I decided it was time for an update blog about the progress of my goals for 2022. Considering this is only the second update and it’s the last week of April, that should tell you something about how it’s going. But, hey, it is what it is.
My first goal was to continue my healthier lifestyle. I’ve lost 52 pounds since December 2020. Originally, part of continuing this included losing another 40 pounds this year. And, that’s still a part of the plan, I’ve just modified it slightly. I’m still counting calories. I’m still tracking what I eat in the Lose It! app. I’m still exercising. For the moment, however, I’ve moved myself to maintenance mode. One reason is that I hit one of the infamous dieting plateaus and it didn’t seem to matter what I was doing, I wasn’t losing any weight. A second reason is that I realized I’ve been losing for over a year and I’m tired. It’s hard to maintain that for the length of time I have. So, I set the Lose It! app to maintenance mode during spring break, and I will stay there until after we return from vacation, around the first part of June. The last day of school is May 20, so I’ll have about another two weeks to do maintenance mode. My hope is that by maintaining my current weight for two months, continuing to exercise and eat within a set calorie range, that when I start back, I can move past the plateau and start losing again. It makes sense in my head; hopefully, it works out. Regardless, I’m still avoiding pop and exercising, and I’m not overeating.
My second goal was to read at least one complete book per week. I wish that were happening, but it’s not. I’m reading, just not quite at that pace. In fact, I’ve read just four, though I do have a couple more in progress. There’s a lot going on, and while I’ve pretty much stopped bringing work home, there’s still a lot of other things going on. I have several other projects that I also want to work on, and I’ve decided to spend a little time each week on each project, which means the likelihood of finishing a complete book every week is basically non-existent. To modify this goal, I’m just going to read what I can as I can. I’d still like to hit at least 50 books for the year, so I’m hoping that I can do some catch up in the summer.
My third goal was to write and post one blog per week. Well, this is the ninth blog of the year, and it’s week 17, so it’s pretty obvious this goal isn’t proceeding as planned either. That’s alright, too. At least I’m back to blogging after a terribly long hiatus. If I can produce 26, or one every couple weeks, I’ll be doing quite well.
My fourth goal was to complete a monthly Bible study plan. Don’t be too surprised, but I haven’t kept this one either. I’ve been doing some Bible study, but not the way I had envisioned it at the beginning of the year. I’d written out a specific plan. I’m still going to try to work through the ideas I outlined, but it’s not moving as quickly as it should. I’m going to keep at it though.
My fifth and final goal was to try a new recipe from one of the cookbooks on my bookshelf. I’ve tried eight new recipes from these cookbooks, which isn’t even half of seventeen. I have a bunch marked in several of the cookbooks. I just haven’t gotten around to trying them yet. I’m thinking that with summer break coming up, that would be a good time to do a lot of those.
One thing I’ve learned about myself is that I am usually overambitious in what I want to accomplish. That has proven true yet again. But I’m going to keep plugging along and I’ll get some things done this year. It may not be as much as I originally envisioned, and that’s OK. Another lesson I’ve learned is to be flexible. I’ll lose some weight, read some books, post some blogs, complete some Bible study, and try some new recipes. I’ll also complete (or at least work on) some other projects I have in mind. I’ll get done what I get done, and what I don’t will just carry over to next year. And I’m retiring in 2024, so I’ll have plenty of time to set bigger, loftier goals.
educatedguesswork 