Run and Drum's Second New Year Post!
Last year was the first time I was pretty amped for the New Year, even still I was a bit curmudgeonly when it came to New Year's resolutions - still am, to a point, but they have their place when used properly. This year, I was even more stoked to dive into a new calendar year, particularly since it closely coincides with my birthday so I feel like there's a definite "new year" attitude that comes to me.
I don't have resolutions, as such, but I do have some goals. My biggest being that I'm running a marathon this year, but I set that goal over a year ago. The time and place are unclear right now, but it's happening. Having run two half marathons in 2015, both hitting my goal for under 2 hours, I'm confident I can finish a full marathon and hopefully do it under 4 hours. It's still hard to think about running for 4 straight hours, but I can clearly remember when running for 2 hours seemed just as daunting so it's all relative, I suppose.
I'm also looking at trying to set a personal growth goal every month. In January, I'm going to wean myself off of coffee for a week or so. I still love coffee, but it would be nice to not HAVE to have coffee. The goals for upcoming months will be different, but will line up with my criticisms of New Year's resolutions, primarily by being more timely and concrete with the deadlines.
If I have some unsolicited advice, it would be to be as diligent about keeping track of your accomplishments as you are about your goals. As 2015 was closing and I approached turning 24, I felt like I hadn't gotten much done, but then I started listing what I had done and realized that my Michael Jordan year had been pretty damn productive:
- I started a business - Run and Drum Media.
- I ran two half marathons.
- I participated in a 200 mile relay with 11 other people.
- I ran this blog for over a year - though I didn't update as much as I would have liked.
- And my band has played at least one show pretty much every month which has been a remarkably important creative outlet that hasn't always been as present as I like it to be the past few years.
My Michael Jordan year was about getting things started, my Jack Bauer year will be about crushing those things by getting further and further with them.
Let me know what you're doing in 2016 and what you accomplished in 2015!