Now that I have a fairly specific goal as to where I want to go from here, I’ve been spending my free time taking care of various details that will get me there by setting mini-goals.
Goal: 7 items donated/sold/discarded every week
First, I’ve begun decluttering . . . again. Although I donated/sold/tossed quite a bit of stuff when I moved to this much-smaller place this past summer, as I contemplate boxing up what I still have and moving again, I’m motivated to get rid of even more. Last week I surpassed my goal by 3 items.
Goal: 10,000 steps every day
On Saturday, I signed up for a month of free membership at the fitness center here in my planned community. When I rented my apartment, I was given a free month’s trial as a welcome gift of sorts, and I’d been saving it to use when the weather turned cold. This past Thursday temperatures plummeted — 82 degrees on Tuesday and in the 30’s on Thursday — so I signed up. I’ve logged 10,000 steps every day so far.
Goal: weight training 3 times a week (Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday)
I also had planned to work out using a DVD I have, but I discovered that the movers didn’t hook up the DVD player after all! I need to take everything off my large entertainment center, move it out from the wall, figure out what wire goes where, move it back agains the wall, and put everything back where it goes. Needless to say, I’m not looking forward to that job, but it has to be done before Wednesday; I don’t want to miss another day.
Goal: write a book
The third project began Saturday when NaNoWriMo 2014 kicked off. Every November, writers from around the globe participate in National Novel Writing Month by attempting to complete a novel of at least 50,000 words in 30 days. Of course, the goal is to get just the rough draft written, but several NaNoWriMo novels have made it to the bestseller lists (Water for Elephants is one). To reach 50,000 words, I’ll need to average 1,667 per day. So far, I’ve exceeded that by at least 70 words each day.
Goal: find a new job
The final task was one I had been dreading, so I jumped right in and took care of it early in the week by asking two of my supervisors and one colleague for letters of recommendation. While I wait for those, I’m getting my online application materials prepared so that I can begin applying as soon as I’ve uploaded their letters.
I feel good about what I’ve accomplished so far, and I’m excited to finally be moving forward, one step at a time. If you have any hints, tips, or suggestions for staying the course, I’d love to hear them!