Tuesday, February 10, 2009

The Goal Setting Continues

It's important to set goals for yourself and then measure your performance against those goals. Is this not how we grow?

I had a goal to be in bed by 11. It's 11:29. In order to be in bed by 11, I had to complete all of my homework and write my Leadership report. I have two sentences done on the Leadership report and none of my corporate finance read. Luckily, the report is only a page, and I think I'm far enough in the corporate finance chapter that he won't lecture past what I've read tomorrow; therefore, I should make it to bed before midnightish. All I want in life is to go to bed before 3 AM just one night. Just one. I feel the waking up at 7 won't be as painful then.

That is all...I set goals....I fail....The recession sucks!

(yes, I did just blame my inability to achieve goals on the recession. no, it isn't logical. don't worry about it.)

Thursday, February 05, 2009

A Whole New Year

I've never been a big New Year's Resolution maker...so why should this year be different? Yes, I'm "goal-oriented" (or so I've told everyone I've interviewed with lately), but I don't think I should only make goals at the beginning of each year.

So, as this year began, I decided that I should better myself and the world. The plan was to give up red meat. I had heard how producing one pound of red meat wasted some insane amount of water. Growing up in a desert, I've always found myself sensitive to water conservation. There's also the methane gas situation. And finally, it's not all that good for you. Since I don't typically eat a lot of red meat anyway, I thought this would be a great to help out the environment. In fact, I soon imagined myself turning into a vegetarian and liking it. (I have no idea what drugs I was on when imagining this--I love meat and can't imagine myself as a vegetarian although nothing is wrong with those of you who are)

I think I lasted a week before I was forced with my first challenge: restaurant week and the friends got reservations at a steak house. Seriously? I professed that I don't eat red meat and tried to leave it at that. The peer pressure. The internal desire for a giant juicy steak. In the end, success. I was able to pawn my spot in the reservation off of on someone else to eliminate the temptation.

The next day, while walking home from school barely breathing due to the freezing cold temperature and bitter wind, I ducked into my favorite coffee shop. Daily special: angus beef chili pot pie with corn bread. Comfort food like that on a freezing cold day when I'm hungry meant there was really no other option. It was delicious!

The next day I went to bake with my friend Stephanie...made a delicious dulce de leche bread pudding with chocolate chunks....she made me dinner. I love home made, non-take out food. Spaghetti with buffalo. More red meat.

These two set backs only made me more determined to pursue my new non-red meat lifestyle.

It didn't last long. My friend Carrie came into town today and took me to dinner, a steak house. Yes, I could have had fish or chicken or pork or lamb or veggies...but no, I had a steak. It was good. Not delicious though. So, it's back on. I don't eat red meat so stop trying to make me!!