Progress: Keep Moving Forward

Progress is a tricky thing. It is at times difficult to be gauged individually, and the rate of progression varies not only from person to person but from situation to situation as well. Sometimes it is very difficult for us to keep moving forward, especially when everything around us seems to be falling. At times it even hurts to keep moving forward, but progress is a necessity. It guards us from two very dangerous things.

The first thing that progress guards against is regression, which makes a great deal of sense because regression is the very opposite of progress. The worst thing we can do is to fall back to where we once were. We work so hard to get from where we are to where we want to be, and to return to an inferior version of ourselves would be a demoralizing blow. Not only is it demoralizing but it is also a massive waste of time. Very rarely do we get closer to where we want to be without spending time getting there. To regress from that point not only wastes the time we already spent but also adds additional time to simply return to where we were. The statement “Sometimes in order to take two steps forward we must take one step back” is occasionally true, but a continued habit of moving backward will never take us to where we want to be.

The other thing progress guards against is stagnation, or a settlement in one place for a prolonged period of time so that neither progression nor regression occurs. Stagnation comes in a variety of shapes and forms. At times it exists because there are impediments to progress that must be dealt with. At other times it is a result of complacency. This is the scary form of stagnation. In this case, we are not where we want to be, but we are farther along than when we started. We take too much enjoyment in what we have done that we lose sight of what is still left to be done. Stagnation can be described as this: Say I am on a road trip from Illinois to Idaho. Along the way I make a stop in South Dakota. I am fascinated by the sights and stay there. Enough time passes and I miss my targeted arrival to Idaho. Sure, I am farther along than when I started, but I am not yet where I want to be and am wasting time.

I know that there are times that it is hard to move forward. Other situations in our lives can discourage us and cause setbacks on our path. We must not lose sight of the finish. Some journeys take much longer than we would like, but as long as we keep moving forward step by step we will end each day closer to the finish than when we started the day.

Sometimes in order to move forward to make the brightest future we must let go of what we have today. I know this is not easy. I am living this myself and don’t particularly like it. Since I graduated college I have not exactly had a ton go right in my life. I have had one amazing thing that has unfortunately had to occur at the wrong time of my life. To make the best future for myself and whom I believe to be part of my future, I must do things the right way. It’s not easy now. I know some might hate me for it, and that hurts, but I do it as much for them as I do it for myself. I need to keep holding on and keep moving forward so that the best of our todays will be the worst of our tomorrows.

Forever Young

Forever young, I want to be forever young
Do you really want to live forever, forever, forever
Forever young, I want to be forever young
Do you really want to live forever
Forever young
-Alphaville, "Forever Young"

Sometimes I think to myself, "I never really did grow up, did I?" I still have memories as a young child of crying myself to sleep because I wanted my growing up to slow. Personally, the inevitable reality that I had to get older against my wishes was an unfavorable idea. Growing up was simply not in my plans.

The future was able to be put on the backburner as adolescence made the present less grim. I won't deny that my teenage years had some drama. However, things were fun, and it is easy to live in the moment when the moment is good. When things started to turn, I forsook the present to instead focus on what once was or what could be. What is became less important than what if. In my toughest trials I realized that growing up was the only thing to do. I thought maturity was the only path I could chase after. Quite honestly, my college years were the peak of my "maturity." At least, I thought so. It's amazing how things can just come to you.

Things got tricky when I started my student teaching experience. I felt more alive than I had in years and finally had the confidence to match my abilities. I felt younger, so I acted younger. In my social life and in life in general I began to take more risks. As I realized the past had passed it became more prudent to live in the here and now. While I am cognizant of my missteps, I have been wrong to myself for mistaking this change for personal regression.

Growing up and staying forever young are not mutually exclusive. Growing up is taking responsibility for better or for worse. It is not sitting on your porch complaining about how things were better in your day. There is no reason not to feel alive, even as things are changing.

When I turned 23 earlier this month, I felt old from a chronological standpoint until I realized that I act younger at 23 than I did at 18. I no longer clamor for the past, as I have realized that it was not as amazing as I had believed it to be. Even if it was, it is not coming back. I am also mindful of not focusing too far into the future. While it always good to plan, nothing ahead of us is guaranteed. Therefore, I live in a world where hope is more prevalent than expectation. I do believe that the best of my todays will be the worst of my tomorrows, but I realize that what I can affect most today is today itself. I may always act young. I do not apologize for that. I promise my best efforts to be grow up in terms of taking responsibility for who I am and what I do. I also promise to be forever young.

The Worst of My Yesterdays

NOTE: I actually wrote this for a composition class back in October. I chose to publicly post this for your reading pleasure. Also, in an attempt to be less slanderous, I replaced the offending party's name. Enjoy.

It was supposed to be the perfect day, a perfect ending to a perfect trip. Unfortunately, it will forever be etched in my memory as one of the worst days I have ever experienced. While it would be an untruth to state that my life changed drastically that day, it did serve as a catalyst for some necessary personal changes.
Before I delve into the events of the day itself, it would be irresponsible of me to not provide a background for the events. I had decided to reward the completion of my undergraduate studies with an April vacation with one of my closest friends. He wanted to experience our country’s great landmarks, and I desired to take the opportunity to enjoy warm weather and to meet a long distance friend in Florida. We compromised and decided to spend two days in Washington, D.C. and five days Tampa and Orlando in Florida.
That week we had the time of our lives. We climbed the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and drove past the Ford Theater. We saw Tampa Bay Rays games, toured the Kennedy Space Center, and basked in the sunlight at two beaches (Cocoa and Clearwater). Everything had gone perfectly except for two items: I spent too much time in the sun at Clearwater Beach and was badly sunburned, and I had yet to meet my friend. One of my most important reasons for taking the trip was to finally meet her. Based on the long conversations we had and the chemistry these conversations seemed to suggest we would have, I believed that a face to face meeting would jumpstart a romantic relationship. I began to worry that we would never meet. This was remedied that night. She called me to arrange a meeting at the airport before my flight departed. Hope turned to excitement and excitement to expectation. This was going to be the best day of my life!
I was so excited that I could not sleep. Though we were not scheduled to check out of our hotel until just after five o’clock in the morning, I was up at three to get ready for my 7:30 meeting. I showered, shaved, and showered again. The odor of my Michael Jordan Cologne permeated the room. I dressed myself in a brand new shirt, my favorite pair of jeans, and my “lucky” argyle socks. After prodding my traveling companion until he awakened, we were finally ready to leave.
In order to reach the airport in Orlando, we had to make a two hour drive from our hotel in Tampa. It was not an easy drive partly due to construction and partly due to the obstruction the sunrise caused on my sight. Loud, driving music blared from the speakers for the duration of the ride for the purpose of keeping us awake and easing my nerves. While it succeeded with the former, it failed with the latter. After two hours, we finally reached Orlando. All that was left to do before meeting S-Blah was to refill the gas tank of the rental car and then turn in the car (a serviceable 2008 Kia Rio). Once we reached the gas station, my day began to fall apart.
Just before we arrived at the gas station my phone received a new text message. I waited until we reached the gas station to check it. It was from S-Blah. My heart raced as I braced myself for the contents of the message. It read: “Recent sleep depravity has made me hungover (sic) with sleep. Will not make it to the airport.” I was crushed. The person that I had cared so much about that I spent thousands of dollars to travel a thousand miles to meet not only canceled on me but had the audacity to do so in a written message. I was extremely disappointed, but resigned myself to the fact that things could get worse. No sooner had I made that resignation, things did get worse.
After filling my tank with gas, we arrived at the Enterprise Rent-a-Car facility to return the vehicle. I was in a daze as they examined the car to ensure that it was in the same condition that it was on Wednesday when we picked it up. We signed some papers, and we caught the shuttle back to the airport for what we presumed would be a long wait there before our flight.
It turned out that our early schedule was a blessing in disguise. As we went to check in our luggage we were asked to show identification. I reached in my pocket for my wallet. It was gone! I was so upset about being stood up by S-Blah that I neglected to put my wallet back in my pocket after taking it out at the gas station. Both my friend and I remembered it being in the cup-holder of the car after that point, so we took a shuttle back to Enterprise to reclaim the wallet. When we returned to Enterprise, the manager said the car was just cleaned and there was no report of a wallet found. The manager suggested I return to the gas station to check to see if I had left it there. While I ran a mile in my black “Chuck Taylor’s” (not the most appropriate shoes for running) down a gravel path in the Orlando sun only to find that my wallet was not at the gas station, my friend sat with the manager of Enterprise as they watched the footage from the security camera. A rectangular black object was seen in the car, but once it went to be cleaned it was nowhere to be found. Unfortunately, the cleaners were independently contracted and could not be directly questioned by the manager. I was out of two hundred dollars in cash, another two hundred dollars in assorted gift cards, and two credit cards. I quickly called to cancel both cards, and we returned to the airport empty-handed.
I would have been upset if the money was the only thing I lost from my wallet. Unfortunately, I also lost all forms of identification and still needed to fly home to Chicago. I was crushed, disappointed, and angry. I soon was able to add embarrassment to my litany of emotions. Since I lacked the necessary identification to board a flight, I had to earn my boarding by “alternate means”. I was interrogated by airport security concerning nearly my entire life. I was asked my birth date, phone number, address, names of family members, destination of my vacation as well as the name of my traveling companion, and even the name of the high school from which I graduated. My parents were called to verify my answers. Any inconsistencies and who knows when I would have returned from Orlando. Once the interrogation was over, I was publicly frisked. As other travelers passed through the metal detector, I was frisked in a separate aisle. As I was frisked, other security members conducted a detailed search of my carry-on bag. My sunscreen violated the size requirement to be brought on carry-on luggage, and I was asked to “willingly surrender” the sunscreen to the airport. That was the metaphorical salt in my gaping wound. I was ready to finally go home.
The flight would have been exceedingly uncomfortable strictly due to my sunburn, but other items made it even worse. We were late boarders, so our seating choices were limited. My friend and I were able to sit together, but we were stuck in the second-to-last row of the airplane and were surrounded by patrons who had no respect for personal space. The passenger to my right commandeered the entire armrest, and the passenger behind me began to kick my seat. Worst of all, the passenger in front of me moved her seat the entire way back. Since I am 6 feet 4 inches tall, there is a general level of feeling cramped in an airplane, but this pushed it over the edge. Mercifully, we landed in Chicago, and I believed our troubles were finally behind us.
There was one more calamity awaiting us at Midway Airport. Our luggage took some time to get unloaded and sent to baggage claim. I quickly found my luggage, but my friend was having difficulty finding his. An hour passed, and it never came. He notified the airport, and they took down his information so that the luggage could be delivered if or when it finally arrived. The amusing part of all this (if missing luggage can be found amusing) is that a labeling error put his name on my bags, and vice versa. The luggage labeled “Jakob Duehr” was missing. Mercifully, the day was over.
That day sent me into a prolonged period of bitterness. My world had crashed around me. It was the first time in my life that I was devoid of hope. While I long struggled with issues of bitterness, I began to get even angrier about the smallest things and hold grudges for the bigger ones.
The day also sent me on a long and winding road to recovery. In an attempt to deal with this bitterness I read a book entitled The Gift: You Ask and You Get.. One of the most important points of the book was that our life is more affected by reactions to life’s events than the events itself. One night while I was tossing and turning in my bed, I thought of the trip and of the book. I realized that I could not control being stood up by S-Blah, losing my wallet, being treated like a member of the Watch List at the airport. I did, however, have a choice to remain bitter or react positively. I realized had a great learning experience that Sunday in April; that is, if I chose to learn from it. That day, though it was one of the worst of my life, helped me to get to the point of letting go of negativity and reacting calmly and positively. It has been said that sometimes in order to take two steps forward, one must take one step back. April 19, 2009 is proof of that.

23>22

This one will be quick, I promise.

As I write this, I am finishing up my journey as a 22 year old. Likely I will have turned 23 by the time many of you give this a read. I thought back on the year I spent at 22, and it was honestly quite a difficult one. Things quite often did not happen when I wanted them to happen, nor did they even go the way they wanted then to go. For my year as a 23 year old, I’m dreaming big. I am not lowering my goals or standards for the sake of a hollow victory. I have purposed to live my life though the 4 P’s.

Patient: Rome was not built in a day. I can not expect things to happen strictly because I desire them to be such. Most good things take time. By rushing, I run the risk of ruining. Things will happen when they are supposed to happen. If they don’t happen, they weren’t meant to be.
Prepared: Be prepared for anything and everything. Be ready to succeed. Treat every day like it is going to be the day everything falls into place. One day, it will be that day.
Proactive: As I said before, things do not happen strictly due to desire. Action needs to follow. The best way to ensure things will go the way I want them to is by putting myself in a position to succeed. Being proactive is a must.
Positive: While not a complete necessity, positivity is a much better weapon to have in one’s arsenal than negativity. There is no reason not to believe.

For those expecting a long blog, trust me, more of those will be coming. I expect big things in my year as a 23 year old. For those who have been a help to me in my journey, thanks for getting me this far. We’re almost there.

Victory, Defeat, Losing Through Winning, and Winning in Losing

I absolutely hate to lose. I cannot stand it when things do not go my way at all. Losses are among the bitterest pills to swallow. Months ago, this very day, I originally thought that I would be soaking sun, seeing an old friend, and victoriously basking in the glory that is WrestleMania in Phoenix, Arizona. Endless efforts on my part to make the trip happen were fruitless, and setting all my yearning aside, I had to give up the dream. While I would have loved the opportunity to have gone, it is increasingly apparent to me that it would unfortunately have been the wrong decision. It got me thinking, though.

Just as I have experienced, our lives are full of victories as well as an unfortunate amount of losses. Winning is fun, but the idea of remaining undefeated simply is not a realistic expectation to have. Yes, defeats are an inevitable reality. But it is not losing that makes a loser. We each have our moments in the sun, and times exist when effort is insufficient. It is my opinion that past all the wins and the losses there are wins and losses. Losing and winning both occur as a result of losing and winning. Please let me rephrase that. Our actions and behavior after every loss and every victory determine the real winners and losers.

Life is full of games and battles. Whether direct competitions or goals that are set, we end up on one of two sides. It is fun to win, but it is not always easy to be a winner. Quite often the winners turn out to be losers as a result of their victories. Some inflate their own self worth and rub their victory in the faces of those who have been defeated. Others reach the top of the proverbial mountain and forget that staying there is just as arduous of a task as getting there. Each victory has the potential to bring defeat in its aftermath. Here are three of my humble pointers to limit this potential.

1. Act like you've won before. Some victories are small victories. No need to overstate and humiliate others. Respect what you have achieved, but do it with class and dignity.
2. Be gracious without being patronizing. Acknowledge those who helped you get there. Very few victories were truly won alone, so thank those who helped you achieve what you have. Also, if in a direct competition, acknowledge the work done by those you have defeated. Just because they fell a bit short does not mean they did not put everything they had into the pursuit. Respect them without belittling them in the slightest.
3. Cherish each victory like it may be your last. Quite honestly, we never know when things may turn. Life is full of feast or famine cycles. Cherish each victory. Enjoy each victory. Don't get an increasing sense of entitlement with each victory. As quickly as it came, it can go.

Now, a message to all my fellow losers out there. Failure is not final. We need to do a better job of not losing as a result of the initial loss. Here is some advice on how to win in defeat.
1. Don't fight it. The worst sort of loser is the sore loser. Don't gripe about the loss. It happens. Lick your wounds, get back up, and fight that much harder the next time. The longer you complain about the loss, the longer it lingers, and the more of a loser the loser becomes
2. Endure defeat with grace and humility. Losing hurts a whole lot. It's awful, but it's true. Taking defeat in stride showcases the true winner you are. Give the winner his or her due, but take pride in your effort. Do not let be defeated by defeats.
3. Realize that rematches are possible. Not all defeat is final. The World Series is not decided by one game. Do not dwell on that loss, but work to do everything you can to swing momentum back to your favor. Analyze and improve your own weaknesses, and exploit the weaknesses of your opponent.
4. Be willing to walk away for the better good. This might be the hardest one of them all. Sometimes we want something so badly that might not be for us to have (temporarily or permanently). I know firsthand that this is difficult, but at times we must sacrifice our desire to win to put someone else in a position to succeed. This hurts, but this by no means makes us a quitter or a loser. It may lose us the battle, but it is a true victory.

Each of life's battles has two parts: the battle itself and the battle of reaction. Victory or defeat in the first part does not necessarily translate to victory or defeat in the second part. Victory or defeat in battles of reaction can potentially carry on to our next battles. Win like a champion. Lose like a champion. Win through losing to help someone else. Keep fighting, and never give up.

Traditions: Maintaining a Semblance of Normalcy While Spicing Up Life

I have never been change’s biggest fan. In fact, I still haven’t gotten over the fact that Cardinal Fitness moved their biceps machines. It annoys me, but I get past it. When my world began to spin in 2005 I came to the realization that though I tried to put it off, change is inevitable. Things are constantly changing. In order to keep a semblance of normalcy in my world, there are traditions I adhere to. They range from the fun to the ridiculous. I enjoy them, and really that’s all that matters. Here’s a list of some of the traditions that I keep.

-Since I was very young, Heidi and I have colored Easter eggs. Not sure how this is going to work with her in North Carolina this year, but we’ll figure something out.

-Biennial Tradition: Every other March 1st, I listen to at least one minute of each song in my music library in order of artist. I have a lot of music on my hard drive, so it is interesting to sit back and listen to things that remind me of specific events of my life.

-Annual Valentine’s Day and “Year in Review” blog posts

-Annual viewing of the Matrix trilogy over the course of three days

-Biannual shaving of chest (usually done January 1st and July 1st)

-Annual growth of summer beard (just to be different from those who grow the winter beard)

-Annual Easter viewing of the 2003 Stone Church performance of AD: Beyond the Cross

-Wearing of “important socks” for any event I deem important (interviews, dates, etc). Yes, they get washed a lot.

-Annual overindulgence of Shamrock Shakes.

-Annual completion of the story mode of WWE Day of Reckoning.

-The day after the Seahawks’ season ends (whether after Week 17 or a playoff defeat) I deck myself in Seahawks apparel, then retire most of it until the NFL Draft.

-When the clock strikes 10:31 on April 4th, signifying the minute of my birth, I listen to “Everything I’ve Ever Wanted” by Day at the Fair, the theme song of my life.

-I celebrate life’s GREAT SUCCESSES with Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper.

-Annual reading of Lord of the Flies and The Alchemist. I am considering adding Brave New World and War and Peace to this tradition.

Some of that you may think is stupid. I don’t very much care. I do what I like and like what I do. Hope you enjoyed an extended glimpse into who I am.

The Fine Line between Being a Settler or a Malcontent

Quite often I think about whether I am a “glass half empty” or “glass half full” sort of person. I look at my life and worry about whether or not I am a malcontent. (Mind you, I do not worry about whether others view me as a malcontent because I am not trifled by others’ interpretation of me.) The more I think about it, the difference between being pleased and being dissatisfied is not all that great.

Our satisfaction is related to the standards we set for ourselves. Those of you who know me well know that I have long lamented falling just short on the ACT. Had I gotten one more question correct I would have gained a full ride to ONU. Instead, I got a partial academic scholarship. The amount of money that I lost by that one question eats away at me on a fairly regular basis. I understand that the money I did receive is great. I really do. Don’t think that I am an ingrate. I simply set high standards for myself and am disappointed that I did not meet them.

Four years after beginning my collegiate career with a disappointment I ended it with one as well. I missed graduating summa cum laude by 8 thousandths of a grade point. Again, I am not intending to belittle those grades. I had an objective in mind and was displeased at falling short.

After reading the previous paragraphs, you may think that I am a malcontent. Let’s look at the other end of the spectrum. A little while back I was talking to a friend of mine about her new boyfriend. She proceeded to tell me a multitude of problems about this relationship, but she ended it with “…but I’m so happy with him.” I was shocked by that last part. I could not understand how she could be happy after detailing the things she had. It seemed to me she was settling.

When I thought about this later, I compared it to her previous relationships. Things in the past were not always very good. The problems she was having were nothing compared to what she had already endured in the past. Based on those things and her own knowledge of what she can or cannot withstand, she has formulated her own standards.

Our contentment is a product of these standards. Related to the “Confidence and Ability” post from last month, our ability (or the ability of others) often correlates to the standards we set for ourselves (or for them). Our past does as well. Based on who we are and who we were, we set standards for who we aspire to be. Based on our interpretation of where we are, we react thusly. Depending on our reaction, we can be perceived as either a settler (one whose standards are set too low) or a malcontent (one whose standards are set too high).

I do not believe these perceptions are fair. As long as someone is not telling others what their standards should be, each of us is entitled to our sets of standards. We are neither settlers nor malcontents. We know both where we are and where we want to be, and we will not be pleased until we move from Point A to Point B.

Can Anybody Find Me Somebody to Love?

(NOTE: The title of this piece is tongue-in-cheek because I heard the song this morning. It does not, by any means, imply a deeper or greater desperation on my part to have something romantic at this instant, nor does it indicate a desire to be set up by anyone. I’m quite picky.)

It is that time of the year. Winter has disgustingly set in, and “love” is in the air. It is also the time of year for my anti-Valentine’s Day blog. It is one of the many traditions I keep. For those of you wondering of my other traditions, they will be revealed at a later point this year. That’s not what this is about, though, so it is time to carry on.

This year is different. I am not going to lament previous failures nor ponder which of those failures was my fault and which were the faults of the other parties. That is both irrelevant and unproductive at this point. I am sincerely happy for those previous failures who have found love elsewhere. They deserve it. However, this is about me and not about them.

I may have finally found a common thread in all those that I pursued in the past, other than their ridiculously large eyes (admittedly I’m a sucker for big eyes). For the most part I have involved myself with individuals who for one reason or another were largely unattainable. For all my outward desire to have what others had there was an underlying aversion to commitment. Granted, I probably would’ve committed to them, but I didn’t have to, making it easier and lending proof to the notion that I valued the “chase” above the “catch”.

Things are changing in my life. I am feeling more and more grown up, and while I do not necessarily enjoy feeling grown up I do recognize it as a necessary evil. I also recognize that though I am a fairly motivated individual there are times that I need that little extra push to get from where I am to where I want to be. My weight, aversion to using the telephone, and general fear of failure were conquered both directly and indirectly thanks to some great young women in my life.

While I am actually fairly confident in my eventual success this year in a rather lengthy pursuit I have made, I am not actively seeking “love”, “happiness”, or whatever some would like to call it. It will happen, but it is more likely to happen in spite of me rather than because of me. I anxiously await the future. What is meant to be will be. What is not meant to be will not.

Confidence and Ability

For quite some time I have wanted to write about confidence and ability. Finally, I am going to take the time to do it.

At an initial glance these two things may seem only peripherally related, but I believe there is a strong correlation between the two. If there is an abundance of one but a shortage of the other, it can contribute to failure. A shortage of both leads to failure as well. Let me delve into further detail.

Having the ability to do something is extremely important, but it is equally important to possess confidence in these abilities. Humility is always a good thing, but ability without the necessary confidence is timidity. A great basketball shooter is only as good as his confidence to take the next shot. He may possess all the ability in the world, but until he puts confidence in that ability, it sits idly. By lacking the confidence to try, you immediately fail.

Confidence unfortunately gets a bad rap. In and of itself it is not a bad thing. However, a significant discrepancy between confidence and ability leads to cockiness, arrogance, whatever you wish to call it. Talking a big game does not lead to immediate failure. It is obnoxious, but it does not cause “instafail”. In fact, the cocky prey on the less confident, getting them to back down. This leads to even greater confidence inflation. It does, thankfully, lead to eventual failure. There is always someone better out there, and even if one is the greatest at something, greatness is fleeting. Trusting confidence over ability, simply put, gradually builds to catastrophic failure.

It would be foolish to eschew confidence. The key to the greatest success is balance. If one is novice or unskilled in a particular area it is best to possess confidence commensurate to ability. Likewise, if one does possess a significant amount of ability, it is appropriate to possess confidence to match the skill set. We will not always be the best in the world at what we do, but we won’t be the worst, either. The key to maximizing success is to be cognizant of one’s abilities and to subsequently balance it with matching confidence. To summarize, look at these equations.

Ability > Confidence = Timidity = Instant Failure
Ability < Confidence = Arrogance = Eventual Failure
Ability = Confidence = GREAT SUCCESS!

Prepared to Succeed

For those of you keeping score, last year felt like it was incomplete. Things did not go as I had hoped for the most part. I put a lot on my plate, and I was unsuccessful in completing all of them. I now have two choices. I can and give up, or I get back on the saddle and attack these things with the fervor I had at the beginning of 2009. Just because a goal was not completed in my original timetable does not mean that it should be forever discarded. That said, these are the goals which I fully intend to complete this calendar year. Some are leftovers from 2009 while others are more recently conceived goals. For the sake of convenience I’ll keep them categorized as I had last year.

Physical Goals
-Get an abdominal six-pack. Were it not been for my own lack of drive I would already have been there.
-Continue in the workout I’ve established for myself. My original beginner’s workout brought me a long way, but it is time to take it to the next level. I feel and look like a winner at this point, but I want to feel and look like a champion.
-333 push-ups in one sitting. Like my crunches goal, some would think this is ridiculous, but I don’t like aiming low. I hate hollow victories

Maturity/Adulthood Goals
Since I am now a college graduate soon to live on my own, I need to increase my self-sufficiency. As such, there are some things I need to learn how to do.

-Take responsibility and live with consequences. The time for having cake and eating it too has passed.
-Become a better cook. I can boil water and put stuff in the oven and microwave. I'd like to be able to have one go-to meal so that I can impress my friends, family, and future significant other with my culinary skills.

Professional Goal
-Obtain a full-time teaching job. I am much closer than where I was at this time last year, but I need to press on until the goal is reached.

Social Goals
-Make three new friends. You can never have too many friends. I met this goal last year, but social worlds should be ever-expanding.

Appearance Goals
-Add another tattoo or get the labret pierced (which has always been an interest of mine) while maintaining the professionalism required of a rookie teacher. While obviously not a “need”, it would be fun. Actually, I think I’ll get another tattoo once I get a teaching position (in a concealed location on the arms/shoulders of course).

Dating Goals
-Have one fulfilling dating relationship. I know what works and I know what doesn’t work. I also have a better handle on what I do and do not want. If the right situation comes along, it’s time to make it happen.

Personality Goals
-Have patience with people. I get annoyed rather easily. I am not perfect; ergo I can not expect perfection.
-Maintain balance. I often am either too driven or lack drive. Balance is one of life’s two necessities. Time for me to make it happen.

Philosophical Goals
-Complete development of my worldview. I am in the process of composing the components for my belief system to better explain it when asked by others. Once I've completed it, I'll probably be better equipped to live it.
-Complete 25 blogs, essays, or small writings. Not all of them will be extremely heavy, but it always feels good for me to share what I have learned through my life experiences.

Miscellaneous Goals and Achievements
-Take a camping trip. I have the physical capacity to camp now and am no longer afraid of the outdoors. I wimped out on too many things during my teen years. It is time to live.
-Do something (legal) that no one would ever expect me to do. The days of being predictable and vanilla are over. Only good will happen.


Again, I have a fair share on my plate. There is a fair chance not all of it will be accomplished. I do not fear that. Failure does not faze me. I lived through the trials of 2009 to make it to this point. Now, more than ever, I am prepared to succeed.