Making a goal is the easiest part of the goal setting process. Holding yourself accountable is the hardest part. I set out fitness and reading goals for 2014. So in the name of accountability, here is my progress at the halfway point of the year.
Reading goals
My reading goal is to complete 25 books during the year. I created a list of 20 books that I wanted to read during the year knowing that a few additional ones would make their way onto the list.
As of the end of June, I’ve completed 14 books, so I’m on pace to hit my goal for the year. I’m not going to go all through of the books I read since you can see them in the Book Reviews category of the blog. However, here are the best books of the bunch that I would recommend if you’re looking for something to read the rest of this year:
- Ready Player One by Ernest Cline – dystopian view of the future with a heavy dose of 80’s pop culture
- The Circle by Dave Eggers – this story will have you reconsidering your social media presence, at least I did after reading it
- Trust Me I’m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator by Ryan Holiday – you won’t read or watch mainstream news the same after this one
- One Second After by William R. Forstchen – a chilling look at what could take place if the US was hit with a massive EMP
- Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan – last but not least, my favorite of the bunch that proves technology isn’t the answer to all that ails the world
Two other books that are worth an “honorable mention” are Brilliance by Marcus Sakey and Wired by Douglas E. Richards. These are fast, entertaining reads that you might want to consider for a weekend on the beach or a long plane flight.
If there are any especially good books that you’ve read during the first half of 2014, please leave them in the comments. I’m always looking for new titles to add to my ever growing reading list.
Fitness goals
Fitness goals have been a bit of a mixed bag. Here are the three goals that I set out for the year:
- 160 days at the gym
- Walk 650 miles
- 3. Eat healthier
As of June 30, I had hit 96 days at the gym, so I’m feeling pretty good about getting to my goal of 160 by the end of the year.
For walking, I’m also ahead of the game. I’ve already logged 389 miles according to RunKeeper, my tool of choice. In addition, I’ve also started cycling. In June, I completed 29 miles. With any motivation, I’m hoping that I can get close to 150 miles for the year.
Eating healthier has not gone as well. For one, it was a very vague goal, so I don’t have anything to measure it by. Second, I haven’t adopted a good strategy for tracking what I eat so I can determine how to eat healthier. I’ve downloaded the MyFitnessPal app in an attempt to start measuring, but I haven’t started using it yet. For now, I’m going to set my goal for the year to just start documenting what I’m eating, either through the app or in writing. I’m also all ears if anyone has any good suggestions on how to monitor your food intake.
Lessons learned
As expected, I’m making good progress on completing the goals which are specific and measurable. The goal I set that wasn’t specific or measurable is not going as well, which should not be a surprise.
I plan to keep pressing forward the rest of the year, completing my reading, gym and walking goals, and figuring out how to make my eat healthier goal measurable.