2007 goals

When I finished doing the school thing 2.5 years ago, I found that I missed lots of things associated with academics, like writing on lined paper and carrying around binders. To help fill the void, I bought a binder and a ton of notebook paper and started writing lots of things down. It started out as a journal but later became a compilation of all things Colleen. Mostly, it’s page after page of lists. I started keeping a list of words that I had to look up in the dictionary, and then summarized their definitions. Every couple of months I go through my cell phone and write down new contacts and numbers in case I ever lose my phone. I have lists of goals that are separated by genre.

This is the traditional time of the year to reflect and set goals. I know this because there are a TON of people at my gym these days, and I hate it. The best week to work out is the week before New Years Day.

But seriously, for the last three years I’ve been keeping track of my yearly accomplishments and the next year’s goals, but the golas are adjusted throughout the year. I find it helpful to review those lists when I feel bad about myself because it reminds me of what I can do when I set my mind to it. (Liz, you asked me about motivation one time and I think the lists of goals and accomplishments are key.)

I set a goal to lose a pound per week through diet and exercise in 2006. That lasted a month before my ambition was retarded. I managed to post a 13.5 lb loss on the year, far short of 52 lbs, but an accomplishment nonetheless. Other health/fitness goals that I met in 2006:
I ran 3 miles in 30 minutes in March.
Added a couple supplements (vitamin E, C, and fish oil) to my daily multivitamin intake.
I successfully monitored and controlled a bunch of things regarding my health and appearance. (Yay for finding skin and hair products that work! Double yay for having the discipline to use them every day!)
I ran an 8:45 timed mile on the treadmill in December.
I bench pressed 110-4 times by myself in December.
I Averaged 3.74 workouts per week over the course of a year.
To my delight, I played sand volleyball with my brother and his wife this fall for the first time and I also found a great coed adult softball team to play on. I feel so lucky to have found those teams.

Around my house, I replaced a bunch of light fixtures, painted my laundry room, got glass block windows installed in my basement, and started to paint my basement. In March, I got rid of the broken organ that was hogging space in my garage.

Other random things I set out to do and then did in 2006:
Donated my hair to Locks of Love
Joined my church
Joined my church’s choir and sang my first solo with them
Got my piano tuned and then practiced on it often enough to feel comfortable performing in public after an 8 year absence
Started a pen pal correspondence with my god daughter in Wisconsin
Got my car paid off

Despite these things that I got done I’m really glad 2006 is over. It just didn't turn out the way I wanted it to on a lot of different levels. I’m ready to start over again.

Here are some of my goals for 2007:
Untie my shoes before I slip them off (bad habits die hard)
Run an 8 minute timed mile (treadmill aided)
Dedicate myself to 8 hours of sleep every night
Try to keep my hands off my face (in 2006, I finally trained myself to keep my hands out of my hair!)
Do more experimenting in the kitchen with weird foods (I’m open to suggestions)
Finish priming, painting, and then trimming my basement
Go to reconciliation and establish a better relationship with God through prayer
Continue working on my Spanish and go to Mexico
Get 4 piano pieces into performance-ready shape (I have initially targeted Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag,” Chopin’s “Raindrop Prelude,” an Impromptu by Schubert and the first movement of Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata, but this list is subject to change.)
Do ceramic tile in my foyer
Minimize the amount of hurtful gossiping that I do

This is not a bad roadmap for 2007. Here’s to starting a new adventure and enjoying the journey…