2018 Q2 Goals! (and Q1 Review)

[Image description: A hiker on a peak looking out over a hazy vista on a sunny day. Photo by Ales Krivec on Unsplash]

Well, we’re into the 2nd quarter of the 2018. How did I do on my 1st quarter goals? Pretty bad!!

Q1 Goals Review

1. Exercise 24 times (3x/week in the 8 weeks before surgery): I did my best to keep up a 3-times-a-week exercise, but ended up missing several due to busy-ness and the colds I kept getting. I ended up exercising 19 times. 19/24 = 79% = C+!

2. Learn to play a song on the bass I did not do this. I didn’t even try. F-

3. Read 10 books I read 8 books. 8/10 = 80% = B-!

The ones where I’m hovering around 80% seem to be correct challenge level: not so easy that I’m knocking it out of the park, but not so difficult that they’re impossible. I think having three goals requiring ongoing, sustained effort might have been a bit too many. I only felt like I was really able to focus on one (exercise). The books thing only almost happened because reading requires very little effort/willpower for me. In future quarters, I think I’d like to set one ongoing/sustained-effort type of goal, and 1-2 one-shot, get-it-done-and-forget-it type goals.

Q1 Other Accomplishments

To that end, and in the spirit of positivity, here are some things I accomplished in 2018Q1:

Got surgery, duh. The accomplishment is arguably mainly on my surgeon’s side, and on my spouse’s for being a great caretaker. But I’d also like to give myself credit for following doctor’s orders and taking a good long rest in the three weeks following surgery. It would have been just like me to overdo it, and I didn’t!

Updated my passport with my new name and gender marker. I also updated my name on a bunch of other assorted things, including my library card, my credit card and my checks. The only thing I still need to update is my Canadian passport.

Q2 Goals

Here’s what I’d like to do in the 13 weeks between April 1 to June 30.

Exercise 36 times In other words, 3 times per week (skipping the first week because I don’t get the OK to start exercising until April 5.) This is basically the same as Q1. I’m putting it back on the list because I think it really benefited me a lot in Q1, making me look and feel better about myself. I have not been able to exercise at all in the six weeks following my surgery, and I miss it! Plus, I want to get into shape for swimsuit season, now that I can finally wear board shorts to the beach, and not a two-piece bikini under seventeen layers of shirts and pants and you know what I won’t even go swimming.

Hike a mountain. Any mountain! I’ve never done this (only large hills). I want to climb something starting with “Mount.” I guess this is another reaction to having been cooped up for several weeks with limited mobility… but it’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.

Get my learner’s permit. Yes, I’m finally going to do it. I’ve been studying for the written test. Note that I’m not requiring myself to actually learn to drive this quarter. First things first.