Goal Reset

Oh, look, another depressive period has passed us by. Eventually, I’ll figure out the rhythm, if there is one, and if not, I’ll recognize what’s happening before I get in too deep. Maybe. Perhaps.

No matter, what’s on the docket today is a goal reset.

In a previous post, I spoke about how the part of my childhood that was a house-on-fire did interesting things to my ability to plan, to the point where I am learning how as an adult.

One of my most recent goals is to read 100 books in a year. A fun, no pressure, easy goal.

Not so, dear readers. I have failed miserably. At last count, I believe I have read . . . uh, book five, I think. For the year. Six months in and five books.

But this is where adjustment comes in.

Guess what else makes a year? June to June.

Yeah, I know, I’m a genius. So, the 100 Book Goal is now set June to June. I just finished book 1 yesterday, and I’m in the middle of book 2 (I often read more than one book at a time). I’m on a roll.

It’s so easy to say, “Oh, I haven’t kept up with this consistently, I’m going to quit and try again later.” Later being an ephemeral period of time that can be anywhere from next week to never.

I’m not doing “never” anymore. At least with the things I’ve been wanting to do. I’ve come to a point where I am realizing that accepting that I have challenges that affect my daily life, let alone reaching goals, changes my perspective about achieving said goals.

I can adjust, instead of quitting, and as an example, that’s what I’ve chosen to do with this Book Goal (notice I’m not calling it a challenge; I have challenges, I’m not choosing to do more).

It’s so easy to get caught up with the linear timeline of it all, but sometimes an achievement does not happen in the time you expect. I received my masters when I was 36 years old, and when I began college, I did not expect it to take that long. But the length of time is not what matters, not really.

Obviously, I’ve set a goal to read a certain number of books in a year, so that length of time matters, but what doesn’t matter is how long it takes me to achieve that goal. I will be attempting to read 100 books by June of next year, but I will also keep trying no matter what.

One of the other things I’ve learned through this experience is some goals are meant to be fun and keeping them fun can sometimes mean making an adjustment, even when it feels like you're changing the goal posts.

Some goals are a bit more serious, and if your achievement of that goal is supervised or judged by someone else, it’s not always easy to adjust. A deadline, a particular type of race or marathon, a degree, or a title in a sport or activity, these are all examples of goals that have an outside metric attached to them. Someone else who either decides that you did achieve that goal or is meant to supervise you as you attempt to achieve a goal.

Not achieving those goals or realizing that you are not where you should be to achieve them can feel a little bit more devastating, partly because you have someone else telling you that you did not make it.

There’s also a shame/embarrassment component because usually other people are aware you’re trying to achieve that goal. And they’re watching. I mean, maybe they’re cheering you on and hope for the best, but they’re still watching and sometimes perception alone can feel like judgment.

I don’t have an answer for those goals. Or, I have as much of an answer as I did when I failed my own: either get up and try again or move on to something else. Sometimes failing a goal is a good thing. Sometimes it leads you in a different direction that you can still thrive in, even if it wasn’t what you meant in the first place.

Sometimes it’s the timing of it all, and trying again later is less of a failure and more of an adjustment to achieve the actual or better results that you wanted.

So, a goal reset. Granted, it’s the end of June and I’ve read all of two books, but I feel less pressure and I’ve already started my third, so I think I’m doing just fine.

Speaking of, here is a book review of one of the books I’ve read in June. I really enjoyed it!

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A Listicle for Your Reading Slump

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September 25, 2025

Over the years, I have read a variety of books that have awed, excited, and captured my attention. In this listicle I’m going to go back over a few of my faves, with a little paragraph reaction/summary for your reading pleasure. Naturally, I’m going to go by genre.