So even before I get into a review of my goals progress for September and October, I’m excited to tell you about a major Bucket List item that’s just been crossed through! For some of you who carry out this activity on a regular basis (I’ve heard some real horror stories of how often some people go through this major life stressor!), let me put it in the context of not having done this for 27 years! If you haven’t guessed it, then here goes…we’ve moved house!
I’m so excited, as even though moving was on my Bucket List, it hadn’t even made it to my actual goals list for 2015! So I had no idea (plan) that this would happen this year!
Of course, it’s inevitable with such a major task underway that some of my goals have had to slip in order to accommodate the changes that are afoot. This is bitter-sweet, but I’m going to take comfort in knowing that some of my goal areas have progressed. We are still in the throes of moving, so disarray will continue for a little while yet.
So with that proviso (excuse?!) in place, here’s my latest update.
Read/Listen to 4 Good Books
I’ve read (listened to, on Audible) an excellent book this month called The 10X Rule by Grant Cardone. In fact, I’ve enjoyed this book so much that I’ve gone back to key passages and listened to them a number of times.
The essence of the book is based on the idea that in order to make a breakthrough (in your life, goals, business) you need to 10X your efforts and outputs. I found the book very motivational and (despite all signs to the contrary) immediately put extra effort into the outputs I was trying to achieve by increasing activity and attempting to achieve greater consistency.
That process has been interrupted by the house move (although I’m making a lot of effort in that area!), but I will return to those increased levels once things settle back into some kind of normality.
The book has a strong business bent, so bare this in mind if you’re looking for something a bit more generic. But, for a dose of motivation, I’d definitely recommend it!
The Go Getter by Peter B Kyne – I read this little book (it’s just 62 pages long) on the train on the way home from our most recent City Break (see below!). The book is written as a story and was written around 1920 and reflects the language and cultural niceties of the day. However, this adds a certain charm to the story.
The Go Getter tells the story of a man looking for work who is given a chance by a business man to ‘prove’ himself. I don’t want to give the story away, so will leave the plot description at that. I enjoyed the book and it was a useful way to while away a couple of hours, rather than aimlessly scroll through Facebook or paging through a magazine.
Generate an Extra £600 (or £150 per month)
I didn’t keep any detailed records of extra income generated during September and October, again because of the house move, although there was some positive movement in this area (I just wish I could remember what they were!).
Increase Our Net Worth by 7% (cumulative)
My finances are a bit off-kilter at the moment while the various changes to mortgages etc happen. So I’ll provide an update on this goal next time once things have settled back down a bit!
Weigh 9 Stone 8 Pounds
To be totally frank with you, I’m struggling with this goal 🙁 . In fact, I haven’t even jumped 
on the scales recently as I know I haven’t been sticking to my eating or exercise plans and I’m pretty much in denial about the consequences of these omissions. Of course, it’s easy to say that there’s too much going on (there is!) to think about it, but it’s that kind of attitude that leads to failure.
I need a new and simplified eating plan for this area (which could easily be ‘stop eating takeaways’!). It’s back to the drawing board again I’m afraid.
Practice My Morning Routine 6 Days/Week
I’m still sticking with my morning routine, more or less 6 days per week. There have been odd days where I haven’t practiced, but they are the exceptions rather than the rule as I now find that if I skip my morning mediation, my patience is more easily tested and I get grumpy!
Record and Post 1 Personal Development Video on my YouTube Channel
Nothing to report to date.
Post Great Content to AYBL at Least Once per Week
It’s blatantly obvious that this area has been suffering under the pressures of the house-move, with just a three posts in September and only one in October!
But, unfortunately, it’s been more than just the house move that has impacted on this goal. As you may have noticed, my website has been somewhat ‘wobbly’ over the last few months. It turns out that the site had been attacked and, unfortunately this has meant a lot of background and recovery work.
The recovery and cleaning work was completed in November, but there is still ongoing work to do to get my website back up to its full functionality. This will be scheduled for the end of the year when I should be able to dedicate some uninterrupted time to the task.
Complete our 12 Cities in 12 Months Challenge
October was my birthday month (!) and I was treated to a trip to London to take in a few more of the sights, see a show and just generally chill in a nice hotel. All of these objectives were achieved!
This now brings the number of city visits up to 11, so just 1 more to do! I think the final city visit will be in December due to the house move and I’m looking forward to getting into planning mode. I’m very excited that we will soon be able to mark this goal-challenge as successfully completed!
Maintain and Improve Regular Contact with Family and Friends
September was an easy month for birthdays – just one to remember, but October was a busy month, with seven birthdays, including my own!
Aside from remembering birthdays, there were also a few social catch-ups. Not as many as in previous months as work and home-life has been hectic, but I still managed to fit in a few get-togethers.
Contribute to Local Causes by Sponsoring Local Activities and Events
In September I contributed to a runner who was running the Cardiff Half Marathon in support of his young cousin who has health challenges. I’ve been following his training progress all year, and it was good to see him complete his challenge. I was really impressed by how self-motivated this young man was in preparing for the half-marathon whilst also simultaneously preparing for and sitting his A-Levels!
So there it is. A mix of success and delays, but all in a good cause. I’m very happy in my new home and the effort of moving has been well worth it. The year is marching to a close and I’m already starting to think about my goals for 2016. This is such a busy and exciting time of year! But I must keep my feet firmly on the ground and tick off as many of my 2015 goals as possible before getting too carried away!
Photo: Ali Karimian