Goal/Reward System

Hello blogosphere!

I am back (again) after a ridiculous absence (again) because I can't seem to find the motivation to do this.  I no longer have the time excuse, what with my new job (Child Support Enforcement worker - I love everything about it!) and therefore my new schedule (8:30am - 5:00pm - I love everything about this too!).  I have time to do all the things that I need to do, but I also have time to do all the things I WANT to do, and therein lies the problem.  I am so excited to be able to go out and do all of the things that I've wanted to be able to do for so long that my mindset is basically "DO ALL THE THINGS".  Unfortunately, all of the things that I need to do are being neglected.  My goals - my German learning, exercise, healthy eating, getting the house to where we'd like to to be - are all gone by the wayside, basically.  Even though I've tried a hundred different things to motivate me, none of them have worked.

The other day when I got on the scale however, I really, really, really didn't like the number I saw.  People have been telling me that I look better/thinner/whatever, but I don't see it.  All I see is the number on the scale, and at some point I became happy with the fact that I'd lost 15 pounds and even though I WANTED to lose more, I was content.  This was a problem that managed to fix itself when I got on the scale and saw it was inching closer and closer to where I was before and I had a minor panic attack and, oh HEY - THAT'S where my motivation was hiding.  And the great thing about it is that this one number on the scale not only kicked my butt in gear in the weight loss arena, but in every area that I want to improve.

(For the record, this is also slightly motivated by the fact that when I worked at the jewelry store in Bellevue, it was really cold all the time and my wedding set was WAY TOO BIG because my fingers were shrinking with the cold, so I decided to have them sized down and now they're WAY TOO SNUG and really uncomfortable and I would really like for them to fit comfortably and I don't want to have to take them back to have them sized up because 1) they're shiny (and also I have an emotional attachment to them) and it makes me sad when they're gone and 2) I don't want to have to go back and tell them I asked for the wrong size.  Whatever works, I guess.)

Anyway, as I was laying in bed this morning I couldn't stop thinking about how I wanted to go back to living better and it occurred to me that I needed a system - a goal/reward system.  While knowing that I would be much healthier or knowing that I'd be fluent in German or knowing that I'd have a clean house and a polished yard are all nice in and of themselves, they are not enough motivation for me.  Therefore, I'm instituting a system for self-improvement.  I'm going to take away all of the things that I enjoy doing and only allow myself to do them if I meet my goals.  Runza? Gone. Facebook? Gone.  That trip to Austria we're planning? Yep, that's only happening if I meet my goals.  (And that's a little motivation for the husband to keep me motivated.)  Why HELLO motivation, my old friend!

So far I have my "Self-Betterment" chart mostly done for the first four weeks.  I have a very specific daily workout plan which I need, and I have a weekly goal list which includes German practice, yard work, house cleaning and other chores, etc. (I've included the housework in this chart because I think that having a clean, organized house and a great looking yard will make me feel better.) I have a set number of hours per week to work on each of those with the exception of the chores - Matt and I are working together to create a chore list that will be posted with my goals/rewards calendars with the chores we need to accomplish each evening.

One thing I made sure to do with my workout schedule was to use Sundays as a day of rest (sort of).  Matt LOVES taking walks and asks me at least 4 times a day if we can go on a walk.  I HATE going on walks unless we're walking somewhere specific for a purpose.  Since I would like to get my cardio in daily and because I know he loves going on walks, I've made Sunday a walk day where we go on a walk anywhere he wants.  It'll probably drive me crazy, but getting to spend that time with him should make up for it.

I'm also going to make a healthy eating chart.  I haven't worked out everything for it yet (I got distracted by being excited to write a blog entry) but the goals there are to go through the cookbooks we have and get online and search websites for new recipes.  I think one of the things that drives Matt crazy is that I'm a picky eater.  It's not from unwillingness to try new things, but from trying new things and just not liking them.  I'm going to try to branch out at least a little, though, and eat foods that I'm not crazy about to broaden my horizons and see if I might like them if we cook them differently.  (Matthew: No, this does not mean I will eat mushrooms.  That will not ever happen.)

Once I get the healthy eating goal chart thing finished, I'll probably write more about that too.  In the meantime, I need to finish up my charts and get ready for the College World Series!!  (The best 10 days of the year, no question.)

Tschüss!