How Far Have You Come?
It’s hard to appreciate how far we’ve come when we only look at our accomplishments on a day-to-day basis. It’s easy to say to yourself, “I didn’t get anything done today!” but is that really the truth? Look at the big picture before you decide. I’ve been feeling a bit lazy lately and thinking that I haven’t accomplished much so far this year – that is, until I stopped being so hard on myself.
The reality is that I’ve done a lot since January 1st!
Here’s my list of personal accomplishments so far for 2017:
• Found a gym that costs $10/month and started consistently hitting the gym 3 times per week for about 60 to 90 minutes each time. Developing this habit was the most difficult part, but totally worth it.
• Lost 15 lbs of fat; gained about the same amount of muscle. I weigh approximately the same as before, but my body composition looks very different.
• After my Monday/Wednesday/Friday habit became automatic, I started actually enjoying my visits to the gym; they’re genuinely not a chore anymore.
• Reduced my animal product (meat, dairy, etc) and oil intake to be less than 10% of my overall diet.
• Started meditating once or twice a day; I try to do it after waking up and before going to sleep, even if it’s only for 5 minutes. This has helped immensely with my anxiety issues and quiets my mind.
• Since I don’t always have time to read whole books (although I still try), I also started listening to audio summaries of books from an app called Blinkist. Even if you don’t pay for the subscription, there is still a free daily pick and it’s usually very good!
• Bought my first cryptocurrencies: LTC and PIVX.
• Started buying physical precious metals again. I’ve been buying off and on since 2007, but picked back up the habit this year.
• With the help of Steemit, I’ve been able to undergo some self-induced therapy via my writing. Without this community, I’d never stick with the habit of writing, even though writing is something that has always been very helpful to me.
What are some of your achievements this year? Let me know in the comments, or better yet, go write up a post about it and link me to it here in the comments so I can go read it. :)
Remember that each day is a gradual step toward our goals. If you happen to have an “off” day or intentionally do absolutely nothing some days, that can be a good thing and doesn't mean you are regressing. Taking it easy on occasion can contribute toward the achievement of your goals by preventing burnout and allowing you to have some guiltless fun. After all, fun and work go hand in hand.
Great post @cali-girl. Actually I was just talking with my wife about this exact topic the other day.
It came up because we always feel busy. We actually sat down and had a think about what we've achieved in the last year three years and six years and were absolutely staggered.
We came to the conclusion that it was no wonder that we're always busy. Just this year we've moved to a better acerage property, we've purchased a second horse and spent months training her to be perfectly comfortable going into a float or trailer. That in itself was a massive achievement.
We have also been culling people of low value from our lives which has been something that has required a lot of life experience to identify as a useful thing to do. It has meant that the time we do have is allocated to those who best deserve it and it means less fake interaction.
I too first entered the crypto-currency space this year as you have.
It's also been a year where for the very first time I set some very strict personal boundaries with how I am to be treated at my workplace and when they were exceeded recently I resigned on principle. A move that introduces uncertainty but it feels powerful and liberating and I think my personal growth and the quality of my life going forward will forever benefit from this move alone.
I'm already thinking of the future differently and how I might better squeeze more out of life rather than work in an office, get old and grey.
This year I have also been writing daily news for a Bullion dealer and have started to share on Steemit tips on prepping and various other topics.
I've also re-entered the mindset of regular exercise having taken 6 months off or so and I'm currently experimenting with reducing my caffeine intake with wonderful benefits for my anxiety also.
I like your idea of meditation and I think it's probably going to be one of the next things I adopt in my life.
Again, great post and very relatable. 😊
Wow! You're on a roll. Way to go!
It really is easy to miss acknowledging our major accomplishments when we're wrapped up in the daily grind. It's great to sit back and reflect once in a while. It's even better to have a daily dose of gratitude for our lives and the people in them.
Good luck to you! It sounds like you and your wife have a lot to be proud of.
Great post by you, it caught my eye as you are trending in the HOT page right now, and I actually just posted my latest milestone update here on Steemit.
Nice to meet you and great job finding the cheap gym and sticking to it, you look great.
https://steemit.com/steemit/@barrydutton/some-good-news-2-steemit-milestones-thanks-i-hit-15-000-posts-and-2500-followers-or-what-a-ride-steemit-family-thank-you
Nice to meet you too! I had no idea my post was on the Hot page... Being a newbie here, that's so encouraging to me! Thanks for stopping by to read my post. :)
Followed!
Have a good weekend my friend.
I run a few series every week....
The #SteemitCampfire post is up now, every Friday afternoon/nite
Go you! , I cant think of much better than self improvement, so its good that you are taking an active role in bettering your self.
Also good pick with Pivx, sounds like a good crypto currency to me, litecoin also seems like a safe bet.
Gradual steps is a great way to look at it. I keep getting offtrack a bit and just giving up. I need to keep reminding myself of gradual steps!
Yes! Gradual steps!
Nice
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you just motivate a lazy steemian
thank you so much and take my vote :)
Glad I could help. :)
of course you are ;)
keep posting such type of content
and expect my vote :)
Thank you. I am grateful for all the votes you care to give me... :)
You have really accomplished a lot so far this year.
And it's only July... Plenty of time left for you to do the same. ;)