 250,000 calories with my cardio in 2012, but plans have certainly changed, as has my workout. I am no longer exclusively bound to the elliptical. I am actually enjoying my current workout, and I look forward to increasing my mileage. I have another major goal related to this goal, but it is getting a blog post of its own. It’s that big of a goal.
• Continue work on getting the abdominal six pack. At this point, that region of my body looks better than it ever has, but I am not quite there yet. With a smart diet and a consistent exercise regimen, I fully believe that this long-elusive goal can be met this year.
• Become a more patient driver. When I have some place I need to be, I like getting there as early as possible. When I am on my way home, I like getting home as quickly as possible. Because of those desires, I can be a bit impatient behind the wheel. While I have never been prone to road rage, it is one of the few areas of my life that I have difficulty holding back my frustration. I want to see marked improvement in that this year.
• Figure out my professional life in the moderate-term. I have my job situation pretty well figured out in the short term. I have two jobs, and I enjoy them both. That said, I do want a full time career, whether it’s a full time teaching job or something full time that is closer to what I do at the learning center. I’d like to get something in place this year so I don’t have to continue to look/worry/fret/etc.
• Take a vacation. I have wanted to go on trips for the last two years. I didn’t work hard enough to justify doing so. I have put a lot of time and effort into both my jobs in the past year, and after I accomplish the year’s “Big Goal”, I’d like to reward myself and hopefully get the chance to meet some people I have yet to meet in person.
• Cut down on the use of social networking. I enjoy Twitter, Facebook, and Stickam as much as the next person, but in the long run, it’s nothing more than an entertaining diversion. I have enough going on between my jobs and my physical training that I don’t need to spend a ton of time on any of these. While I still plan on using my Facebook and Twitter often, I intend to reduce the volume of time I spend on them. As far as Stickam is concerned, I intend to drastically cut down on the time spent there.
• Expand my writing kingdom. I enjoy having this blog. I really do. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have 130+ posts to this point. That said, there are other arenas that I enjoy that I have yet to explore in terms of putting my writing skills to use. That will affect this blog. I intend on drawing back on posts with this blog to approximately 25 this year. All the annual posts will still be done, so there will be no change that way. In addition to this blog, I plan on launching two new websites. One of these sites coincides with my love of pro wrestling (primarily the WWE), and the other will be a music site. I have a lot of ideas for both of those sites, and I hope to get them launched and running by the end of this year.
I am excited about my 2012 To-Do List, and I am very confident that this list will be completed in its entirety. I intend to add and amend as I go along this year. I encourage all of you to set a number of short and long-term goals and attack them with confidence, intensity, and intelligence. As Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can, or that you can’t, you’re usually right.” Our moment is now. Let NOTHING stand in your way.
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