Whenever it occurs to me that something is halfway over, I can’t help but think: “ohhh, we’re halfway there, oh, oh…”
Every. Single. Time.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDK9QqIzhwk]
More practically, whenever a year is halfway over (and surprise! It is.), I can’t help but think about how much more I want to do.
Being halfway through the year makes me think a little more starkly about my goals, and where I am in achieving them. Ideally, I would be halfway, but am I? Let’s see.
Write
I said I wanted to write 15 minutes per day, and produce 50 blog posts. I haven’t been writing 15 minutes per day, I’ll admit to that. But I have actually been writing fairly consistently. I have a lot to say lately, and I keep coming back to my keyboard. I’d love to improve my discipline and actually write everyday, but I’m also happy that I’ve reached a place where writing is constantly on my mind.
In order to reach my target of 50 blog posts this year, I should be at 25 by now… and I’m not. But I am at 14 (15 after this one), which means that goal is still in reach! Have faith!
Wellness
These goals surround running, eating, sleeping… Can we just say I’m unwell, and leave it at that?
No, because as previously discussed, that’s unfair. I’ve run sporadically throughout the year. There have been periods of frequenting the gym, and then random visits at other times. For most of the year, I’ve been playing soccer once a week, and playing Friday night sports, so I’m not exactly inactive. My eating habits, on the other hand, are probably worse than ever, and there’s no way to sugarcoat this. When I work late, I don’t eat well. When I don’t ever do dishes, it’s hard to cook, because the pots are all dirty. When I don’t want to get up in the morning, it’s hard to find time to make lunch. There’s a boatload of improvement to be made here.
Continuous Learning
This is one of those goals that, regardless of making it a goal or not, I’m still going to do. What I need to do, however, is learn with intention. I’m constantly reading articles and books and blog posts, but I’m not doing a great job at intentionally choosing to set aside time to learn. Anything that takes longer than 5 minutes to digest, including e-books, online courses, and textbook chapters, typically falls by the wayside. Anything that doesn’t just meander across my screen gets no attention paid whatsoever.
I have been intentionally reading though, and am on track to reach my goal. Unfortunately, I haven’t hit on great books often this year- but I’ll keep trying, and suggestions are welcome! I’m also relatively on track with my Reading Challenge, although I’m pretty sure I checked off all the easy reads first, so the rest of the year could be a challenge!
I have ventured into the world of podcasts, although I’m struggling to find a place to fit them into my life. I know many people listen on commutes, walks, etc., but I like to have that time to spend in my head. Right now, podcasts are generally reserved for cleaning- which doesn’t happen often enough.
Contribute to my community
When I realize how little I am fulfilling this goal, I feel like a terrible person. I’m not volunteering, and most of my money is still in my bank account (although I’m not sure where). This. Needs. To. Change.
Start and grow projects
This is the category in which I always fail most dismally, and that hasn’t changed this time around. I’m skeptical that I’ll make much progress on this over the summer, but I do like to think that I’ll be able to carve out some time this fall!
As per usual, the goals that are easy or seem fun are the ones where progress is made, and the ones that take work, effort, thought, motivation, etc. have fallen by the wayside. If I can bring intention back into my life, I think that can change, and progress can be more widespread.
I’ve got six months to find out if I’m right.
