No-No November

I didn’t set out to take the month of November off from blogging. After writing every day in October I was looking forward to taking a bit of a breather. Then one day turned into two, two into three and before I knew it thirty.

November was a downward spiral. It started with external influences beyond my control—health issues, work projects, family obligations. But instead of focusing on my goals, I allowed myself to fall into all my familiar bad habits. I spent the last 30 days skipping workouts, eating more than one Lays potato chip in my car and drinking more than a nip or three of bourbon. Not to mention losing ground on a couple of meaningful projects.

How did this happen? I allowed myself to get too “busy” to tend to what really matters most. Busy is a great distraction, a great way to hide insecurities and a terrible excuse to lose focus. It’s easy to fall into the trap of busy. But when I only concentrate on the things right in front of my face, I lose sight of the bigger picture, the long-term goals, the person I want to be.

One thing I’ve learned over the last few years is that the worst thing I can do when I mess up is to dwell on it wallowing in regret. So instead of looking back at the mistakes of November, I’m looking forward to the promise of December. With this being the most hectic month of the year, it will be a great time to test if I can avoid the “busy” trap and continue to concentrate on where I want to go.

While November hasn’t been a banner month, I hope to be able to channel how I feel now the next time I’m about to give my attention to something that doesn’t serve me well. I’m determined to finish 2019 strong and set myself up for success in 2020. Or even if I don’t succeed, I’ll fail with the knowledge that I gave it my all. I can’t say that for the last 30 days, but I’ll be able to say it for the next 30.