A recent addition to my overall 2018 goals is to check in with myself on them. It wasn’t something I’d planned on doing, but we have to adjust and when good ideas come, we should run with them, right?

This is crazy. I feel like I blinked and suddenly I woke up in march, the first quarter of the year is pretty much over. Generally I think people would say something like ‘well, time flies when you’re having fun’ but I can’t say that’s the case. I’d more like to say, ‘you blink and it’s gone.’ Cue the Kenny Chesney song ‘Don’t Blink’ right here, because it’s true. We are on this planet for a limited amount of time and it really does goes by fast; we should take advantage of the time we’re given. Anyways, I’m not going to dive into a philosophical discussion here.

The other day, my mom reminded me how I’d chosen Resolve as my word/theme for the year. Okay, okay. I was very much NOT resolving to get things done, so she reminded me as a gentle way to let me know I needed to get my ass in gear. So I got to thinking, where am I in comparison to the goals I’d set in January? Other than resolve, I couldn’t even remember them. If that alone isn’t a sign, we can also consider the fact that I haven’t left Nashville yet either. I’m noticing an overall trend of failure here. Anybody else?

So, in a non-judgmental way, I’ve decided to grade myself. To evaluate my progress on each goal so I can reset and refocus on them. Oh boy. Here goes, A-F grading.

Overall Goal: Resolve.

Well, I’m giving myself a D here. I would give myself an F except there were a few weeks where I really got my act together and buckled down, resolving to get things done. Unfortunately, I spent way more weeks (and weeknights, sadly) letting laziness sink in falling into the work-home-Netflix-sleep routine. Zero resolve there.

Goal: Travel more locally.

F. There’s no way around it. I didn’t travel outside of Nashville at all. I’d like to say life got in the way but this is one where resolve took a backseat to my laziness and anxiety.

Goal: Visit Europe again and hopefully work with tourism boards or travel companies there.

A. Obviously I haven’t traveled, but I have been working on making this trip happen, planning and doing some prep work. More to come hopefully!

Goal: Spend more time taking care of myself.

C. I definitely made more efforts to exercise, move and do yoga. I also mentioned more sleeping and reading, both of which I’ve made small steps in. I haven’t finished a book yet, but have worked on reading articles online and expanding my mind that way! Not a total failure here, but not a success either.

Goal: Be more open (in my personal relationships).

A. I don’t have many close friends, but I’ve been very transparent with my closest friends and family. I barely say ‘I’m fine’ or ‘it’s fine’ anymore. I’m more specific, more honest, and let people in more. Some relationships have grown because of that, others have weakened. That part was hard – the watching friendships weaken part. But we all have to let things go eventually.

Goal: Write more.

C. While I have gotten better about jotting things down, I haven’t been as good about following through on those random thoughts to turn them into something else. Part of the goal was also to set aside time daily and I definitely have not been doing that.

Overall:

There is clear progress to be made all-around. I’d say I’m at a C average. Admittedly, that’s better than expected. After sitting here and evaluating myself, I actually feel better and less stressed about my goals than I did before. I had thought of them as these looming ideas that I was sure I was failing, so I let them stress me out and overwhelm me. Rather, I let my assumed failure overwhelm me, which is completely ridiculous. The best part of this exercise is that now I’m able to adjust my habits and behavior and go into the next three months with a more positive, less worried attitude.

Here’s to doing better in the second quarter!

How are your goals coming along? Have you taken the time to check in with yourself?