I came across this article (which I liked much more than most of the "30 things to do by 30" that mostly involve traveling or breaking up with that idiot or having your own credit card.... thanks for tips) that's a mid-twenties checklist for your career and it got me thinking...
What does my checklist look like?
There are many many things I'm sure I'd include, but these are a couple that I think make good measuring sticks (for me):
--Am I happy? Why or why not?
I'm not saying that life should always be rosy or that being happy is the only goal, but figuring out why I feel the way that I feel about my life at the moment is generally a good way to help me figure out if I'm on track.
--Where do I want to be in 1, 5, 10, 30 years? Is what I'm doing now taking me down that path?
While this is common career advice, I also like to apply it to other aspects of my life. What kind of person do I want to be when I "grow up?" Am I doing things to take me there, or am I wasting my life with things that don't actually matter to me in the long run?
--Am I progressing? Do I have goals and am I working towards them?
If I'm enjoying my time, that's great. But when I look back a few months or years, have I made progress since that point? Or am I letting myself get stagnant, forgetting to take steps forward? (This is something that terrifies me. What if I wake up one day, and my life is half over, and I haven't accomplished or experienced any of the things that I wanted to?) It's so easy to just go through the motions of life, and having something to work towards helps keep me moving in the direction that I want.
Those are just a few of mine.... do you have any? :)
Showing posts with label progress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label progress. Show all posts
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Is your life on track?
You know how sometimes you read something, and it actually makes you think... even days later? That's how this was for me.
I like plans, and planning, and setting goals, and feeling like I'm making progress.
So, to me, it makes perfect sense to take a look at my life, really take a long-term look, and see if it's taking me where I want to go. Would I be perfectly happy with the choices I'm making and the direction in which I'm heading? What changes would I make if I were able to truly look at the big picture? What things am I unwilling to give up or unwilling to try based on my own short-sightedness... even though my long-term plan should/shouldn't include them? How many questions can I ask in one paragraph?
Anyway, I like the idea of stopping every once in a while to evaluate where my life is taking me and reevaluating where I am now based on where I want to be when I'm 80 years old.
I like plans, and planning, and setting goals, and feeling like I'm making progress.
So, to me, it makes perfect sense to take a look at my life, really take a long-term look, and see if it's taking me where I want to go. Would I be perfectly happy with the choices I'm making and the direction in which I'm heading? What changes would I make if I were able to truly look at the big picture? What things am I unwilling to give up or unwilling to try based on my own short-sightedness... even though my long-term plan should/shouldn't include them? How many questions can I ask in one paragraph?
Anyway, I like the idea of stopping every once in a while to evaluate where my life is taking me and reevaluating where I am now based on where I want to be when I'm 80 years old.
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Ski Progress
Something I've learned about myself - when I'm feeling motivated, I need to GO with it, because it's not always going to stick around :)
I didn't grow up skiing... in OK, it's not really an option. And even when I moved out to Utah, I only tried snowboarding (twice, to be exact, and broken bones kept me from wanting to try that again). So when I married my husband, a life-long skier, it seemed like time to get back in the saddle. Of a different horse. You know, skiing instead of snowboarding. Which, turns out, I like way better anyway.
So this season was my second. And, you know me, I love setting goals. My husband suggested that I set a goal to hit a Black Diamond run by the end of the season. To which I promptly was like, "no way, how about I set a goal to be able to do any Blue on the mountain?" So that was the goal.
On our last day of the Blues-for-days season, the snow was awful and slushy... which was one of the motivating factors in wanting to finally try my first Black. Kip suggested it, and I immediately dismissed the idea... but it didn't leave my brain... and I decided, finally, to give in.
Funny thing about that run. It wasn't even hard. Once I got over the mental hurdle of knowing how much harder it was SUPPOSED to be, I actually just enjoyed it and it really wasn't any different from lots of other runs. Except how excited I was when I met Kip at the bottom :)
I think progress is like that sometimes. Mostly it's slow and steady, baby steps up the ladder... but sometimes it's a surge of "I can do this!" that motivates us to jump :)
Not that I ever want to jump like my husband. But whatever.
I didn't grow up skiing... in OK, it's not really an option. And even when I moved out to Utah, I only tried snowboarding (twice, to be exact, and broken bones kept me from wanting to try that again). So when I married my husband, a life-long skier, it seemed like time to get back in the saddle. Of a different horse. You know, skiing instead of snowboarding. Which, turns out, I like way better anyway.
So this season was my second. And, you know me, I love setting goals. My husband suggested that I set a goal to hit a Black Diamond run by the end of the season. To which I promptly was like, "no way, how about I set a goal to be able to do any Blue on the mountain?" So that was the goal.
On our last day of the Blues-for-days season, the snow was awful and slushy... which was one of the motivating factors in wanting to finally try my first Black. Kip suggested it, and I immediately dismissed the idea... but it didn't leave my brain... and I decided, finally, to give in.
Funny thing about that run. It wasn't even hard. Once I got over the mental hurdle of knowing how much harder it was SUPPOSED to be, I actually just enjoyed it and it really wasn't any different from lots of other runs. Except how excited I was when I met Kip at the bottom :)
I think progress is like that sometimes. Mostly it's slow and steady, baby steps up the ladder... but sometimes it's a surge of "I can do this!" that motivates us to jump :)
Not that I ever want to jump like my husband. But whatever.
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Making Progress
Progression. It's so hard to wait for it. I used to be (and still am, in some areas, although I'd like to think I'm getting better) sooo the kind of person who decided she wanted to do something, threw herself into it 110%, and then watched as it died off quickly because she didn't become a fabulous ballerina/marathon runner/poetry writer/master scriptorian/yogi immediately.
It's hard to start at step one. It's hard to wait for visible results. It's hard to do all this work for what seems like such little pay-out.
I see this all the time at work (I work in corporate wellness and fitness)... Either: 1) people who want to lose weight come in, set some really high goals, throw themselves into it for anywhere from 2 days to 4 weeks... and then we never see them again or 2) people who come in 1-2 times per week and take it really easy while they are there, and several months later they wonder why they still haven't lost the weight.
Seems like the problem usually lies with the level of effort put into reaching their goals. If they put in too much effort too soon, they burn out. If they don't put forth enough effort, they don't burn out, but they really never get to where they want to go.
Whatever our goals may be, these problems seem to persist. We either want immediate progress and get frustrated when things don't work out, or we just kind of coast along and don't push ourselves hard enough to make any change.
So how do we find that middle ground? The level of effort that sparks progress but doesn't sap all motivation? Unfortunately, there is no right answer. Fortunately, being mindful and aware can work WONDERS. Take mini self-assessments on a regular basis. If you feel yourself burning out, take a break, take smaller steps, switch something up to make it more interesting... but don't keep dashing forward, full speed ahead, because you're destined to crash. On the other hand, if you're feeling great but feeling like you're capable of more, then it's time to see what you can (safely and intelligently) step up!
Something that I see as being very beneficial is having a plan. A physical, written-out, step-by-step plan. Whether it's a workout plan for the next several weeks/months, a page of broken-down goals for the number of essays/articles you would like to read/write, a running plan that progressively increases your volume or intensity, or a plan to help you build and develop a certain skill (plug for pistol squats, mostly because I love that she's broken down the progression), it is so helpful to have a way to measure your progress and see if you are staying on track.
We are capable of so many fabulous things, but unless we're smart about them, most of us won't ever reach that amazing potential.
cheesy, yes, but so true
It's hard to start at step one. It's hard to wait for visible results. It's hard to do all this work for what seems like such little pay-out.
I see this all the time at work (I work in corporate wellness and fitness)... Either: 1) people who want to lose weight come in, set some really high goals, throw themselves into it for anywhere from 2 days to 4 weeks... and then we never see them again or 2) people who come in 1-2 times per week and take it really easy while they are there, and several months later they wonder why they still haven't lost the weight.
Seems like the problem usually lies with the level of effort put into reaching their goals. If they put in too much effort too soon, they burn out. If they don't put forth enough effort, they don't burn out, but they really never get to where they want to go.
Whatever our goals may be, these problems seem to persist. We either want immediate progress and get frustrated when things don't work out, or we just kind of coast along and don't push ourselves hard enough to make any change.
So how do we find that middle ground? The level of effort that sparks progress but doesn't sap all motivation? Unfortunately, there is no right answer. Fortunately, being mindful and aware can work WONDERS. Take mini self-assessments on a regular basis. If you feel yourself burning out, take a break, take smaller steps, switch something up to make it more interesting... but don't keep dashing forward, full speed ahead, because you're destined to crash. On the other hand, if you're feeling great but feeling like you're capable of more, then it's time to see what you can (safely and intelligently) step up!
Something that I see as being very beneficial is having a plan. A physical, written-out, step-by-step plan. Whether it's a workout plan for the next several weeks/months, a page of broken-down goals for the number of essays/articles you would like to read/write, a running plan that progressively increases your volume or intensity, or a plan to help you build and develop a certain skill (plug for pistol squats, mostly because I love that she's broken down the progression), it is so helpful to have a way to measure your progress and see if you are staying on track.
We are capable of so many fabulous things, but unless we're smart about them, most of us won't ever reach that amazing potential.
cheesy, yes, but so true
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Be All You Can Be
Today, the sixteenth of April in the year of 2009, it snowed. A lot. And I realized that Utah is not making any progress. Rather than moving on from winter and into spring and the summer my heart has been yearning for, this state in which I reside is choosing to remain in a condition of frigid blizzard lame-ness.
Maybe Utah is reflecting my life.
Let’s see. Over the last two semesters, what have I accomplished?.... hmm. Well, I completed 2 semesters of school. Several of those classes I am going to re-take, because my grades were only mediocre. What else? I’ve been in and out of a few relationships, nothing new. I changed my major. I work a lot. Other than that? My spiritual life, my physical health, my social life, my relationship with my family, my general life direction… No marked progress. And I know I’m the one holding the rope that leads me down the path of my own demise.
I am the definition of stupid. One who repeats the same actions and expects different results.
Progress doesn’t just happen. It requires action, and positive action at that. Not only must you desire a change, but your actions must reflect that desire. You have to MAKE change happen. Or else a year goes by, and the steps you’ve taken down the path of progress are comparable to that of the black widow that my friend TJ pulled all the legs off of when we were little.
I don’t want to be an icky spider. So maybe I’ll find the motivation to make some progress with my life.
I like this picture because I'm a nerd.
Maybe Utah is reflecting my life.
Let’s see. Over the last two semesters, what have I accomplished?.... hmm. Well, I completed 2 semesters of school. Several of those classes I am going to re-take, because my grades were only mediocre. What else? I’ve been in and out of a few relationships, nothing new. I changed my major. I work a lot. Other than that? My spiritual life, my physical health, my social life, my relationship with my family, my general life direction… No marked progress. And I know I’m the one holding the rope that leads me down the path of my own demise.
I am the definition of stupid. One who repeats the same actions and expects different results.
Progress doesn’t just happen. It requires action, and positive action at that. Not only must you desire a change, but your actions must reflect that desire. You have to MAKE change happen. Or else a year goes by, and the steps you’ve taken down the path of progress are comparable to that of the black widow that my friend TJ pulled all the legs off of when we were little.
I don’t want to be an icky spider. So maybe I’ll find the motivation to make some progress with my life.
I like this picture because I'm a nerd.
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