2016: The Year of ESLSG

Ladies and gents, it’s time for MAJ’s favorite part of the year: Goal-Setting for the New Year.
 
For the last 4 or 5 years, I have given every year a theme when I’m doing my goal-setting and planning.   Whenever I talk about goal setting, I always do a quick review of previous year themes. So, here they are:
 

·         2012: MAJsicle 2012. A complete re-invention of myself (which, I am pleased to say, was successful!) This was the year I started graduate school, a new job, moved across town, and generally overhauled my life. It was also a good year for racing with some PRs set.

·         2013: Lucky ’13. This year was supposed to be “my year,” but things went horribly awry – and the year was a success, anyway. I learned this year that times could be both wonderful and terrible at the same time. Both my parents were very ill and I qualified for Nationals again. I had my marathon PR at New York and fundraised for the ACS.

·         2014: Do You, Boo. This was the year I focused hard on forgetting about other people’s opinions and really doing my own thing. I said goodbye to a very special furry friend. I graduated from grad school.  I visited Seattle for the first time and had a few PR’s along the way.

·         2015: The Year of “Get Involved+Get Back” – aka “Do All of the Things”.  This year I truly focused on doing things that allowed me to give back.  I fundraised for AKBTC, I did my volunteer orientation with the local Coalition for the Homeless, I gave my time to the tri club and to the newbies in the Couch to 5k/Spring program, and I’m setting up a volunteer project for the tri club (great idea from another teammate, actually!) I really tried to bust my ass at work, be there for my friends, and be involved in my community.

 

So that brings us to 2016.  I have been trying to figure out a nickname to give 2016 or an overarching theme for it.  It hit me the other day during a talk with the B (and then again while reviewing the last few years), that I have been taking on a LOT for the last 4-5 years.  2-3 jobs at once; fundraising; grad school; moves; relationship changes of all kinds; volunteering; overtime; parties.

I am – how shall we say it? – overfuckingwhelmed.

 

I learned in 2015 that I’m an introvert trapped in an extrovert’s body.  I REALLY, really need my down time.  And now, with trying to get my NED diagnosis and some other health things ironed out, it’s not only become important but critical.

 

Back to the conversation with the B. While I was expressing the above sentiments,  he told me

You know what you need to do?  You need to cut anything out of your schedule that doesn’t allow you to do one of these 5 things:

drumroll, please

(they’re a little vulgar – sorrynotsorry)

 

1.       Eat

2.       Sleep

3.       Live

4.       Shit

5.       Get Paid

 

I’ve done me. I’ve given back.  Now it’s time to just get sane. So when I do my weekly goal-setting and to-do lists, I automatically wipe them off or reduce them if they don’t fall into one of the above categories.  So, for example:

 

How I feel eating a big salad - not because I think I'm huge
but because I'm messy as hell

·         EAT: prep healthy meals for lunch each week

·         SLEEP: turn off the TV and say no to some of the social events

·         LIVE: have fun, be able to train and race

·         S---: goes along with eating well and trying to have a routine so my body works right

·         GET PAID: work enough to get paid while I try to do something more related to my degree.

 

There you have it.  2016 is about really learning to be Better Than Me. About going totally and completely back to basics.  I’m not going balls out, or to the wall, or living on the edge.  I’m just going to be healthy internally and externally and get my crap together.