We’re almost halfway through 2026, so today, I’m taking some time out to reflect, and tell myself some home truths.
As with any new year, we (I mean I) start it off motivated, bright, and raring to go. The first couple of weeks, and perhaps months, are eventful, but that new-found motivation soon dwindles.
Back in April last year, I set myself the goal of running the half marathon in Dubai, the Burj2Burj, for a charitable cause.
Growing up, I ran on and off, and this also felt like a great way back into running.
After many months of training, I achieved that goal, having run 21.1km in 2:23:23, at an average pace of 06:48 min/km.
This is probably the longest-term goal I’ve set for myself, and the one I’ve actively pursued and achieved.
Perhaps it was because I publicised it amongst family and friends, and because they’d donated money and trusted me to see it through, I felt a sense of accountability.
Pics or it didn’t happen? Okay, I got you:
Now, for those home truths…
I’m guilty.
Guilty of setting myself goals, and then letting them collect dust, without executing.
Guilty of not putting the free time I have to good use. More often than not, I aimlessly waste it, letting time that I’ll never get back slip by.
There are things I’d like to do, but haven’t been doing. That’s the truth.
So, moving forward, I’m starting with two changes:
- How I organise these goals
- Documenting my progress to have accountability.
I know the first change won’t actually make a difference. Execution is what really matters, but it simplifies things, at least in my brain.
I will now have three sections for my goals:
- Actively pursuing - These are goals I’m actively working towards. Some aren’t achievable in a single year, or even two.
- Passively pursuing - These are goals that happen passively, i.e., saving towards a house, a car, that type of thing.
- Would like to pursue - These are things I’d like to pursue at some point, but am not doing so yet.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
As you can see, there are seven things I’m actively pursuing, which sounds like a lot for someone who has just said their execution is lacking. In my defence, AMAU and NMA are long-term pursuits. Things I’ll be working on for years.
The rest are mostly habits I'm trying to build, and I’ve included what success looks like so they’re measurable.
The second change, as mentioned, is accountability. That’s where this blog comes in. Writing about these goals here won’t magically create accountability. I’m the only reader…
My commitment to myself is, at the very least, to follow up with an end-of-year post where I’ll review my progress. I’ll aim to check in before then, too, particularly on my art progress, but that EOY review is what I’m holding myself to!
This post has taken me some time to type. I’m trying to find my groove when it comes to blogging. I type, take a break (sometimes overnight), then come back and type some more.
Practice makes perfect, as they say. So does chipping away at one goal at a time.
At the end of the day, if I don’t do what I said I want to do, I’m only letting myself down.