Reflection: Looking Back At My Goals For 2018
Each year, as I start one year and end another, I like to take some time to look back over goals for the previous year, to reflect, and to recalibrate. In recent years, I’ve been able to track some of these goals more frequently and diligently by using a Passion Planner to as a tool to keep me on track. I’ve also been able to encourage my teammates at Nuru International to do the same.
Many of my goals could also fall into the category of habit maintenance as much as they are goals. I feel like they have evolved over the years from aspirational hopes to habits that I wish to maintain moving forward. And, as I write this, I find myself thinking about the many habits that I don’t write down in a goal format because they have just become a part of who I am.
Here’s a look at a few of those habits and goals and how I fared.
Spend time outside. For about five years now, I’ve made it a personal goal to get outside for at least 30 minutes a day. In reality, this isn’t a lot of time, but I’ve noticed that just by spending a brief period outside I feel more grounded, more grateful, and more focused for the day ahead.
Exercise daily. This habit has taken man forms, and since 2017 I’ve had an added dimension of accountability through the acquisition of an Apple Watch. Each day, I seek to at least close my “move” ring as that indicates that I’m at least doing something active. Most days I’ve been able to get in some time walking, running, stretching, or doing a variety of bodyweight exercises. The end result is that I feel healthier than I did ten years ago.
Simplify and de-clutter. Minimalism seems to be trending these days, but Jamie and I have made it an annual tradition to habitually downsize our material possessions. From clothes and books to furniture and appliances, we make our way through our belongings each year asking questions like, “Am I going to wear this again? Will this bring someone else joy? Is this being actively used?” By asking questions like these, we have been able to say goodbye to bags of clothing and vehicles full of objects that have served their purpose well in our home, but we feel that it is time to share them and make them available to others. We usually donate items to a local thrift store in Morgantown called the Ranch Community Store.
Run the Marine Corps Marathon. Since 2013, each year we run the Marine Corps Marathon with a group of runners from around the country in support of Nuru International. This year we were able to do so with Jamie’s dad too!
Lower Our Footprint. Each year we strive to take steps to lower our footprint, and over the last few years, we have made significant investments into ways we might do so. Of course there are little things like adjusting thermostats and switching to LED lighting, but we also invested in replacing our furnace and air conditioner. When the guy from Grogg’s Heating And Air Conditioning came to the house a couple of years ago, he said my 47 year old furnace had a 40% efficiency when it was new, and my 29 year old air conditioner had a 7 SEER rating when it was new. Our replacement heat pump/furnace has a 96% efficiency and a 15 SEER rating. We have seen steady improvements in heating and cooling AND our utility bills since the switch.
Detach from devices. A few years ago, I started the habit of sleeping with my phone in a separate room to charge, and it has helped me get more restful sleep and deepen my focus. I also started practicing the discipline of not picking up my phone (or at least not looking at email, etc.) for an hour or two in the morning after I awake. This combination has also helped me to break the habit of routinely looking at my phone throughout the day when I have a free moment. The habit is still not fully broken, but I’m slowly transitioning to make sure my use of devices is actually adding value to my day, and not leaving me perpetually distracted. With a two-year-old daughter, I have a whole new reason to reduce my distractedness.
Home Improvement. This is partially tied to simplifying and lowering our footprint, but thanks to some strong support from Jamie’s mom and dad, we made some great strides in home improvement. While I was away on a trip last summer, they came up and painted our house. In addition, they helped me hang a new screen door on our house, and I was able to get our deck cleaned and sealed. Thanks to Jamie’s parent’s positive experience with replacement window installation, I also reached out to Window World to get energy efficient replacement windows for our house.
Blog Consistently. In 2018, I hardly posted any blogs, but I have aspirations to change that in 2019. This post is one more step in that direction. I’m hoping to re-establish this habit in 2019.
Practice sabbath, solitude, silence, and meditation. At one time, these disciplines were a steady part of my weekly rhythm, but in recent years I have struggled to maintain them. While I did not develop a robust practice of sabbath during 2018, I was able to inject a rhythm of silence and meditation into my mornings, at least during the days we were home.
Pursue a blue belt in Gracie Jiu Jitsu with my family. This one has been an aspiration since Sylvia was born. Through Gracie University I had hoped to get our whole family practicing jiu jitsu when we were home, but in 2018 it just didn’t happen. I have hopes for the future, but rather than re-commit to this goal, I think I’m going to focus on other forms of fitness for the time being.
While I didn’t “nail” every goal or cultivate every habit I had in mind at the start of 2018, and at various points during the year I felt like I was spinning my wheels and getting nowhere, looking back over the year I feel proud of the progress I made in the areas listed above, and areas not listed as well. I’m hopeful that 2019 will be a year of continued progress, forward movement, and learning. May it be the same for you as well!