The Importance of Goals

We are officially 1 week post surgery! It’s absolutely mind blowing to think how I felt after the first surgery compared to how I’m feeling now. I’ve been able to truly enjoy spending time with family and friends as well as EATING! And holding this beautiful baby girl!! This has made every day better on the road to recovery. The only times in my life that I’ve ever been in “recovery” has been related to football injuries. When you’re playing a sport and you get injured, you have a clear goal; get healthy enough to compete with your teammates again. There’s a finish line that is pushing you each day to do the rehab, or whatever is necessary to get back out there. That finish line, or ultimate goal, is what drives your daily actions and motivates you.

This disease and my current recovery doesn’t have a finish line. There is no cure, there is no end. I’ll say that again: there is no cure, there is no end. That’s a pretty bleak way of looking at things. While it is true, I refuse to fall into that trap again. That’s why I’m setting goals and creating my own finish lines. I am making these goals public for accountability. A very common saying is, “A goal without a plan is a wish.” I believe that, but I also believe that a goal kept secret often times leads to failure. By making it public, you’re putting eyes on it. You’re giving yourself an audience to hold you accountable and further push your daily actions. This is also an invitation! If you’re struggling to find motivation or accomplish things you want, make a goal and tell me what it is! I’ll check in with you and make sure you’re doing the things necessary to get where you need to go. If you feel inclined, check in with me! I’d love to have people following along with my journey and help me accomplish my goals, as I help others accomplish their goals.

This is what my next year is going to be focused on! You can see my goals deal with my physical health, with my professional growth, and with my personal relationships. These are all things that were greatly effected by Crohn’s disease and my recent surgeries so they are my focus. The amount of muscle atrophy I experienced in the hospital is scary but will provide for some great progress pictures! You can also see I gave myself a due date! There’s the finish line, what can I do on a daily basis to make sure I get to that finish line successfully?

GOALS

Due date: July 16, 2021 - 1 year post op

Be 190 lbs

Eat 2400-3000 calories per day

Consume 200+ g of protein daily

Detailed daily tracking

Get adequate sleep

Resistance train when possible

10+ pull-ups

Recover from surgery

Progressively overload muscles

Increase strength with weight gain

Bench 225 lbs

Recover from surgery

Follow strength building template

Be consistent, do the work

Run a sub 27 minute 5k

Recover from surgery

Build base with walking

Run first mile by December

Stay consistent

Read 12+ books

At least 1 per month

Make it applicable, get smarter/better

30+ minutes per day, no distractions

Complete CFP

Finish pre education by December

Complete full study program

Get ChFC

Be the best husband I can be

Check in daily

Complete marriage based devotionals

Take care of Avery

Weekly dates, quality time

Be the best father I can be

Recover from surgery

Bond with Avery

Change those diapers

Do the night feeds

Some of these goals feel very big right now. I need big goals, I need a big finish line. So follow along! Share your goals with me and hold me accountable! Let’s have a great 365 days.

With Love,

Andy