Goal Review

Knitting- I made a couple of hats this week, shared a new pattern with my mom and gave her feedback and encouragement to keep going. I checked in with one of my friends and she posted our project on face book and has enlisted a friend in Calgary to join us. She also handed in a couple of dozen hats. At the rate that this project is growing, it will be difficult to estimate the completed number.

Nutrition, etc. - I am reading a few books:
"Body for Life for Women", it talks about the specific requirements women need to stay healthy at different stage of their life. I'm still processing the information, so no sage advice yet.
I'm reading the "Thrive Diet" and exploring the possibilities of a vegan or vegetarian diet. This requires more study since some of the foods are foreign to me. It is very interesting to learn more about how food affects not only our energy level but our moods and mind sets.
I'm also reading "The Fighter's Body" which focuses on fueling the body to be the best martial artist that you can be. I have always focused on losing weight, keeping weight down etc. so this is new perspective for me. I'm enjoying the brain challenge.

Self Image - this is a tough one for me. I have been trying to change the image I see in the mirror for as long as I can remember. I have recently changed the focus to accepting the image that I see in the mirror. I am beginning to change what I see in small, short bursts but still revert back to the old image constantly. I am still exploring tools and methods for making this change. So far, the best method has been starting to talk about it and not trying to make the change alone.

Running - this has taken on an interesting twist, no sooner had I proclaimed the goal out loud, and I broke my baby toe. You would think that the smallest one would not be that big of a deal. Well, after spending a few days listing all the things that I can't do, I began to figure out what I can do. So for the past two weeks, I have been swimming laps instead of running. It will improve my lung capacity and continue to strengthen my legs. The future challenge will be how do I continue to swim (which I am remembering that I love) and run to train for the 1/2 marathon.
-Getting others involved is a slow process, it seems difficult to convince others that starting to train now for something that is eleven months away is a worth-while journey ( plus I can't say, hey, let's go running together). I guess that I'll keep talking until I can turn some doubters into believers. I will employ the "One More" method to increasing my mileage. I increased my running by one more lap and eventually one more mile. This will again be my plan as soon as I can wear my runners again.

Reading books to improve my impact on the world - I have just started reading " How to make the world a better place " by Jeffery Hollender. It is jam-packed with ideas and information on how to have a positive impact on our community. It gives addresses and phone numbers of organizations you can contact to get involved. Most of these are in the states but I am sure there are many similar organizations in Canada.

Fitness Goals - these seem to ebb and flow. Some weeks I exceed my goals and other weeks I don't come close. I have decided that I will push myself to do as much as I can when I feel great and push myself to do a little when I don't feel good or have a recent injury. My newer goal inside a goal is to have no blank days on my calendar. This means that I will do something, anything everyday. This feels more realistic to me than the large numbers I was striving for before. I think that I can achieve the large numbers using this method.

Acts of Kindness - This has got me to journal every day, which I am enjoying. It seems like the more I journal... the more I journal. It has also made me super aware of the actions of people around me and the impact I have on the people in my world. The first day that I started this goal, I broke my toe and had to rely on others to do things for me. To my delight, my friends and family were excited about doing my acts of kindness for me, what a great way to start a new goal. Here is a list of things to try:
-smile at someone you don't know
-thank your mail person
-give someone a hug
-tell someone you love him or her
-put some change in an expired meter
-pay someone a genuine compliment
-write a card to someone you haven't seen in a while
-call your oldest friend
-list the birthdays of everyone you know, post the list on your fridge - then send a card or phone each one on the birthday
-let someone pull in front of you in heavy traffic
-listen to a child
-pay toll/coffee for the car behind you
-give the person in front of you at the check out a little money if he is short of cash
-help someone carry groceries to the car
-give a parent a break - watch their child for an hour
I found this list in one of my new books, I have tried quite a few and plan to implement a few more. I really enjoying all that I am learning from this goal.

And so....the journey continues.

My Goals for My Black Belt

This is me, planting my own garden.

So here goes.....
I have set goals for myself that I will accomplish over the next year and they are requirements for my black belt. I am publishing them in order to stay focused and hold myself accountable.

1. Knit preemie hats and donate them to a hospital
-tell others about the project
-solicit help by having people make hats (crochet or knit) or donate baby yarn.
-teach people how to knit or crochet or how to make hats (share my patterns)
-call the hospitals to find out they would like them to arrive, all at once, or as they are ready

2.Read, learn, research about diet and nutrition
-what does my body need to perform the best it can be?
-how to fuel the body and not gain weight?
-how to lose weight and remain strong?

3.Self Image!
-can I change the image in the mirror?
-tools for that....books, self-talk, talking with others who have the same/similar issues

4.Run the 1/2 Marathon in Sept/09
-run three times a week, increasing distance, time and strength as I go along
-raise money and awareness for Suicide Prevention
-leadership - get others to commit to and train for the run

5. Read books on how to positively increase/improve my impact on the world
-use UBBT reading list
-ask black belts and students for ideas, suggestions
-check local library

6.Fitness goals to be completed by Sept/09
-33,800 push ups
-34,500 sit ups
-kicks - 9 different ones that I will change every three months - 8,450 each
-364 completions of each form that I know

7.Record acts if kindness each day
-do at least three acts of kindness per day
-record acts, impact on my thought process and the behavior of others around me


That's it for now! It has been a challenge in itself to put this out there, it feels good and scary all at the same time. I am very much looking forward to the next 11 months.

Here's the fun part for me:

Interested in being a part of my journey? I would like to gather a group of people interested in running the marathon next year. We could train together or share training tips, encourage each other and then run together sporting our Silent River t-shirts. We could also, as a group, spread the work about suicide prevention and how it affects more lives than one realizes and how important it is to raise money for this cause.

Are there any knitters or crocheters out there? You don't have to publicly come out of the knitting closet like I did, you can catch me at Silent River if you are interested in donating to this. I am also available to teach people who are interested, how to knit or crochet.

Know any good books to read? I will attempt any thing once, okay maybe twice, I am reading/listening to 'Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance' for the second time. I am looking for anything on the topics mentioned in my goals.

I think that hardest part of this whole goal setting experience is going to be hitting that publish button. Holy risk factor, batman!!!!!

TRUELY INSPIRED

We are blessed to have each other. I look around at our Kung Fu family and I am in awe that I am part of such an amazing group of people.

I have not been able to train for approx. ten days and this has allowed me to step back and have a good look around me. I see committed people working hard to meet their goals, overcome their obstacles and improve themselves. Everyone has their own methods, their own paths, and needs but what I see in each person in our family is that they are being true to themselves.

It is awesome to see people working individually and together in pursuit of mastery. People are being supportive, encouraging, and challenging. Our kwoon is brimming with positive energy, you can almost feel the personal growth of each person.

So, what's my point? I think that we need to appreciate what we have and not take it for granted. I have questioned whether or not I belonged here in the past. The answer is, I am exactly where I belong, surrounded by people with similar goals and aspirations. One of my goals is to overcome my uncertainties and shyness and be more of a leader. How am I going to accomplish this? Well, by emulating the leaders around me, by being positive, supportive and encouraging. And last but not least, I will try to share my journey through journaling.

This started out being an entry about the trials and tribulations of training when unable to do anything physical. As I started writing, I realized the positive lessons and observations that I have acquired lately. I prefer this positive perspective.