Goals, To Dos, Resolutions

I'm all about goals. I make 'to do' lists. I am the queen of the New Year's Resolution and the random time of the year resolution as well. But I'm kind of fractured and all over the place in execution. As I say on the tennis court: "Good idea; poor execution."

I've been trying to get into better shape and stay that way. (I was trying to lose weight, too, but see here.) I made this pact to try to do 45+10+10 in the gym. That means a 45 minute aerobic thing like the stationary bike. (Actually not like the stationary bike but exactly that machine.) Then 10 sets of weight conditioning things. Then 10 minutes on some other aerobic thing (like the treadmill or rowing machine). Now I actually feel like I'm in pretty good shape and this goal is helping. But sometime I just go to the club, play tennis and come home without doing anything in the gym. Or I go to water aerobics and then a tennis workout and figure "that's it." It's not that these things aren't a little exercise. But they aren't my goals. Today after tennis, I ate a taco, drank a smoothie and then did over 45 minutes on the bike. While reading down the newspaper pile. Another goal. But after five or so sets of weight work I just gave it up. It's all about the striving after all.

The fractured picture was taken in the Guinness tourist attraction in Dublin in 2004. (One will find on the permanent 'to do' list: organize photos in the computer.)

Am I better off with unmet goals, broken resolutions and long lists of undone 'to dos' than if I just stumbled along through life as it came? Can't say. But I know myself. I'll keep making lists and making promises to myself. And hoping the half measures add up to something in the end.