For many years, like a lot of people out there I had set myself impossible goals on the 31st December for the upcoming new year and 6 weeks in all had been left for dust, when life got in the way!
This is no new story. I discovered last year that my fitness goals were best established before the new year so I had the momentum moving forwards. That coupled with a really excellent online trainer ( www.tpmhealthandfitness.com ) meant that not only did I complete the full year with a 3.5stone drop, but the trying circumstances that COVID 19 brought to all of our lives, did not get in my way either! 2020 was the first year that I have ever kept to a resolution – but it took motivation, momentum and clarity on the results to actually achieve my goal.
This year I am doing things differently. I am a goal orientated sort of fellow, and so instead of resolving myself to achieve/ not achieve specifics, I have instead decided to set myself challenges across the wider scope of my life with no dates to achieve them and no order, instead the aim is to keep my experience varied throughout 2021…
Some of these things are big challenges and some are much simpler to achieve, but for me 2021 will be about enrichment. So here is what I came up with!
1) Run a Marathon – I have run 2 and walked 1 in past years, but I want to run another at some point this year.
2) Record an Album – only stipulation is that it must be 12 songs by the end of the year.
3) Put energy into reading – other than reading children’s books for my son and nephews and nieces, I read a grand total of 1 book in 2020! My aim is 5 in 2021.
4) Complete a full 30 day programme of yoga – I have dipped my toes I got the water with yoga but not managed to complete any programme. This is my year.
5) Guarantee two blog posts a month – the aim is to create consistency and regularity, but I will also accept 24 quality posts for the next year!
6) Teach my son a new skill – quality time is always important, but I want to pass on some skills to my little one. My wife and I helped him ride his bike without stabilisers in December, and it was so rewarding! So I am on the search for a new skill to share with him…
7) Begin a new creative channel, brand it, and house my Creative pursuits there – from photography to performance, painting by numbers to writing I want to create a place where I can share my creative pursuits.
8) Continue a Zoom relationship with my Nephews and Nieces – through full lockdown we zoomed and read 2 Harry Potter books, since then we continued with the Magician’s Nephew which brought us to Christmas. Spending time with them every week has been a real highlight of 2020 – so I aim to continue this routine as long as they continue to enjoy it!
9) Give back to my local community – My god there are so many people who could do with assistance in these troubling times. I want to actively make a difference where I can. My aim is one event per season.
10) Phone off time – One night a week my wife and I will have our phones switched off all evening… no interruptions.
11) Perform on a stage – another highlight of 2020 was getting to perform on a real stage with an audience. I am determined to do this again this year. (I will perhaps couple this with my community fundraiser for later in 2021).
12) Try a new form of exercise – variety is the spice of life so tell me which new sport should I try this year? Suggestions in the comments below 😉
So there you have it 12 challenges to keep me engaged with life and continuing to be an active participant! You will see me trying to build momentum on some of these challenges over the coming weeks – please feel free to engage with my posts and let me know what challenges you will tackle in 2021 – maybe I can get involved too!
Wishing you all a Productive, Happy and Healthy 2021
TIB x x x x x
ThatIsBeyond 