The Ten Year Self Improvement Challenge

I know I am late to the party but this took some thinking, and there is no point in starting something unless you have thought it through properly. For anyone who does not know what The Ten Year Self Improvement Challenge (TYSIC) is, I suggest you read Mark Watson's blog for the last couple of weeks. But to fill you in briefly, it is a 10 year project where everyone must commit to goals which may improve them, and report these goals and any achievement to Mark Watson (currently via comments on his blog, but soon on the shiny new fan forum and of course on individual blogs). It emulates the 24 hours show, in that through a sense of community and shared experience something wonderful can be achieved. There is a twitter hashtag #TYSIC and Mark is happy to hear from people about their success or failures.

Well, I had agreed to be a part of this before I knew what it was, so feel I should be doing something and have a goal for my TYSIC (I should have already started too, I know but it has been a busy week, and people arrived late to the 24 hour show). I tried to think of a goal, not as easy as I expected it to be. I have many friends who have goals, but in reading them I have found none of them suit me, I need my own goal. Is it possible can I find one.

To explain, I will discuss how some goals are just not for me (although of course I respect that they are perfect for others, no offence meant to anyone in any way).

Goal 1 - To lose weight. Yes I could shift a few pounds, eat a bit better, exercise a bit more but... well in all honesty I don't want to. I'm not massively overweight, dropping a dress size would be nice. But I eat quite healthy all week, usually have some crap food at the weekends, I walk to work and home every day, so meet the recommended levels of exercise in a week (it is very hilly and takes about 25 minutes each way). I don't believe in fad diets, well most diets. I think if I wanted to lose weight I would have to change something for life, otherwise I would just put the weight back on when I stopped the diet. I did some of those changes a while ago, changed to wholemeal products, push myself to get my 5 a day fruit and vegetables etc. I don't want to restrict my diet or spend my time in a gym, gyms are boring.

Goal 2 - To read more books. - Yes I do have this goal and I do want to achieve it, the problem I have is that it is not quantifiable over a 10 year period. I have not counted how many books I read over the last 10 years so have no baseline comparison. I know this is a little pedantic of me, and I could just make a concerted effort to read more, but I won't. I know myself I have had this goal already for a long time, I have bought lots of books and am yet to read them. I am half way through at least 6 books scattered around the house. I enjoy books, whether they be fictional, philosophy or factual, but I don't find the time to read as much as I want to. I could make the time, but I know myself, I don't. I get distracted by twitter, facebook, blogs, forums, TV, phone calls, life in general. Yes I do want to read more books, yes I will do it, but no it is not my TYSIC it just doesn't fit the brief.

Goal 3 - To be more assertive/confident/positive about life - I know lots of people have this one, including Mr Watson himself and it is a very good goal to have, it just doesn't fit me. Again it is something I was already working on and have done recently. When I qualified as a mental health nurse I soon learned that in such a job you have to act confident whether you are or not, luckily the confidence followed. The last thing people want to see from an inexperienced healthcare worker is nerves, and if someone is kicking off they won't listen to a quiet scared nurse, only a confident clear and assertive one. This last year has also changed my confidence a lot, only on looking back on it do I realise how much. Through twitter and forums I've met loads of people, travelled and introduced myself to lots of comedians, this has led to many great experiences and new friends. I was nervous, but now I have gained the confidence to explore more. This may develop further, but it would feel like cheating to make it my TYSIC.

I also would quite like to do lots of the other activities some people have challenged themselves to do, write a book, travel, learn to drive, fall in love, maybe make a small person in my belly and I'm sure some of these things will happen and some will not. I like the fact that although I am an obsessive planner and list writer, my life is an open book. I'm not restricted. There aren't things I have to do, I may never have children, I may fall in love lots of times or never in the next 10 years, and I may never get around to learning to drive (it is bloody expensive to learn and maintain a car and would make me lazier). I just don't know and that is how I like it, some things, for me personally are better left unplanned. I have learned my lesson I had some fixed goals for when I reached 30 (later this year) but in thinking about the fact they won't be achieved I have realised they don't and never really did matter, I am happy, that is what matters. I am not criticising those people who do have such goals, if you can set them, aim to achieve them and feel accomplished in doing so then good for you. It just doesn't suit me.

I do want to take part in TYSIC, but in my own way. I won't read all of the blog entries or read the forum as often as I should, although I will aim to do so. I am already committed to a number of daily blogs I read, but I already know that realistically if I get distracted by something else, they too may be doomed as daily activities, and 10 years is a long time. It is goal time, please forgive the waffle for this bit but here it is...

MY GOAL

To be more reflective and document this, but not only that seek other's opinion and where necessary criticism. To not stick my head in the sand, face problems head on (I know this is kind of being more assertive too). To explain I aim to firstly continue with this blog, I haven't been doing it very long and do like the way it makes me think about things in a clearer manner. I also like getting feedback. For more personal situations I may do the same but via emails to some of you lovely people out there, or if even more personal I will start a diary on my computer. Reflection is a useful tool, to gain perspective on things, there is a purpose to it - to document all of your thoughts and then tease out the important aspects/feelings/outcomes and learn from them. I'm not going to restrict my self to daily blogs/diaries as it is not realistic, but I will try to document more frequently and use my blog more than I do now (lucky you). I'm not sure how this will fit into the whole TYSIC, in that it may not be very interesting for others, but as actually documenting my thoughts and feelings in such a way will help me and give me something to have a MASSIVE reflect over in 10 years time, I think it suits me.

Do you see how I did it in this blog? I thought about the challenge, how it works for me and came up with a solution. This will be this week's achievement. Well done me.