My First Month of 2018
On the new year, I had stated some of my goals for this year, and I wanted to share how they are panning out.
To 2018
- Write daily about anything and post it to Steemit.
- 50 pushups, 50 squats, 50 crunches, 2 minute planks (attempt) daily.
- Aim to get promoted, or figure out how to ditch it altogether and work from home.
- Become famous (but not too famous. Screw the paparazzi).
- Start reading, one book per month, about anything. Helps with creativity and staying sharp.
I'm proud to say that I have made some good progress with these goals!
Writing Daily
Others have maintained twice a day, but with my schedule I was content with once a day. This I managed to keep going, without it feeling too much like an obligation. I have enjoyed writing so far, and having this daily ritual is a fun contrast from work especially. I do really like analyzing technical parts of Steem also, which seem to be relatively popular, but I want to keep up a variety. The last few days were a whirlwind of analysis, and I'll try to mix it up a bit, for my own sanity too.
I think I may have skipped a day actually, shame. But I'm not going to beat myself up over that. As long as I don't drop the habit altogether, I'll be happy.
Staying Fit
I currently do the 50 push-ups, 50 squats, and 50 crunches when I wake up. It really gets the blood pumping. I haven't been planking consistently, so it is something to add, and possibly a simple Yoga sequence once in awhile. I did one this morning.
Push-ups I do shoulder width apart and go low to the ground. I usually manage about 20 before needing to take a short break before resuming. I sometimes cheat on not going all the way down if I'm tired, but I'm improving that slowly as well. And I've been feeling great!
One thing I've been tracking is this "smart scale" app that claims to be able to measure things like skeletal muscle and fat. Here's my most recent measurements:
I'm a bit scrawny, so I'm aiming to improve the muscle mass metric specifically. Either way, I definitely feel stronger, especially in upper chest areas.
Career Movements
I like my current job, and am making slow progress in adjusting for the next level. It's a new complicated project we are involved in, and so far it has taken longer than I would like to get my bearings. But I'm learning more and more about the whole system and soon I will be able to help in my full capacity.
I'm eyeing Steemit (or blockchain-related things) as a potential career move, though I'm not willing to jump 100% on it yet. So far my goals here have been to write more, to participate more, to promote it to my friends, and to research more and more about how it works. I have been more engaged than before, and have started to get some people curious about the platform at least.
But so far I am dissatisfied with my ability to keep people I know on Steemit. Something to work on.
The other thing I wish to do more is to engage more by commenting on other posts more.
Fame
I am more famous than I was before, I think? Anyway, this isn't a high priority.
Reading
Since I mentioned it, I read the second and third books in the Hunger Games trilogy. They were quick fun reads. The trilogy in general struck me as very odd though, in terms of characters acting / reacting to situations in ways I would not expect, and not in a good way. I remember I kept thinking, "Really? You think that's an act of rebellion? You think that's how your enemy would react?" Maybe it's just me. Still, I played along. Enjoyable story.
I think I will pick up the next parts of the Millenium Series (The Girl Who Played With Fire, etc), as I also liked the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
Looking Forward
So that's my reflection of the previous month. Not too shabby! Would love to hear any comments or suggestions any of you readers have, especially where Steemit is concerned. I will be thinking of better ways to encourage my friends to use Steem. Maybe they still don't think the money is real, that should be my first priority to correct. Wouldn't mind other tips as well. Cheers!
You are one of the most delightful people to read. Like this:
You just kill me.
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Looks like some very good goals.
Thanks! I hope to keep it up!
Love your goals for 2018, my friend. You have set yourself up for quite a ride. The fitness part is a great decision. Taking care of your body incredibly important for your well being. :)
I think it is a smart move to start participating more in Steemit community. Get to know people. Friendships and creating relationships on Steemit is one the keys to success. Friendship and atmosphere wise and SBD and STEEM wise. :)
I sure hope you friends try to put in more effort on Steemit and stay active. But, not very many people believe in Steemit. As they see only cents in the beginning. It can be discouraging. But, like in anything in life, you have to WORK for it. :)
I hope you keep on track with your writing on Steemit and fitness goals. :)
Thank you for sharing. Have an amazing day. :)
Yeah, I want to figure out a good way to help it stick, especially for some of the friends I think could really benefit from it.
Thanks for your encouragement! :)
Congratulations on sticking to your goals! Have you ever seen the Hundred Push-Up Challenge? Something to consider if you want to push yourself further.
And don't worry too much about friends not interested in Steemit. Most people aren't really bloggers or content creators in their spare time, they're content/entertainment consumers. I think that's why it's so hard to convince others how great Steemit really is.
I think I have stumbled upon that one before, but thank you for the reminder! I can't do so many proper ones at once, maybe I'll start logging the amounts though.
You gave me a good idea though. People that join think they need to blog right away, but in fact all they need is a way to find content they would be interested in and make good comments. Hmm. So I may help them find people they are likely to interact with.
I wouldn't complete forego blogging, but yeah when you first join I think it's far more important to find others you vibe with. You could probably blog like 2-3 times a week when getting started (along with some good resteems).
And commenting is far more helpful with building up SP in the beginning. Finding a way to more effectively locate interesting content while bringing together newcomers and established bloggers here is actually a great idea. Something similar to learning how to curate and comment before going all in on blogging.
I hope you get to achieve everything you've planned for yourself.
And I'm glad you do too :D
More meat :}
I hope you make this your career. It's great having you and Opal around. Your employer is probably reaping great rewards from your effort. Why not keep it all yourself. You deserve it.
Thanks for sharing your update.
cheers
Anj x
PS I'm totally with you on the book reading :D
Thanks! Yes I think I put back a bit more meat. Do you know which is the most efficient? Chicken breast? Or do I actually need the fat too.
Haha... Opal you are hired!
Interesting about the book, glad I'm not alone :)
Sorry for the delay, Eon. I read this on my phone and forgot to get back to you when I was near my computer :S
You shouldn't fear the fat. The media has created a big panic over fat and heart disease. It started with a dishonest scientist called Ancel Keys (many moons ago). There is no evidence of a link. In fact, the opposite is the case. I've written a bit about it in Cholesterol - it's not the bad guy if you're interested. There are loads of studies online about it.
I'm not an expert but I've read that it's important to eat the meat with fat. I always try to get steaks with the most marbling. More fat more flavour.
If you don't wanna eat the chicken skin, maybe just leave it on while it's cooking and peel it off later. At least a bit of the fat will seep in and make it gawwjussss. Also some organ meats if you dare haha.
Or if you don't fancy land meat, eat more of the fatty fish like salmon, etc.
Cheers
Anj x
Organs are good too haha. I'll eat it allll. Thanks for the info!
Yay to organ meats.
Laters
:D
Happy first month Evan! You've had great progress so far and I'm glad I get to know you!
I've read the Hunger Games, it made me cry, happy, angry. Emotions are just flying. I'm amazed just how everyone thinks and amazed how the story plot went until the end. ^^
Aja! Always here to give moral support on whatever you do! :)
Thank you for your encouragement!
I think I didn't get too attached the characters so it may not have had the same effect. There are some good twists and turns yes.
Yep, the plot was quite interesting. Then I didn't watch the movie after I finished them. ^^
Interesting... Im interesting in knowing how a phone app can claim to measure those things... seems like a roullette to me.
Have you dug up the science?
I have not! No idea what it does.
Well done! You're doing great for the first month, and I hope you keep up the momentum for the coming months. If you continue at this rate you can after all consider the Steemit career option. ;-)
If you enjoy writing @ 1 post a day, you don't need to change it. I have seen some bloggers post 4 times a day, but they do it for the sake of posting with no substance in their posts. Of course there are some who post good content twice or even thrice a day.
I can't even imagining posting 4 times a day, let alone 2. With 2 I might be able to see it, one kind of daily reflection, one on some other topic of interest. But yeah, if there's something to share, no reason not to post more :)
Thanks for the encouragement!
Awesome goal! And well done on the good results... Keep it rolling!
I too have set my goals to write one post everyday this year. So far, yup, I am quite satisfied with myself... Even though I may have missed a few days... But ya, just like you, I am not gonna beat myself over this... I have enjoy writing here in Steemit...
Happy Steeming!💕💖 💓 💗
tip!
Thanks! Gotta have cheat days, am I right? :). Happy Steeming to you too!
No problem with cheat days... I know we don't really cheat, it's just that maybe we are just too tired and accidentally miss out a day... :D
@eonwarped, thanks for sharing your goals with us. Keep us up-to-date about your progress.
I can relate to your first 3 goals. I prefer to seek influence more than fame. And unfortunately, I do not like to read much (but I should start reading more so that I have more to share).
We are here to support you! Congrats on a successful first month of 2018.
I will, thank you! I also am not much of a reader myself, I prefer numbers :)