Progress

I have embraced the power of incremental progress. It could be the seconds I keep knocking off of my 5000 meter time on the rower, or the recognition that skills are acquired by consistent application of existing skills to challenging problems, but something has shifted my perspective on meaningful progress in the last couple of months. I have always assumed that if I wasn't feeling so great in the gym one day, I could just take it easy that day and come back stronger next time. Now I feel the need to take advantage of every second that I have in the gym. I need to get better, no matter how crappy I may feel. I only have so many workouts available for a given year. Wasting one workout is a lost opportunity to get better.

My resolutions are statements of where I want to get better this year. I'm getting closer to my goal time in the 1000 meters. I missed it by two seconds a couple of weeks ago. It was frustrating to be so close, but it was a victory to be so close too. I'm closer to that goal than I was at the beginning of the year. I need to keep working to reach that target. I can do 12 pull ups in one set. I'm still a good ways from my goal of 20, but I'm making nice progress. I struggled to do 5 pull ups in a set at the beginning of the year. I'm on track to reach my goal. I keep pulling as many as I can each time I go to the gym. Every rep gets me that much closer to my goal. More muscle helps me look better naked. I just need to get my diet under control so I actually lose some fat...

I keep reading. Given my progress so far this year, I've been reading Anna Karenina. I usually avoid the long novels on my shelves because they take so long to read. That's why I usually save my Dickens read until later in the year. I still haven't bought a book. I know the temptation will start getting stronger as the year progresses. I can do it...