The Little Things
October 1, 2014

Happy October! I’m seriously shocked that we’re not only squarely into the fall season, but that we’re already 3/4 of the way through the year… and what a crazy year it has been! It seems like I just sat down and typed my 14 in 2014 half way update, yet here I am, typing it up again. This summer I was far more productive than previous summers (at least since grad school!), and I think the numbers show it! Here’s how my goals are looking so far:

August 2014 Photoshoot 25

I challenge myself to run 200 miles. I’m at 223 miles for the year, which has means that I’m DONE with this one! It feels good to have already surpassed last year’s total mileage by about 40 miles (I think- I was wrestling with tendinitis last year and had to cut my mileage).

I challenge myself to walk 275 milesDONE! I’m at 280 miles for the year, which already has me over my walking mileage for 2013 (although I walked far more miles in 2012). I’m mostly just really enjoyed being out in the sunshine and getting to be in nature throughout the year.

I challenge myself to bike 900 miles. DONE! I’ve passed this goal as well, coming in at 933 miles so far for the year. I’ve fallen more in love with biking than I thought possible this year, and that’s definitely reflected in my numbers. I think I biked 600 miles total in 2013, so this is a huge jump. What can I say? I love my sweet country roads.

I challenge myself to 75 hours of pilates. I’m currently at 67 hours, so I’m only 8 hours away from being done! I was worried about this goal, even at the half way point this summer, but I’ve been really diligent the last two months at doing pilates and stretching myself out again.

I challenge myself to 250 minutes of planks. I tend to be really good at doing planks from October-April or May, but I tend to really slack at them over the summer, and this summer was no different. I’m currently at 194 minutes of planks, meaning I’m only 56 minutes away from being done.

I challenge myself to run 10 races for the yearDONE! I’ve ended up running far more races than I thought this would, and have finished 8 in person races and 5 virtual races so far this year.

I challenge myself to read at least 14 books. DONE, and this one has been so fun! This summer I read more than I have in a LONG time, and I really enjoyed it. I’ve slowed down since work started again, but I’ve currently read 21 books (and have read at least half of 3 or 4 others). Getting into listening to books on tape this summer has been pretty fantastic too.

I challenge myself to go through all the clothes that I own. DONE. This one I finished at the end of January when I got rid of 54 or 56 (I forget which) items of clothing. I just did another haul at the beginning of June, getting rid of another 75ish items. I think that just shows how much I’ve really held on to over the years that’s been ridiculous! This podcast (Freedom From Stuff) has been inspiring!

I challenge myself to continue to be present. Am I present every single moment of every day- no, but I don’t think that’s fully possible for most of us! But being present has really changed my life, and I’m continuing to enjoy this challenge! I try to put down what I’m doing regularly to just pause in the moment. I stop and look at things in nature when I’m out on walks, and I check in regularly to see how I’m feeling, etc…

I challenge myself to continue to hunt for provisions and blessings (continuing to develop gratitude in my life). Yes! I’ve written it down twice a week, and am really enjoying it. I even started a gratitude journal outside of this blog, and it’s great to have a hard copy I can flip through. The practice of gratitude has really deeply changed my life.

I challenge myself to read the entire Bible this yearI found a plan online (it’s this one if you’re interested) and have been following that. I don’t necessarily exactly read what is outlined on the day, as sometimes I get ahead or behind (and then have to catch up). I’m a few days behind on the reading plan, so I’m close to being on track!

I challenge myself to publish an article this year. I haven’t published it yet but it’s been submitted, so in terms of that, I’m done with all I can do at the moment!

I challenge myself to put more time and energy into friendships and relationships. YES! This one has been so much fun, and I’m loving the relationships that I’ve either strengthened or built over the last three months. I’ve even made some new blogging friends, like Melissa and Meg, and I have some new coworkers who I’m really enjoying getting to know. This goal gets a big thumbs up!

I challenge myself to be brave. Oh yes! I wish I could write blog posts about this, but at this point I can’t so much. Brave (or courage) is my word for the year, and while this probably deserves an entire post of it’s own, I thought I’d throw it out there anyways. I want to continue to push myself to be brave in any area of my life…

So, really, I’ve completed almost all of my goals already for the year, and I couldn’t be more happy with that! I of course will continue to work out as I have been, so it’ll be interesting to see what I end up with in terms of total mileage!

Now it’s your turn to share! How are your goals/resolutions/challenges going for the year so far? What’s going well, and where would you like to put a little more energy?

 

4 responses to “14 in 2014 Challenge Third Quarter Update”

  1. Melissa says:

    Oh, I love you. Proud of ALL your accomplishments, including your spreadsheet tracking… 🙂

  2. Wow, you have done a lot of remarkable things this year. I feel like I should do something like this come the new year and actually keep track of my accomplishments. It’s fun to look back and reflect on all you have done. Way to follow through with so many goals and dreams!

    • littlethingscaroline@gmail.com says:

      Thanks so much! It’s definitely motivating to see how much I’ve done, and to see the progress made year to year (I’ve been tracking since 2012 I think, so now I have a few years to compare to).