Here is a breakdown of how I faired in executing the above goals in May 2023:
Four Marathons in May
As part of my bigger goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon, I set a goal to run across the 10 Canadian provinces (Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Alberta, Manitoba, Quebec, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador). The month of May was the toughest of the schedule as I ran four back to back to back to back full marathons in a month. I visited three new cities and provinces.
I set these challenges yearly to keep me grounded and help me stay hungry. As the late former Apple CEO Steve Jobs famously advised in his 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University, “Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish,” I try to review my goals weekly and reaccess my commitment to the set goals. Some of the other goals and daily routines that I practice daily includes 5 AM Morning Routine (Study time for certification, SAVERS framework), Daily Meditation (400+ streak), daily gratitude journaling
Here is a breakdown of how I faired in executing the goals.
January 2023 Goal Updated
12 Books Read – Non-Fiction (4), Biography (4), John C. Maxwell (4)
Exercise Regimen (Basketball Shooting (40-60 minutes every morning), Threadmill Running(50-60 minutes 6-7 times per week), Swimming while listening to french (60-90 minutes per day – 14 KM/7 hrs+ per week), Weight Lifting and Cycling.
Reading from my Kindle device (Kindle Unlimited), hardcover books, Audiobook platforms (Scribd, Audiobooks.com and Audible).
Exercise Regimen
I spent 1/9th of my time in January 2023 exercising. Total time spent exercising = 83 Hours Total hours in January = 744 Hours Time Spent Swimming = 30 hours 10 mins | 54.7 KM Time Spent Running = 22 hours 55 mins | 216.7 KM Time Spent Cycling = 4 hours 2 Mins | 50.4 KM Time Spent weight lifting = 5h 38 mins Time Spent shooting Basketball = 17 hours 46 mins
I meditate daily with the following guided meditation: : Daily Jay – Jay Shetty, Daily Calm – Tamara Levitt, and Daily Trip – Jeff Warren. I average 25-30 minutes meditating, focusing on my breath and re-centering my focus.
I started experimenting with the Magazine reading challenge in 2021 and I have not really been consistent with reading the magazines weekly. I read 28 in 2021, 10 in 2022 and I aiming for more consistency in 2023.
Goal: Read 50 digital magazines by December 31st, 2022. Strategy: Read one magazine per week.
John C. Maxwellis a No. 1 New York Times bestselling author, coach and speaker who has written more that 100 books which have sold more than 24 million books in 50 languages. John was named #1 leadership expert in the world by Inc. Magazine in 2014.
John C. Maxwell is my favourite non-fiction author especially on the area of leadership. As John often says “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” I am always looking for ways of getting better as a human, exploring the pursuit of excellence and greatness. John Maxwell writes some of the best books on leadership, he is a great communicator and story teller. In my bid to work on my leadership skill/self-leadership, I am committing to reading 50 John C. Maxwell books in 2023.
A biography is a detailed description of a person’s life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person’s experience of these life events. 1
Goal: Read 50 biographies by December 31st 2023 Strategy: Read and Finish one biography per week.
In October 2022, I started experimenting with listening to a podcast in french every day (French Language Listening Challenge). I have been able to listen to lots of spoken french daily, although I was not able to listen daily but have been able to schedule and maintain momentum.
Goal: Listen to 365 podcasts by December 31st, 2023. Strategy: Listen to one podcast per day.
I experimented with listening to one podcast episode per day in 2022 (365 Podcast Listening Challenge 2022), and I could listen to 365 podcast sessions throughout the year. I listened to my favourite podcasts, such as How I Built This with Guy Raz, Deep Questions with Cal Newport, THE ED Mylett Show, The School of Greatness with Lewis Howes, and The Rich Roll Podcast on a weekly basis. One of the strategies that enabled me to listen to the 365 podcasts is scheduling. I listen to the podcast episodes at the same time every day; immediately after I finish my morning workout session.
MasterClass.com is a streaming platform where anyone can learn from the world’s best. With an annual membership, subscribers get unlimited access to instructors and classes across a wide range of subjects. Stream thousands of lessons anywhere, anytime, on mobile, desktop, and TV.
I am a super fan of Masterclass.com and have been averaging at least one masterclass session per week in the past two years.
Goal: View 50 Masterclass sessions
Strategies: Watch one masterclass session per week, preferably on Weekends
Earlier in April, I set a goal of watching 50 documentaries in 2022, but at some point, I stopped documenting the documentaries. I am setting a goal of watching 50 documentaries in 2023, and I plan to follow through this time. Some of the ways I would follow through would be selecting the documentaries based on themes, scheduling to watch the documentaries same time weekly and documenting every series watched.
A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion picture intended to “document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record.
