Why My Goals Are Always High (Even If My Results Are Not)

Two weeks ago, I posted about starting the #BoutofBooks readathon. I love Bout of Books because I can set my own pace, allowing me to participate even in the busiest of times. You can read about my #BoutofBooks goals here.

...as you can see, my goals were pretty hefty. And how much did I end up reading, you ask?

...about 200 pages of ONE book.

Yep. 200 pages. That's it.

At first, I was a little disappointed in myself, and this disappointment prompted me to ask myself questions about my goals, why I set them, and why I have such high expectations of myself.

At times, I can expect too much of myself and set goals with an unhealthy mindset. I tell myself that if I don't complete my self-imposed outrageous standards, I am not good enough, not smart enough, or not fit enough.

Through my post-#BoutofBooks introspection, I told myself what I'm now telling you:

Be honest with yourself while you set your sights high.

Are you setting goals because you hate who you see in the mirror and feel like you're not enough? That's okay. Take a step back and be easy on yourself for a moment. God created you exactly how you are for a reason.

So...why do I set such high goals? Why set goals at all...especially when half of the time, I can't even reach them?

I set goals because I choose to strive to achieve things to the best of my ability.
I overshoot my prospective goals because I want to believe that even if life is busy and things get in the way, I can always reach further.
My goals are always to be more... to read more, learn more, know Jesus more...to be more organized, to be a better worker, employee, daughter, sister, granddaughter, friend, and girlfriend.

This is not because I believe I'm not good enough...but rather, because I believe in my own potential. I don't set goals to be better because I hate who I am now...I set lofty goals because I believe in my ability to be the full and well-rounded woman God created me to be.

I read more to expand my mind and invite God to show Himself to me in ways I never dreamed of before.
I work hard...not to gain status, but to gain knowledge and wisdom.
I study the Bible so I can learn about who Jesus is, rather than being focused on my own shortcomings.

I set goals to embrace my imperfection, to see my flaws, and to motivate myself to change.

#BoutofBooks 19! The Week Long, Set Your Own Goals Readathon

It's readathon time again!

I love Bout of Books because it's easy to set your own goals and try to accomplish them. The goal is just to make reading a priority! If you have a busy week, you just make it your goal to read when you can.

I, for one, have a pretty busy schedule with my new paralegal job, book club, small group, and getting ready to visit my Missouri family next week! But my goal is to read instead of Netflix this week, and use my lunch breaks and free nights to finish a couple of books I've been moving slowly through. 

I will get tons of reading done next week on my trip (16 hour drive there and 16 hours back!) so I'll be blogging about some ARCs and some other books that will be coming out this summer, so stay tuned!

For Bout of Books, here is my reading list:

1. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
2. The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
3. Salt Houses by Hala Alyan

And, if I get to it, my next conquered book will be I Am Malala.

Sometimes, even if books are great, they're just harder to get through during busy seasons of life. That's why I like to do these readathons, participate with the online reader community, and crush it! 

If you would like to participate in Bout of Books with me, here's some more info about it!

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 8th and runs through Sunday, May 14th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 19 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. 

- From the Bout of Books team

Join me! Sign up here: boutofbooks.blogspot.com

#UltimateOutsider: State Park Number Four

I crossed another SC State Park off the list last Saturday!

(After a week's hiatus for writing/reading, we are back!)

Number Four is:

Croft State Park!

Good for easy hiking, horseback riding, and biking, as well as kayaking/canoeing!

This park looked like loads of fun for those of you out there who have horses, and although it was super windy, our kayaking adventure was tons of fun!

We were in a bit of a hurry at the end of our afternoon, so we didn't spend as much time here as we would have liked. So although we did get our stamp for our challenge, we will definitely go back soon! We definitely want to get a real feel for each park instead of just getting a stamp and moving on.

Here are some pictures of our adventure last Saturday!

Adventure is out there! More parks soon!