THE AMBER WEITZER PODCAST SILHOUETTES OF SUCCESS
AMBER WEITZER | EPISODE 16 | SHOW NOTES
Goal: Read 200 books in 2020
It was a lofty goal to read 200 books in the year 2020…just one of many goals for the year but today this one’s end date has arrived. I didn’t grow up with a book in my hand or find myself tucked away in a corner reading engrossed in a book. Growing up, books were everywhere, just not with me. I fondly recall having favorites, some of which are in my library today but in general, I had other things to do. Only in the last 7 or so years have I been truly interested in and hungry for knowledge from a hardback. Interesting observation I came across this snippet in one of my much talked about journals…”I worked in one real estate office that used books as purely as decorations to hold an orchid, I then worked at another real estate office that used them as trophy’s …I vow to use them for growth, to read them, appreciate them then share them when I open my own real estate office.” One of the first actions I took when I launched my brokerage in late December of 2016, was creating The Bookshelf.
Enter the New Year of 2020…I set out to read 200 books in 2020…it sounded catchy. I read every morning 5AM-6AM already, so it was very doable.
It’s now December 31, 2020 and I have fallen short of my goal. I didn’t reach my goal of 200 books and that is disappointing. I was ready to impress myself.
I professed my goal, I asked to be held accountable, I have enough books, I bought even more books…I fell short of achieving the goal. No excuses.
On my desk, I keep an hourglass with white sand. When something {negative} happens, perhaps a tough phone call, upsetting situation, etc. I turn the hourglass over and by the time the sand completes its cycle-I move on. It allows me time to acknowledge the situation, filter through my emotions, reset my mind and release “it”.
Ready…tipping the hourglass over…go…
Time to reflect…to correct…and learn from this lesson for the next goal I set. What did I allow to get in the way to fall short? {Coach Julie is going to love that I’m breaking this down!}
Complacency: I was too comfortable saying the goal, but too casual in staying after the goal.
Procrastination: I will catch up tomorrow on the reading I missed today. The accumulation effect of postponing my reading became overwhelming when the math began to reflect: 3.5 books a day to then quickly rose to 5.35 books a day to catch up…then Christmas week…I blew it. I was a wee bit too impressed that the Analytical in me knew the math…Ah but isn’t that just another procrastination action…I took the time to work the math when my rear-end could’ve been reading! Ugh.
Importance: How important was this goal to me, really? Was I trying to prove something? Was it merely enrichment of the content? Why was it important? I’m still asking myself these questions as I work through this message. A goal-for me-has a specific formula, my own personal concoction…it has to be something Big + Bold enough to for me to strive to obtain mixed with a White Heat Desire of a why factor to = Motivation.
Certainly 200 in 2020 was big, bold and super impressive to accomplish. I now see that the “white heat desire of a why factor” was lacking from the formula.
The sand is past the halfway mark…
As I reflect back, I was simply short on discipline to stick with the plan and lacking a true desire to fulfill the goal. The motivation and importance weren’t as sincere as I initially thought. Was it superficial…maybe? Was it a whim with a catchy vibe in a highly caffeinated state of mind…maybe? In my mind at that time almost 360 some days ago, it made sense!
Time is up…the sand has emptied.
It’s time to flip this to what was achieved over the journey towards the goal versus dwelling on what isn’t. “STOP IT” in the butt kicking’ words of Coach Julie (borrowed from Bob Newhart…it’s hilarious, go find it on YouTube!). After all the hourglass is now Half Full…let’s move forward.
What was gained…Oh, so much! The array of books I read is vast, but I did tend to go for the business, podcast, e-learning, biographies, real estate investments, etiquette, leadership, entrepreneur genres early on through the spring. This was a year to (sorry-I’m going to use the word) pivot. It was the year to rethink everything, to reevaluate our skills, to invest in ourselves, our families, our businesses and reimagine it all to sustain and survive. I was well armed.
Towards the middle of the year, farming, agriculture, health, politics, history, civics and theory worked their way into the stack mixed with religion. After that I needed some Dr. Seuss…which at least three people asked if his books counted. How ironic! They do, the lessons within are valuable. Shel Silverstein was needed too. Towards the end of the year the stack contained local community history, screenplays, travel, cooking, arts and the classics. The mood and tone of the year shifted; I think I realized that the initial subtle goal of enrichment was actually ongoing. Epiphany! In addition, after this year it was time to relax, slow down and savor the words on each page, the intimate settings and places I could go within the pages of the hardbacks that had eluded me for far too long. And that feels so much more impactful to my soul and keeping my journaled goal of respecting the books versus a somewhat empty ego goal. What a year, what a journey…
Cheers to 2020!
