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Tag Archives: Goals

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Consistency

21 Monday Feb 2022

Posted by Dave Gardner in Motivation Monday

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Consistency, Exercise, Goals, Goodreads, Monday, motivation, Reading, Routine

Good morning! Happy President’s Day!

How do you stay motivated for your daily tasks and goals when it’s a holiday? I follow a pretty rigid schedule of Monday – Friday, even while retired. There are certain things I do everyday, regardless of what holiday falls on Monday. The caveat to that is during the month of December, I pretty much take the whole month off.

I find consistency is the key to getting anything done that requires more than a day’s work. Take reading, for example. I use Goodreads to track all of my reading. I set a goal of roughly 60 books a year. If I read 5 books simultaneously each month (5 chapters a day), I will typically meet or exceed the 60 book goal I set. A lot of that depends on how big the books are. During those years I am reading a lot of history or non-fiction books, the number I hit tends to be lower. Most of these books (at least the ones I am interested in) tend to be quite long (400 or more pages). Subsequently, it’s harder to knock those ones down compared to a 200-250 page novel, which tends to move along more quickly. Anyway, for me it is better to do the same things each day on a schedule than just wing it. By doing a little each day, you can achieve quite a lot by year’s end.

For exercise this week, I’ll be doing some home workouts. I’m not a huge fan of driving in the snow or in inclimate weather. Here’s my workout:

Monday (Quads and Calves)

Tuesday (Hams and Abs)

Wednesday (Back and Biceps)

Thursday (Chest and Triceps)

Friday (Shoulders)

Each day I’ll do 50 reps for each body part.

I hope each of you has a great Monday!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Here we Go!!

10 Monday Jan 2022

Posted by Dave Gardner in Motivation Monday

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

2022, Goals, Mental, Monday, motivation, Physical, Social, Spiritual

Alright, folks. We are into January and today was my first day of 2022 in the gym. I love it!

What are you goals this year? Here are mine:

Read 40 books

Finish my rough draft of the Forever Soldier (my fiction story)

Learn Excel

Learn Canva

Learn Digital Art

Learn Digital Marketing

Get 1,500 followers for Daily Ramblings

Workout 300 times in the Gym by end of year

I have a few more, but these are more personal and I did not feel comfortable sharing them.

What are you goals? What are you seeking to achieve this year?

Whatever they are, I wish you well in your endeavors.

Here’s my workout schedule for the week:

Monday – Legs and abs

Tuesday – Chest, Shoulders, Back, and Arms

Wednesday – Cardio

Thursday – Legs and abs

Friday Chest, Shoulders, Back, and Arms

Saturday – Cardio

Sunday – off

I’ll be doing 3 sets of 10 reps for each exercise.

Well, that’s it for this Motivation Monday. Have a great one, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – All the Best in 2022

03 Monday Jan 2022

Posted by Dave Gardner in Motivation Monday

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Achievements, Adventures await, fresh start, Goals, New beginnings, New experiences, New Friends, New Year

Well, here we are, folks! It’s a new year and we are all at the starting gate. Who will take off quick and burnout before the end of the year? Who will never get off the starting line? Who will methodically attack each of their goals and achieve them by year’s end? It is up to you.

It feels good to have a fresh start and I am excited about the days, weeks, and months to come. As we move through the week, I’m changing up some things for my daily postings. I hope you like the new ideas. I’ll keep you in suspense until these days hit. You’ll just have to wait and visit every day.

I hope all of your holidays were terrific. Mine were great! Family came out to visit, my sister moved back home, and we got in lots of movies, board games, and for me, video gaming. I also got into some really good fiction books. It was a great December!

Here’s to the new year, folks. I wish all of you the very best and hope you achieve all of the goals you’ve set for yourself in 2022!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Bonus Content – Happy New Year!

31 Friday Dec 2021

Posted by Dave Gardner in Bonus Content, Happy New Year

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Adventure, Goals, Happines, health, Hobbies, Love, New Year, Projects, Prosperity

I’m posting this roughly 12 hours before the New Year, but since many of you are in so many different time zones, it just made sense to get this out there. 2021 was a good year and 2022 will be even better. This year, like every year, presents the opportunity for growth, improvement, and learning. I wish each of you a terrific 2022 filled with love, prosperity, good health, and achievement.

If you are finalizing your goals for the New Year, here are some areas you may want to consider if you are stuck.

Relationships

Health

Finances

Hobbies

Spirituality

Learning

Creative Projects

Travel Plans

These are some areas that I am diving into this year and figured some of you may benefit from seeing what I am doing and it will prompt you to do the same.

I’ll be back on my blogging schedule on Monday. It was a great idea taking December off. It was nice to just do my thing without a schedule, to-do list, or some other mechanism I normally use to track things. It allowed me the freedom to just be for a month, enjoy my family and friends, and get in some serious gaming. Now it’s time to get ready for the new year and get cracking at my new goals scheduled for the year.

Happy New Year!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Rest, Relaxation, and Celebration

22 Monday Nov 2021

Posted by Dave Gardner in Motivation Monday

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Achievement, Contemplation, family, Friends, Goals, Monday, motivation, Rest, Strive, Thankful

This week the United States celebrates Thanksgiving. As we approach the holiday season, it is a good time to talk about taking a break. You’ve worked hard all year. You’ve put your efforts into personal goals and are beginning to look at what you would like to pursue in the new year.

Take that time. Enjoy your family. Recharge the batteries. Have fun.

The year is almost gone. You still have time to knock out the rest of your goals, but if you didn’t make it, don’t sweat it. Goals are voluntary. We set them and strive to achieve them, but things change. One of the revelations I had a few years ago was the need to drop a goal if I felt like I was pulling my own teeth to work toward it. It didn’t mean that the goal was a bad one; it merely meant it wasn’t the right goal at the time.

I’ll be posting this week, even though my sister is here, but will be less active in this and many of my online accounts, because it’s time to enjoy the family and friends that come over to hang out. Take advantage of this time. It’s once a year, and it is a great time to contemplate what you want to do next year, and how you did this year.

With that, I’ll wish everyone a terrific Thanksgiving, if you celebrate the holiday. I can’t wait!! The food will be awesome!

Have a great Monday, folks.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Bonus Content – I Hit My Goal for the Year!

27 Wednesday Oct 2021

Posted by Dave Gardner in Bonus Content

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

1200, Achievement, Comments, Exciting, followers, Friends, Goals, Happy, Milestone, Readers, Wow!

Thank you, readers!

I just hit the 1200 follower goal for 2021. Man, what a day! Next year we’ll be seeking out 1,500. Thanks so much for the interaction, for those that commented, chatted back and forth, and enjoyed some of my content. I am so happy!!!

I’m still looking for some ways to share my passion of gaming, but will figure that out before the end of the year. Now that I’m back in the gym, I’m also going to bring back my exercise routine for 2021.

Thanks again, all of you who follow Daily Ramblings. I really appreciate it!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Goal Assessment

16 Monday Aug 2021

Posted by Dave Gardner in Motivation Monday

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

2021, Covid, Goals, Planning, reconsolidating, refocusing, reorganizing

Here we are again! It’s Monday!!

We are quickly approaching the last quarter of 2021. Can you believe it? Now is the time to begin looking at your goals for the year and figuring out where you are. Are there some goals that have slipped your mind? Are there goals that are on track? Take a look at your list of goals for the year (personal, work-related, etc.) and see where each one is. Then decide which ones you want to continue putting effort into, which ones you haven’t dedicated much time to, and those that are behind schedule.

Once you’ve done your quick evaluation, decide which ones you are going to keep, which ones you’ll put on hold, and which ones need more attention. Then get to it. There’s plenty of time left in the year, whether your goals are fitness related, work-related, relationship-related, whatever.

Goals are important guideposts for our lives. They help us decide what is important to us, and guide our day-to-day activities. Some of you may have only a few goals, while others have a laundry list. You are the only person who can decide what is important to you, so if you have some goals that just aren’t cutting it, cut them loose. Focus on those goals you really want to accomplish and let go of those goals that you either resist doing or just don’t have as much time as you thought you did when you created them at the end of 2020.

Setting goals is a very individual thing. Your goals may be totally different from mine. What you consider important, I may consider frivolous. You see? But goals are important. The number of goals, types of goals, and what you set as a goal are all yours. What I’ve discovered personally is that some goals are driven by the social consciousness. They are goals that are extrinsically motivating.

What I mean is we set a goal because of outside pressure, not because we really want to achieve them. These goals tend to be the first ones to fade as we engage in the work needed to accomplish them. It’s ok to let these go, if you feel resistance to them each time you begin to work toward them. Maybe it’s not the time. Maybe it isn’t as important as we thought they once were. Now, let me be clear. There are some goals that we may resist, but still need to focus on. Exercise is one example. Most people resist exercise because it is uncomfortable. Most people resist writing or reading or learning or whatever. Sometimes we need to discipline ourselves to accomplish the important goals. These should not be tossed away, but we should take the time to understand why we are resisting them and also why they are important to us.

Another aspect to consider is your current situation. If you live in a country or region that has experienced lockdowns because of COVID surges, this may also play a part into your decision making. You cannot control what your government wants to do. So, if one of your goals was to get out and about, but this is restricted, you may want to let that one go, until you are sure that your government will not impose lockdowns again.

Well, that’s enough for now. Take stock of your goal list and make any adjustments you need to make. Now is the time to get re-focused on what we want to do for the rest of the year. I wish you well in your endeavors.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Some Goals Should Be Dropped

07 Monday Jun 2021

Posted by Dave Gardner in Motivation Monday

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Achievement, Drive, Exercise, Goals, Hobbies, losing motivation, motivation, persistance, Resistance, someday-maybe list

I wanted to continue the conversation about your mid-year goal evaluation and assessment I discussed last week. One thing I forgot to mention is the importance of putting some goals aside. We start the year strong, really motivated to tackle all of our stuff, but suddenly, as life catches up, and our priorities change, some goals we set just aren’t right.

This is the time to do a little hedge trimming. What goal do you constantly struggle with? When I use the word struggle, I am talking about internal resistance. You want to do something, but you resist it by procrastinating, rushing through it, or just making a puny effort to get it done for the day. These are the goals you really want to take a look at. One goal, regardless of how you feel about it or resist it, should never be removed from your goal list–exercise. This is one exception to the rule of hedging your goals. The body has to move, work, and exercise. Our internal systems are stupid in a way, but also very efficient. This is the double-edged sword. If you do not work the body, it will react in kind, by reducing muscle, bone density, the whole gambit. When the body goes, so does the mind, and the mechanism you use to get anything done deteriorates.

The rest of your goals are open game. It makes no sense to pursue a goal, you ‘re not into anymore. Put in on a someday-maybe list. Then attack the rest of your goals with vigor. We all change. Our attitudes change, our tastes change, and yes, even our dreams change. Don’t punish yourself by pursuing a goal that you just aren’t into anymore. Get it off your goal list and attack the ones you are excited about.

Here’s an example: One of my goals this year was to draw. I started out on fire, watching YouTube videos, reading articles, and trying out my ideas on paper. Because I am a novice at this, I didn’t spend a bunch of money on expensive drawing paper or the pencils many artists use. I just grabbed the ole number 2 pencils and sketched inside one of my blank notebooks. Around April or so, I lost interest. I liked sketching, but just didn’t feel like doing it anymore. So, I put it on hold. It was my goal. Who cares? Why torture yourself?

The goals I love are related to my passions–reading, writing, learning, exercise, and video gaming. I love working on my laptop with a nice cup of coffee or another of my favorite beverages (Monster, anyone?). As long as it is caffeinated, I’m there.

I have one blogger friend who is passionate about crafts. She makes quilts, handbags, you name it. Another blogger friend is a true-blue author. I have other blogger friends who love to travel, collect stamps or coins, or even make models. My true hobby and love is video games. I can’t get enough of Call of Duty, running around a digital map, and playing the role of action-hero, blowing away the enemy with a growing list of weapons, ranging from a simple baseball bat to a 20mm Sniper rifle. It is such great fun. I also enjoy the Far Cry series, which is bringing out Far Cry 6 this year. It’ll be great fun. I particularly like cooperative playing games, because this is the way my brother (who is in Arizona), nephew, and I stay in touch. He loves video games as well.

Well, that’s enough for this week. The key take-away is to stop torturing yourself over goals you’ve lost the fire in your belly for, OTHER THAN EXERCISE. Exercise is critical to your long-term health and well-being.

Have a great week, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Maskless

01 Tuesday Jun 2021

Posted by Dave Gardner in Motivation Monday

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Achievement, Assessment, Fun, Goals, Hobbies, Maskless, Monday, motivation, Planet Fitness, Relaxation

It is so weird going into stores without a mask on, but that’s the reality in Michigan now that we are getting vaccinated and cases of COVID are dropping. In other parts of the world like India, Japan, and Australia, things are going back to lockdowns yet again, as various strains of COVID reappear in previously safe areas. The CDC has opted to label these strains using Greek letters to avoid causing issues with the countries of origin. This makes a lot of sense to me, since no one has control how this virus mutates or where it will do so.

My local Planet Fitness is no longer requiring masks, so I’ll be heading there with more vigor. I don’t know if you’ve tried working out with a mask on, but boy, is that a butt-kicker.

Well, we are in the half-way mark of 2021. Now is the time to begin assessing where you are on your goals for the year. Are you on track? If so, awesome. If not, now’s the time to begin adjusting your efforts to make up lost ground. It’s also a good time to remove some goals you just can’t get yourself to do. It’s ok. Many goals suffer this plight. Some goals we set just aren’t right, or the timing is off. Whatever the reason, get rid of that ball and chain and stick with the goals you enjoy working on.

Enjoy your week, folks. Get your self-evaluations done this week. It’ll really make a huge difference at the end of the year.

One more thing I’d like to add is hobbies. Do you have one? Mine is video games. I love playing games and it is my way of blowing off steam and having fun. If you don’t have a hobby, take a look at some of the blogs out there. Many people are so excited and happy with their hobbies, they create blogs about them. Whether it is reading, writing, video games, exercise, coin/stamp collecting, drawing or playing an instrument, find one. I chose one that would serve me well as I get older. Hobbies are something to look forward to. Hobbies keep life fulfilling and fun. When I get my daily work done, I really enjoy playing my video games. This is what a hobby is all about–you have to look forward to it and get joy and satisfaction from it. Everyone has that one thing they can’t get enough of. Find that, and you’ll be entertained, satisfied, and will live in a balanced way. Remember the adage, All work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy? It’s true. Work is not a hobby. Hobbies relax, refresh, and engage us in something we enjoy.

If you don’t know what it is you like to do, or never considered a hobby, here’s a great link with 100 ideas: https://www.mydomaine.com/hobby-ideas You should be able to find something on this list to try. That’s it for now, folks. Have a great week!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – May in Michigan

24 Monday May 2021

Posted by Dave Gardner in Motivation Monday

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Accomplishment, Goals, job, Mood, motivation, reduce, Resistance, Simplify, weather

May is a very strange month for weather. It will either be sunny, calm, and getting warmer, or it will rain, stay somewhat cold, and continue for the bulk of the month. If your mood is impacted by the weather, you are not alone. Many people suffer ill effects when there is less sunshine.

Regardless of your mood, you have a job to do. You have goals to achieve. You have the means and ability to do what is required. So get out there and get it done! You’ll feel great when you achieve what you set out to do, be it a day, a week, month, or year.

Feeling overwhelmed by it all? No problem. Break down some of the steps in your action plan to an even smaller degree. You’ll see that the smaller the task, the less resistance you’ll have in completing it. That’s the key. Reduce your resistance to something you have to do, so you can do it, without procrastination rearing its ugly head. Once you’ve gotten some momentum going with these smaller tasks, you will see how quickly these small tasks build to bigger accomplishments.

Have a great week, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

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