6.9.15 other goals

"The best part of health is a fine dispostion."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson-


I talked about my academic and career goals in this post, but I have different goals occupying other areas of my life.

Two of these areas include:

health & fitness

hobbies

I'm focusing on these two right now because they are two that I can do right now. I don't have to wait for something else to be completed before working on these.

HEALTH & FITNESS

My diet isn't horrendous [I'm getting pretty good at eating my fruits and veggies at every meal as well as a snack or two], but I definitely eat way too much sugar and drink too much pop.

I don't know if I'll ever be able to give up pop completely, but I'd like to get to where I'm only drinking one glass at lunch and one at dinner and that's it.

One reason I'm not obsessing over the pop thing is because I mostly drink diet Coke, and occasionally drink regular Coke, but I don't really drink anything else besides that except water. Sometimes I'll get a little wild and do apple juice, but it doesn't happen very often.

With sugar...it's an addiction. I have this primal urge to eat dessert after every meal [excluding breakfast]. It's like my meal doesn't feel complete, like I can't stop eating, until I have my dessert.

I desperately need to kick this habit.

In terms of fitness...I really enjoy working out. Unfortunately, I lose the motivation to do so sometimes. I love yoga and swimming, and organized sports [which I participated in a lot in high school, and just recently took a sand volleyball class--LOVED IT], and I want to like to run, but my god, I suck at it. 

One of my big goals is to run a 5K, then a 10K, and finally a half marathon. I don't know if I would or ever could get past 13.1 miles, and that's okay. I just want to accomplish something that takes a lot of hard work and effort, time and dedication. That is way more satisfying than accomplishing something that most people can do with their eyes closed

[Although if that's where you are at in your life, due to illness or mental health issues, etc, you should 100% be proud of doing those things. I know. I've been there.]

I also want to lose weight. I feel like everybody says that. I want to lose weight for all those reasons that you're not supposed to want lose weight for, like be skinnier, wear the clothes that I really want to wear and not the ones I have to wear now, maaayyybe eventually find someone to date, etc.

But those aren't the only reasons, and that's what counts. My weight makes me uncomfortable, physically and psychologically. I know I could have more energy. I know I could sleep better [I get the occasional sleep apnea, but don't have a machine thing]. I know that I would just feel better, healthier, in general.

Working out is a lot easier for me to get started on than eating a healthier diet. I know it'll be a struggle. I don't understand why it's so difficult for some people to just stop eating or just not eat that thing that they don't even really want, let alone need, whereas with other people it just comes naturally to them. They make it look so easy, thoughtless. I mean, maybe they just hide the internal struggle really well, but I doubt it.

I also know that when I start my job, I will be out of my apartment a lot more. A lot of the overeating I do is because of boredom. Well, guess who tends to eat less when she's busy with a job and in the groove of working out? This girl. So I'm looking forward to that. Especially because my job is fairly physical, lots of walking around and moving boxes and putting stuff away, I feel much better.

I mean, working out for an hour or two each day is really great, but if you're spending the other 22 hours either sitting down or sleeping...how much is that really doing for you? I know a lot of people out there have jobs that involve lots of desk/cubicle time, because that's just the nature of it, and that's fine. But having an active job is great, because if I need to take a day off from working out, well I still wasn't just schlumping around all day. I don't feel guilty.

I was going to write about hobbies, but this post is already pretty long, so I think I'll save it for the next one.

Cheerio!

6.8.15 [some of] my personal goals

ONE

complete my degree

TWO

find a killer [in a good way] job

THREE

pay off my student loan debt

FOUR

start making the things I want to make

FIVE

start a business that sells said things that I want to make

These are my academic- and career-related goals, but I definitely have other goals for other areas of my life.

The problem is, I get all caught up and excited thinking about goals four and five, when I really need to be focusing on goal one.

I have to remind myself that everything will still be there when I am ready and able to return to it.

There will a job out there.

I have no doubt that my debt will still be there.

And the materials for the things I want to make probably aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

The other issue I keep running into is my age. I fixate on the fact that I will be gasp a whole 28 years old before my true career starts.

I just...I hate the idea of my "adult" life not really beginning until I'm almost in my thirties. The idea both terrifies and disgusts me.

The funny thing is, I don't have that same feeling when it comes to other people. I think it's awesome when I see a 50some-year-old person in my circuits class. They're finally doing what they want to do, damn their age.

Life doesn't end at 30.

I must remember this, believe this, and accept this.

6.8.15 goals and aspirations

"Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning."

-Gloria Steinem-

Yes, I'm that person who starts her posts with a quote.

But I promise I'll try to keep them under two sentences.

And they [most likely] will be pertinent to the topic at hand...

...which brings me to the current topic: goals and aspirations.

What can goals really be? I believe that they can be anything.

Is there something you want to be/have/make/do/experience/achieve/etc?

Well, there you go. You have found yourself a goal to strive towards.

Although, I think I prefer the word aspiration to the word goal because aspiration just seems so much more...seraphic.

More enchanting.

Whereas goal sounds like something that involves a lot of grunt work and other not-so-fun stuff, and the end product looks less like a Notre Dame and more like a Centennial Office Building.

I mean, we all know deep down that any goal, any aspiration worth achieving is going to take time, effort, blood, sweat, and tears. It has to be difficult, because if it was easy, everybody would do it.

So although you may balk at the idea of taking on something seemingly-Herculean, if you really want it, don't pass on it.

Break it up into little mini goals. And then break those up into steps. And then, break those steps up into itty bitty baby steps.

For example, completing one homework problem correctly - at this moment in time - is quite a bit more doable than, say, graduating. I mean, the latter is just flat out impossible to achieve in this moment. But you can complete one homework problem in this moment, so do that.

Because if you continue to do that, over and over and over, it will eventually bring you to the moment where obtaining your diploma is what is happening.

Keep your eye on the prize, sure. Of course that is important.

But you absolutely have to direct the majority of your focus at the itty bitty baby steps. They're not always fun, and they are hardly ever glamorous.

But they also aren't overwhelming, nor are they so ambitious that you cannot finish.

Plus, it is very...refreshing, to be able to celebrate the mini accomplishments on your way to the big one.

And that is necessary to keep you from losing steam along the way.