I just realized that I never did a goals post for 2015. However, that does not mean I did not have them. So, retroactively, I am going to do a quick rundown of how I did on my 2015 goals.
Read 52 books: Completed. Actually I read 77 books. I am not really sure how, except for the fact that I did not run as much as I have in past years. I also traveled a bit, which usually equates to more reading.
Run a hundred mile race: Did Not Complete. I signed up for one; I trained for one; I was at the starting line that day. However, due to an untimely injury, I did not finish. This was very hard for me; not only was I disappointed in myself, but I had a lot of people who were there for me, who traveled a far distance, who supported me, and I feel like I let them down as well. However, it's something I know that I cannot change, so I am moving on!
Increase my value add at work: Completed. I have learned so much this year at work and it's been not only a fun journey but an interesting one. Each day I find out something that I didn't know the day before. I love that and it's what keeps me coming to work each day with a smile on my face, looking forward to each day. In addition, this new knowledge has made me a good resource for others on the team, and that is a feeling you can't replicate. Everyone has their strengths and I am so glad that this job has allowed me to show and to hone some of mine.
Buy a house: Completed. Early in the year, I began my search for a home. As simple as this seems, this was not an easy goal to achieve! The prices in the Bay Area are ridiculous; people were bidding sometimes 30 - 40% over the asking price. I spent A LOT of time on Redfin, riding my bike to open houses, talking to my realtor and putting in bids that never got accepted. Luckily in May, my offer was accepted and now I am the proud owner of my own little piece of the American Dream.
Ride my bike to work at least one day a week: Completed (I started this goal after I moved (May), and my total rides were 101, with a total mileage of about 200 miles). This one is a bit hard because unfortunately I cannot ride all the way to work because there is a huge body of water in the way. However, I have been riding approximately 3 - 4 times a week to the train station, where I catch the morning train. It has been great to be out in the neighborhood and get a bit of fresh air and exercise, plus its way faster than taking the bus! Also, as an added bonus, I ran a trail race after practically no running training, but I think due to the biking, I ran faster than I thought I would!
Yearly Purge: Partially Completed. This one is a hard one to quantify. I purged in January, then I bought a house, then I went and got all my stuff out of storage that had been sitting there for 10 years. My goal was to NOT accumulate a bunch of crap, which I did a pretty good job of (aka, did not BUY a bunch of crap). However, I also wanted to get rid of a bunch of stuff, which I did. HOWEVER, I still have a long way to go. I call this one half done.
Several Running Goals: Run more miles than last year. Did Not Complete. Get a 100k PR. Completed. Get a 50M PR. Not Completed/Completed (I usually go by race, not by distance and I beat my time on one 50M and did not beat it on another...)
All in all I am very happy with the way my goals went even though I did not complete them all. I think the fear of not completing goals is often what holds people back from trying to push themselves, and I am a firm believer that it's better to try to push and to fail than to not try at all!
What were you goals for last year? Did you accomplish what you set out to do?
I did set goals for myself last year and I managed to achieve all of them but while they were challenging, they were all pretty doable if I put the work in. Some goals aren't like that as you can put the work in and still not achieve the goal (like my goal to run a sub-4 hour marathon which is a goal for this year - it wasn't a goal last year as in January I wasn't sure if I'd be able to run a marathon again). Of the goals I set and achieved, I am most proud of working on my sleep issues.
ReplyDeleteNo one really seems to tell you how stressful buying a house can be under even ideal circumstances, so that in itself is a huge accomplishment for the year. I love that you did so much bike commuting and reading. Last year my main goal was to find a publisher for my book and get my manuscript sent out to the press. As you know, I succeeded in doing that, and also in getting the manuscript revised for publication in the second half of the year. While I'm proud of my achievement, it took a lot out of me so I'm excited to have more wide-ranging goals in other areas of my life this year!
ReplyDeleteI know how much not finishing the 100 must have hurt, but buying a house is a huge hurdle! Well done. You had a great year.
ReplyDeleteI think you rocked your goals. I know it sucks you didn't finish your race but holy man, 100 miles! I wonder what the percentage of people who toe the start line of a race like that actually finish? I doubt it's more than 50% if that. Just the fact that you trained for it and started is an accomplishment in itself I think. Plus you bought a house and did a ton of renovations last year!! (Still waiting for a photo house tour ahem!)
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