2011 Goals: Review
At the beginning of 2011, I made some goals in my personal life that I was hoping to achieve. This is the first year that I have really been intentional with goals so, naturally, I have been thinking through how far I have come since January.
2011 Goals
- Read 12 books in 2011.
- Get in shape/run and make staying in shape a routine/habit.
- Learn about photography and how to use my new camera.
Results
1. Reading: I didn't achieve my goal, but I did read a handful of great books. (Click the photos below for more details at Amazon.)
"Linchpin" by Seth Godin
"Millionaire Next Door" by Thomas Stanley
"From Snapshots to Great Shots" by Jeff Revell
"Blue Like Jazz" byDonald Miller
"E Myth" by Michael E. Gerber
"Quitter" by Jon Acuff
"Getting Things Done" by David Allen
"7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Steven Covey
I'm not going to beat myself up about only reading eight books instead of the 12 that I wanted to. I am just happy that I made it this far. In 2010 I probably only read two books.
The good thing is that I also read the Bible almost everyday in 2011. I only missed two days. I also went through a Discipleship/Mentoring class at church with a great group of guys in which we worked our way through a ____-page workbook. We attended Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover Live event in March (recap here), and a Weekend to Remember marriage retreat, which helped me discover that my learning goal for 2012 will not only include reading books, but will also include other types of learning as well. Not to mention the thousands of blog posts I have read throughout the year which helped develop my skills in a multitude of areas: blogging, photography, leadership, being awesome and how to create a "look" with layers.
I'm still thinking about what my 2012 goals look like in the realm of learning.
2. Get in shape/run and make staying in shape a routine/habit.
I started running off and on in January, and to be honest, I really didn't like it that much. I don't know, maybe it's because I live in Iowa and January is about the worst time to take up a hobby like running. I then tried running at the gym on a treadmill and didn't care for that either. And even when I started getting into shape, I had some terrible knee pain that forced me to quit running all together.
Back to the drawing board. I lifted weights for a few months and got bored with that as well. Then a good friend gave me P90X. I really like it. I have been doing that for the past couple months and really like the variety it brings, the fact that I can do it at home, and that it's the hardest thing I have done physically ever! The program calls for a six-day/week routine, but realistically I haven't been able to make that work. I try to get as many workouts in as I can, usually between four and five lately.
I did participate in a 5K this summer and might work that into part of my workout routine next year once the weather gets nice.
3. Learn about photography and how to use my new camera.
This has been a very exciting achievement in 2011 for me. I discovered a real love and eye for photography. Incorporating goals one and three and taking the time to really learn how to get the most of our camera was a great foundation for improving my photography skills. Practicing was easy as I was able to take photos for Snappy Casual a handful of times per week. I've not only expanded my knowledge of my camera, but have learned quite a lot in Photoshop as well. The possibilities are endless!
I also won my first award as a photographer thanks to my sister-in-law submitting a photo of our niece Mylie. Raising Readers in Story County gave Mylie a bag full of books and she is proudly featured on their agency magnet.
Kelsey and I are currently laying the groundwork for starting a photography business together, and can't wait to share the details in the coming months.
How about you? Have you started thinking about goals for 2012 yet? Mine will no doubt include some specifics about fatherhood.