January Goals Update

January has been full of unexpected changes and as a result, has thrown off some of my goals for the month. This happens, but I'm ready for things to settle down in February. 

Successes:

First and foremost, I set a goal to get a new job in 2018 and right out of the gate, I had an interview and job offer from Premera for a Senior Business Architect role! I've accepted and will be starting February 5th! Check that goal off the list! Achieving this goal has thrown a bunch of other competing objectives onto the plate and I've let myself have a bit of a vacation from the rigors of pushing forward with my objectives. It's been a long journey to this point, and I'm happy to have finally made. 

Keeping my personal spaces clean has been better, but not up to the standard yet. My desk needs improvement but I've kept my bedroom fairly clean.

Meditation and Breathing: have been mildly successful. I had a 10 day stint of both in January and did a total of 15 days of these two practices. Getting the Premera job has thrown off my normal morning routine, so I haven't been consistent. 

Jiu jitsu: I have worked quite a bit from standing and am starting to feel less like a brand new white belt at takedowns and more like an two stripe white belt. I am starting to see the spaces where take downs exist, and how I might get to them, but I don't have a lot of tactical or strategic knowledge on how to accomplish my objectives. Plenty of room for growth. 

I've also made some steps to set up regular drilling practice at the gym on off hours. Hoping this leads to additional growth and will at least make me some better friends. 

Lifting: I've made continual progress on my workout routine from Chris, but have not been to the gym to do the major lifts. This was expected and I'm still getting in 2 strength days a week. 

Be Hotter: I have new clothes that I'm really happy with and I know I'm going to be well dressed every day of the week. That's such a huge relief to know that I have things that fit well and look great. 

Website is launched! I have not blogged much at all this month, but hope to get a rhythm going in February. 

Failures: 

Esperanto and Toki Pona: I haven't spent much time on either of these, but feel like I will get back in the swing once work starts up again. 

Public Speaking: No progress, and not attempts to progress. This goal is going to be interesting. I am conceptually interested in this space, but mildly unmotivated to do much about it. I also have a bit of anxiousness about it, since it requires me stepping outside my comfort zone. 

Personal Brand: I haven't done anything publicly for my brand, but I'm starting to envision what my future might hold now that I've secured a senior position in a growing field. There is a ton of potential and I need to start articulating and pushing for some goals in that space. 

Flexibility and Mobility: I did virtually no work on either of these areas. I still need to develop a plan, some accountability to that plan, and some way of determining what success looks like in these spaces. 

Lessons: 

So many of these objectives were way laid by a change in schedule. The ones that weren't are ingrained habits and hobbies already. This is expected, but underlines how heavily I rely on routines as a scaffolding to build other habits. 

Additionally, the goals that I didn't push forward have a similar problem: clarity. There aren't specific objectives defined, aren't clear means to accomplish the goals, and aren't measurable outcomes. If I fix those qualities, I suspect I will find those goals substantially easier to achieve.