Last month, I have made a decision to start
again with my reading project. I began this actually during the last quarter of
last year. Sad to say, I was not able to get it going, for some reason. So when
the New Year rolled in, I resolved to do it all over again, thus my Reading
Project 2014.
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| My 3 books for January 2014 |
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I was so excited that I hurriedly took a
picture of the 3 books (
Be the Miracle by
Regina Brett,
Not Even a Hint by
Joshua Harris and
Long Walk to Freedom –
The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela)
that were in my hand and posted it in my Instagram
pinionsandplumageoflove and Facebook accounts,
without even considering if I would really be able to accomplish this “small”
feat. I thought, “Well, I’m off to a good start. I’m following S.M.A.R.T.
guideline for goal setting. These 3 books are doable in one month (I’ve started
reading on the 2nd week of January).” Then, February approached and I’m not
finished with the 2 books (Not Even a Hint and Long Walk to Freedom).
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| The book I got to finish before January ended: Be the Miracle |
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| The book 2 I'm trying to finish before February 9th. Yikes! :) |
What happened? Didn’t I just follow the
SMART thing? Isn’t it the smartest thing to do? My thoughts at that time:
Wasn’t my goal Specific? – My big goal is to read most
if not all of the books I have accumulated throughout the years. Because of my
busyness before (I was working fulltime in a non-government organization), I
seldom had the time to read, although it’s one of my hobbies and stress
relievers. So when finally I gave birth and opted to stay at home and “work
fulltime” mom, I came to a decision to read all my books. Now, isn’t that
specific?
Was it Measurable? – After putting down the first book (Be the Miracle)
and ticking off the small dot in my planner signifying that I was done, imagine
my bliss. I was ecstatic! I remember, my husband would always laugh at me (in a
loving way, of course) whenever I begged for some time off to be alone and for
him to take care of the baby just so I could finish my book one. One book in 3
days? Yes, I believe my goal was measurable.
Wasn't it Attainable or Achievable? – Devouring all the books
in one month is of course neither realistic nor possible. Unless of course I
burn them, then the fire would eat them up in just hours. How do I make it
achievable? It’s like ordering a 2-pound juicy steak in a restaurant. Instead
of chewing the whole thing, what do you do? You cut it into bite-size pieces
and savour the flavour as you chew it, right? Thus I think, reading 2-3 books
per month is workable.
Was it Realistic? – I can say that what I set for my reading project goal
last month is realistic or sensible, in a way. Why? Honestly, I was already
finished with three or four chapters in my two books (Be the Miracle and Not
Even a Hint). They were actually unfinished goals in December (yeah, I know, it
had broken my heart already). I was thinking that I would be able to finish
these two in no time, then start off with the 3rd book and by the
end of January, I would just say, “Done!” So, is it realistic? For others
maybe. For a mom with a 2-year old super active and precocious daughter and a
household to run, it could have been, with a little squeezing in of time.
Was it Time bound? – Definitely! Hahaha! I wanted those 3 books read by
the end of January. Isn’t that what time bound means? The beauty of this time
thingy is that after you accomplished your goal no matter how small it is, you
feel good inside, right? I read somewhere that one of the differences of the
happy people from the unhappy ones is that the happy individuals set goals with
time consideration while the unhappy folks don’t. Yes, they do set goals but without
thinking when to bring them about. I mentioned above (#2 Measurable) the joy I
felt when I finished my first book in my list on the date that I set it to be done.
Yes, it’s a small thing but really, no, it mattered much.
After my evaluation, I asked myself, “So,
where did I go wrong?” At that moment I realized something – my heart was not
into it when I set my goal. Yes, my mind was working but my heart was not
moving along. It was simply “just to have a goal” and “for the sake of goal
setting”. At that point I understand, it’s
not enough just to have my brain working on my goals, I have to involve my
heart too. The brain gives the reason
and the logic while the heart provides the passion and the excitement. The brain
is the engine while the heart is the fuel. My brain could give me a lot of
things I should accomplish for this year but it is my heart that would energize
me to get them done.
How about you? How are you doing with
accomplishing your goals so far? Do you think my S.M.A.R.T. Heart would help? I
would love to hear from you.
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