9 days down...78 to go - so, how's it going??

I've definitely learned a lot about myself and my goals over the last 9 days. I can't believe it's been 9 days already...this summer is flying by. Only 78 days to go. Can I make it?!??!?!

What I've learned

I've learned that life takes work. ... I know...DUH! But my goodness, it takes A LOT of work. It was work to write all that stuff down; it was work to transfer it to a calendar so I can keep track of it (I'm seriously being OCD about this, but I think it helps); it was more work than I expected to talk to Adam about my goals and figure out how they fit in with his and ultimately OUR goals; it is work remembering to bring my lunch, drink water, not buy rolos, go for a walk, and work on my resume...and those are just the things that apply to my summer goals! All of that does not include grocery shopping, laundry, cleaning, work, church, social activities, family, friends, and every other part of LIFE!
My very intelligent and wonderful friend, Jenny, posted a great quote by Winston Churchill. "Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is key to unlocking our potential." And let me tell you (which I'm sure you already know), life takes continuous effort. Life takes work.

I've learned that life takes time. ... I know...another DUH! All that stuff I listed above...all the WORK...well, it all takes time...and often more time than expected. Thankfully, it doesn't take me that long to eat breakfast (I can drink a shake on my way to work or eat a bowl of cereal in about 5 minutes), and I can chug my water, which is usually lukewarm from sitting in the bottle for a majority of the day, in a few minutes too. I cannot, however, have a conversation with Adam about goals and direction in less than 2 hours. I know that has nothing to do with him (he'd be content if the conversation lasted 2 seconds...Adam - "Good idea. Keep it up."), but I need to think and talk it through; I need to circle around and reiterate several times; I need to get others involved (often meaning I have variations of the same conversation multiple times). A "conversation" about goals and direction has been known to take SEVERAL hours spanning several days.
Oh, and then there's work (and stressing about work), church, time with family and friends (phone calls to SC included), time to complete my goals and record the progress, sleep/rest, etc., which leads to my next point...

I've learned that I can't do everything. ... I'm so full of wisdom today; it's incredible! :-) But seriously...I can't be the only one who feels the pressure to at least attempt it; attempt perfection; attempt the supernatural. You didn't know I had superpowers?!!?!
In a feeble attempt to encourage a busy, slightly stressed friend, I said, "Don't worry, it will all get done." Her response was, "No, it won't, but I need to be ok with that."
Wow. Ouch. Stab and twist.
But HOW TRUE. There are times when it won't all get done. Am I ok with that??! I CAN'T do everything. So how do I deal with that. Well...

I've learned that I need direction. I won't reiterate all the conversations we (Jeremy, Karen, Adam, and I; just Adam and I; Bekah and I; Jenny and I, Julie and I, Jon and I, etc.) have had over the last 9 days, but there have been several primarily focused on direction. WHERE ARE WE GOING and HOW ARE WE GETTING THERE?? We only get one shot at this life, that is like a vapor, and we are called to REDEEM the time. So, what are we doing about it?!
Thankfully, I'm the type of person that gets more done when I have more to do. So I/we have been figuring out what needs to be done, and we're doing it. I've also been identifying what may not need to get done and leaving it until another time (while attempting not to stress about not getting it done). I think having goals has helped. I think talking about those goals and having accountability to accomplish them has helped (significantly). And, as our direction becomes more clear, those goals will grow and change, and that's ok. We'll keep working; we'll keep doing...as long as there is time.


So...my personal, short-term goals (that I would really like to accomplish in the next 78 days) are going ok. Week 1 was a little rough in the middle (I have "BAD" written across 3 days on the calendar), but I'm getting back on track. I've been drinking my water, bringing my lunch, cutting out snacks, going for walks, working on my resume, and praying for direction. My mom has joined me with Goal 1 (losing 20 lbs.), and we had our first "weigh-in" yesterday. She lost 1.8 lbs, and I gained 1 lb...which is sadly not as bad as it could have been (I was up almost 5 lbs in the middle of the week). In addition to the steps I originally laid out, on Monday I started cutting my calories to 1200-1500/day, which has helped. I'm hungry almost all the time, but I've seen my determination grow as I seek to accomplish these goals.

Adam and I have also made it a goal to invest more time in our marriage. (I know...I'm really hitting all the DUH's today.) Because of life and all that comes with it, we've gotten in the habit of just getting by, and that's not good enough. So, we're going to work on it. I'm not sure what that's going to look like...I foresee another post including "steps to accomplish this goal" in the near future...but, as a very wise friend pointed out, "it takes time and love"...two things that I often run low on. So I'm posting this for the accountability. I need to know that people are going to ask, "how are you doing?" and want a truthful answer; I need my friends and family, who invest time and love in me, to encourage me to invest them in my husband...and I'm sure you're up for the task!

So...it's going. 9 days down...78 to go!