Reflecting on the Year of the Dog

It is the time of year where we are taking stock of what we planned, how it all turned out so that we can learn as we move forward.


For the Year of the Dog, I had a plan. 

My first main kung fu goal was to be promoted to second degree brown belt.  The second goal was to start looking forward to grading in the Year of the Pig.  I did obtain the first goal in June of 2018.  Due to life changes, I feel that I did not get a solid handle on the second goal.  Many of the smaller (if you can call 50 000 push ups or 1000 form reps small) goals were not consistently pursued.  There were many opportunities lost and as a result, I am not where I had planned to be.

Personally, the goals that I had set where always somewhat geared towards preparing for a grading year.  I planned to lose weight and be in better physical condition, get my home in order and running more smoothly all while focusing on personal growth and my key relationships.

If you go solely off the list of personal goals that I set and use it as the only measure of success and failure, this year would appear to be a bust.  Physically I am not even close to where I planned to be (actually further).  Organizationally, my home is in complete chaos as we have started a major basement renovation which seems to impact every single corner of our home.

Some of the goals that I did fully succeed in.  My km were easily reached.  I have already read 32 books with a couple more that should be completed before the end of the year.  My goal was 24 books.  Much of my reading was to learn, grow and stretch as live was shifting and changing.

As life unfolded this year, my key focus turned from where I thought it would be, preparation for grading, to relationships - primarily my relationships with my children.  Relationships take focus and time and I do not regret a single moment that I have spent building the relationships I have with my family.  Homeschooling has placed a significant focus shift and time demands on life and it is the structure of the IHC that has allowed me to be able to have any sense of success in this new endeavor.  I have always struggled with consistency, becoming my child's teacher has forced me to work hard on this area.  I am building tools in the areas of organization, planning and consistently following through that I can use in other areas of my life.  Most importantly, I am building relationships with my people.

As I look forward, the goal is to take the consistency that I have been learning and apply it to the coming year.  I will need this consistency as I continue to care for my family, homeschool, manage our home, survive renovations, keep my business afloat, all while preparing to grade.  When I put it in a nice, neat list like this it still feels more than a little overwhelming.  My mindset is to take small bite size steps each day, to make a plan, continue to work on consistency and then reflect.  I am looking forward to where the Year of the Pig takes me.