My 2014 Goals. How Did I Do?

Just a couple days before March last year, I wrote down 7 goals I was setting for myself for the year. Though I was already about two months into the year, I wanted to get my goals down on paper (so to speak) so I’d be able to look back on them and compare throughout the year. I’d also written about the importance of setting short term goals to help you achieve your longer term goals, based on what I’ve quantified as “The Five Aspects of Your Life.”

So How Did I Do?

Below are a recount of my goals for “2014” (some goals merged across calendar years), how I did, and where I want to improve or grow from here.

1.Participate in the Crossfit Open & Assorted Crossfit Goals

Outcome: Achieved! I completed the workouts in the open as well as set some personal records for specific workouts, including completing “Annie” in less than 10 minutes.

2. Bench Press 300 lbs.

Outcome: Not quite. I knew this was going to be a tough one. My most ever had been 252 lbs. when I was in college until about a year into Crossfit when I hit 260 lbs. Throughout 2014 I worked on it and got it up to a solid rep at 280 lbs. So not quite there just yet, but great progress made. Just 20 pounds to go.

3. Receive my Scuba Diving Certification

Outcome: Achieved! I completed this last spring and am now have my official scuba diving certification. I wrote about the first part of my certification here, and I’ll write about part two when I have a free moment.

4. Read the Bible straight through

Outcome: Need more focus. My goal was to read the Bible from cover to cover in order of the books presented. I got caught up in many of the trips and traveling I was doing and too many days slipped past me. Reading the Bible in a year means reading three or four chapters per day. That’s not tremendously difficult, but miss a few days or a week and all of a sudden you’re starting at 20 chapters just to catch up. This is an important goal for me to achieve so I’m adding it to my goals for 2015.

5. Run a half-marathon in under 2:50

Outcome: Achieved! I listed this as a 2014 goal even though technically the half-marathon I ran was in the first week of January of 2015. I absolutely knocked this out of the park. Not only did I beat 2:50, but I finished in 2:36, about 20 minutes quicker than my previous best time. I’ve never been a runner. Never, ever. So to someone who runs consistently this time still leaves something to be desired, haha. Though I’m tremendously proud of it and the consistent pace I wanted to keep.

6. Write More

Outcome: Achieved! This is fairly arbitrary, which I don’t like to base my goals on, however I certainly met the mark on this one. In addition to growing my blog and posting two and then three pieces a week with consistency, I did some freelance writing for “Boundless,” a young adult Christian ministry.

7. Save, Cut or Make $10,000 to then Devote to a Year of Travel

Outcome: Achieved! I’m doing this as we speak, traveling the world for (at least) one year. I hit my goal of saving up $10,000 for this trip and then decided to add onto it. I finished the year with a bit more than $18,250, which was the new goal I set for myself. $18,250 gives me about $50 per day over the 365 day year.