Goals and Gardens

Writing a goal is like planting a seed: something will occur. Either a sprout or nothing.

Placing your written goal where you'll read it daily places that seed in the sun.

Talking about a goal is like watering: too much or too little and the sprout suffers.

If you leave a sprout in the sun long enough with enough water and not too many other plants crowding it out, it'll grow.  If it's a strong enough plant (desire) you'll see it grow fast.  

Lettuce from this summer's garden

As a child who grew up in nearly ideal conditions, I assumed that my teenage New Year's Resolutions were cause for my doing well in school, rather than the environment and nurturing I'd received.  Similarly, I thought I was a good swimmer because I'd been doing it all of my life, and even competitively since 2nd grade.  I believed I was disciplined because I attended morning practices, evening practices, and marching band practice each fall, when the reality was that I was capable of throwing clothes in a bag in the morning, bread and meat in a bag for lunch, and relying heavily on parent transportation and wakeup for said practices.
Any failed resolutions at this time were certainly not my fault: I didn't get on the record board because I was genetically pre-disposed to be fat, I didn't lose xx lb. by xx/yy/zz because it wasn't in the cards.  Imagine the uprooting I had upon entry to college.  I'm still recovering, lots of learning is involved.

For me, New Year's and birthday season are a good times to reassess my goals.  Goal writing itself happens anytime a change is desired.  Once you set your goals, you have to plan to follow through.  If you don't care for one and you still achieve, great.  If you fail to follow up on a goal and it doesn't take, that's okay too.  It wasn't right: either it's a matter of timing or desire.

Knowing these guidelines for goals hasn't prevented my relearning them.
While I've become much better at work-related achievement and building habits related to fledgling interests, I have a long way to go with respect to goals in the fitness sphere, and elsewhere.

Last October I achieved my goal of joining fitness programming that used functional movement.  For the first month I showed up early and practiced my movements at home.
I thought I'd simply keep going.  But it's not enough to start. You must set new goals.

In November and December I became busy with school conferences and holiday festivities but told myself that I was still paying for my membership and would attend, if nothing else, over the holiday breaks. Then breaks came and I indulged in great relaxation and treats.  By the time I got back into it in the fourth month I was self-conscious about finishing dead last at any WOD I attended.  I felt like a failure, like I'd missed critical information, and that I wasn't even "skilled" at scaling.  Felt like someone poured cement over my little plant.  The worst part?  It was me.

I sought refuge in Olympic Lifting.  (Ha! I just typed "Olympic Lifing"...which is what it really was like.)   With a pre-set schedule of weekday offerings I could easily get in a groove.  I still wasn't making perfect attendance but was making gains.  I got back into doing bodyweight movements at home.  Where crossfit had forced me to eat according to my goals (lower sugar, occasional-to-no grains, lower dairy) or suffer, my body didn't have a problem lifting weights overhead regardless of that day's intake.  Like a seedling in a sidewalk crack I was occasionally trampled underfoot, but growing mostly upward.  I think I would've continued that way.  I enjoy lifting and seem have some capacity for strength.  I was beginning to drop the idea of doing crossfit at all and leave my "marred" attempt behind...

Super Cool Video about O-Lifting and Biomimetics (w/Sarah Robles)

O-lifting from my favorite source of video inspiration: Catalyst Athletics

When summer came, the gym changed to crossfit-only offerings and my work schedule adjusted.  My little plant was nipped off at the base, between forefinger and thumb of unpreparedness on my part.  Now it's July, 8 months in, and as far as I can tell, this tiny plant of a goal has roots and some growth coming back.  I'm working on my weaknesses at home through video watching and backyard practice.  I've yet to define what my goal is for the remainder of this year of crossfit, and what's to happen after.

In taking ownership of my weaknesses at crossfit and working to improve at home, I'm realizing there's a whole other set of seeds I've never planted.  The ones I'd love to have but don't believe grow in my region.  Pineapples, coconuts, and limes in Michigan, if you've followed the metaphor this far.  Perhaps they're possible and simply require greater or different effort.  What are your goals?  Do you have any wishes that have turned into actionable goals? Success stories?

Thanks for reading!