Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Promises to Myself

A new year! This is usually the time of the year when I have the typical New Year’s Resolutions that include "Go to the gym more" and "Smile more" in the back of my mind. Last year, I actually wrote a list of things to keep in mind for the year (I'm pasting it directly from the post-it note on my computer desktop):
  • Less Critical (and Defensive?)
  • More Accepting of Criticism/Others' Opinions (open-mindedness)
  • Run 2x a week (short, 5K & longer) >>10K in April/May/Summer!
I'll be honest and admit that none of these have been fully accomplished. That's not to say that I haven't become more open-minded or less critical... I like to think that I have become more open-minded and less critical/defensive, but can I say these goals were successfully achieved if I can't quantify these traits? I have yet to run that 10K, and although that goal is definitely quantifiable, it wasn't specific at all. So this year, I will make SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely) goals! Aha! Applying a concept learned in OT class to real life! XD

One of the classes that I had in my first term of OT was one called “The Learned Experience of Disability” where we learned about different types of disabilities and their respective experiences in a way that lectures and textbooks couldn't teach us. We were each paired with another OT classmate and assigned a volunteer from the local community who had a disability. This volunteer was known as our mentor, and we spent a few hours each week with them, learning about their life and experiences with a disability. From this class, I learned about more than the one disability that my mentor had, but also about the disabilities that the mentors my fellow peers had. I think many of my classmates would agree that our learning about disabilities shouldn't stop there. So I've decided to make a SMART goal to motivate myself to keep learning:

>>By the start of next year’s classes in September, I will have read at least four books on the lived experiences of four different types of disability/illnesses.

And here's one non-OT SMART goal:
>>Run the Beat Beethoven 8km run (8km within 50 minutes) in June this year.

I can do this!! ^_^