Just like that we are well into the first month of January. The momentum of 2021 is just starting to find its footing and there is an aura of positivity and hope for a better year still permeating the air. I’m 5 months into my “n”deavour, meaning that I’m in that last stretch before my birthday check in. So let’s see where I am.
The Process
The process was meant to be stress-relieving instead of stress-inducing and for the most part it still is. It is not perfect and some days are a lot more distracting than others. I think the biggest area of growth is that I’ve accepted this. There isn’t going to be perfection; there isn’t going to be absolute control. There definitely is going to be a flux with scheduling and inspiration. The habit of the one freestyle hour a night is pretty well established and reasonably sustainable.
I do worry though.
There is only so much bandwidth that I can give to trying to pursue five goals especially as my life fluxes again in the next month. There will be new schedules to get used to, new energy levels to contend with, and new routines to develop. I often wonder if a freestyle hour will be sustainable when this happens. Likely not if I want to continue to pursue 5 goals (especially as I gravitate towards putting effort into things within my comfort zone). So, if I want to continue to make space for 5 goals, I’ll need to figure out how to bring more equality to the time spent on each.
Maintain and Refine a Blog
I’m still experimenting with different topics and styles of writing. The check-ins and the personal thoughts will stay consistent thought. I recently tried to delve a little more into a fact-based article; for a first try it wasn’t too bad but there is definitely room for improvement. I wanted to seize these missed opportunities so that I could pursue the exercise of writing. I have been given the opportunity to write for another website which I’m excited about. However, whether this will be an avenue for writing feedback and critique is still to be determined.
The other thought that has been crossing my mind is the sustainability of enjoyment for writing (and for the perfectionist in me, the time to better maintain the layout and readability of the blog). I was writing a blog once a week and I feel that this pace might cause some idea fatigue and writer’s block down the road. In order to keep this “n”deavour light, I’ve decided that I’ll probably continue with posting 1-2 posts a week on Instagram minimum but decrease the blog to maybe 2 times a month (plus writing for the other site). I think this will give me the bandwidth to focus on other goals and maybe even some of the tasks (like the website) I’ve wanted to tackle.
Start a Vlog
Realistically, I think this will be on the backburner for a little longer. There are some big barriers to them. Firstly, time — learning this skill from scratch is going to take some dedication to get across the learning curve. Second, equipment — my decade old DLSR is proving to be a bit cumbersome to bring around with me and my camera phone is really holding onto its life by a thread. Also, finances are still a bit of a concern and crucial to circumvent the first two obstacles. I’m OK with this, I’ll eventually get around to it and I’d like to do it right. Plus, luckily it’s a hobby not a livelihood like I mentioned before. I think, when the time is right, if I can get 5 videos out then I’ll be happy with it and consider this goal accomplished.
Run a Marathon
This is the one I’m most proud of. There’s been evident consistency, and that’s largely in part to the time I’ve given to training each week, the fear of regressing and losing progress, and the Instagram community that I’ve joined. On a more physiological perspective, I’ve felt a few twinges in my knee and most recently in my ankle and have decided to start some strength training and adjusting the types and lengths of runs I do. I’m still holding off on a physio appointment until perhaps the Covid case numbers come down a little more. I have been able to run about 100% of my runs and I’ve definitely hit my mini goal of getting to 5K. The next mini-goal will be to get to a 10K by the end of February without injury. I’m still undecided if I want to sign up for a race just yet.
Learn a Language
The Duolingo language streak continues. It’s easy to lie in bed and do a couple lessons just before I call it a night. The disadvantage to this is that I don’t really take good stock of the vocabulary and re-iterate the lesson to commit it to memory. I think I’m going to need to sit down and figure out a better plan of how to keep all the vocabulary and grammar organized. Speaking of grammar, Duolingo is absolutely horrific at explaining grammar and I’m at the point where the deficiency in understanding is less so the words and more the connectivity to form sentences. I also need to start verbalizing sentences so I get the proper enunciation and tone. I find that my language learning comfort lies in reading and listening much more than saying things. It’s a comfort zone thing, it’s a learning style thing, it’s a laziness thing for me. I might need to invest time into re-grouping and formulating a new plan of execution.
Perfect a Recipe
I am still sticking with the mochi theme but I’ve decided on Tong Yuan (a rice flour dumpling typically filled with black sesame paste or crushed peanuts), as mentioned in an Instagram post. I’ve attempted them once and they were a bit of a disaster. The filling leaked, the skins were a little inconsistent and gummy, and they were very ill-formed. I’m hoping I can try the recipe at least one more time before the next update seeing as Chinese New Year is happening. I’m also hoping to maybe look a little into some food science research too.
Learn a Craft
I’m somewhat ashamed I haven’t even really started this. The materials have all been gathered, but this is the one that’s going to take the real push to get through. It’s not organic for me, it’s not a familiar, well-worn pathway. It needs constant reminders and unlike the other four goals, I’m viewing a huge mountain instead of the one step at a time philosophy. I keep going to negative self-talk, the fact I’m extremely inept at straight lines and precise knots. I’m also really impatient and I feel like I should have results now. Such a bizarre thought process especially as I consistently extoll the importance of going your own pace for running. Likely I’m going to have to change up my process to dedicate one night’s hour to doing this or else it’ll never be started or done.
Will I have achieved any of these goals by the time I turn 35? Absolutely not. The intent was to start them and make them a habit. I’ve got 3 out of 5 in a consistent rotation so it’s time to level up and see if I can get the other ones in too.
Wherever you are in your goals and plans, remember you’re awesome and amazing and doing a great job!