Keep On Keeping On

How's your year going so far? It's been a week now and I'm happy to say I'm keeping on with the rocks and my goals. Here are a few things that are helping me find success:

1. Let go of perfection-I'm an all or nothing kind of gal so usually once I miss a day of something, I give up.  Some people check off their calendar with an "X"for each day that they accomplish something and feel proud of "not breaking the chain" of  XXXX. My current way of looking at it is, if there are more checks than there have been in the past, I'm doing better.

2. Only focus on a couple things at a time-I can't be great at all things every day. This goes with my last post about juggling. Get good at a couple of things then add something else.  For example, I want to exercise more but I'm focusing on Bible study and writing more at the moment.  I did walk on Saturday and it was wonderful.  Old Me would be disappointed in myself for not exercising 3-5 times in a week. Instead, New Me is busy working on the current goals and holding on to the memory of how good it felt to get out and walk. That memory will come in handy when it's time to focus on exercising.

3. Include other people in your goals as much as you can-Most people understand that this offers accountability.  If I know a friend will ask me if I got my post done on my blog, I'm more likely to get it done.  If I know a friend will meet me at 8am for a walk, no matter how early that may come or how cold it is, I'll be there.

This is where I've learned that work is much better with friends.  I love good friends. They make me laugh, they question my thinking, they give me fresh perspective. As a kid, friends were the reason I got up and went to school each day.

I didn't know it until the first of this year but a friend of mine also blogs and the main topic is his journey through the Bible in a year. AND his New Year's post was about "writing more".  It's been great to know that someone else is reading the same chapters in the Bible as me.  I look forward to hearing his perspective on the chapters we've read. This keeps me reading each day.  I know that if it weren't for my friend, I would have had plenty of excuses for not doing all of my reading each day.  No one would know. We will message each other to let the other know that we want to have a post on our blog completed by the end of the day.  That way, I know someone is out there keeping an eye on my productivity. It rocks.

You can check out his blog at: A Radical Journey http://adisciplelife.wordpress.com

The rock gods must be in overdrive because even after I had this post ready to be published, I found out a good friend of mine was working on a goal that I have experience with.  The conversation went like this:
Friend-I'm working on myself this year
Me-Good for you!! Anything I can do to help you?
Friend-maybe..... here are somethings I'm working on....... (insert lots of cool things here) and going to Weight Watchers.
Me-Hey!! I go to Weight Watchers. When are you going?
Friend-tomorrow at Main St
Me-HEY!! I go to that one too!

Although I've gone on my own to WW for over 20 years, it is MUCH MORE fun when you know a friend will be there. So we met this morning and I'm hoping we can keep supporting each other on this health journey in 2013.

Hopefully you are keeping on (notice I'm not saying "keeping up" but "keeping on." One is about being perfect while the other is about not quitting) with your goals for 2013.  Give yourself permission to not be perfect but keep getting better at what you are working on.  Find friends that can keep you accountable.

If it will help, post here what your goals are and what you are doing to reach them.  There's power in letting other know.

Keep rocking,
Luna