High Five Update #8

5 months end today, so does the first ever Scott Mills High Five Challenge.  I set out November 1st on a journey to change some things about my life.  The idea was to focus on the positive, beginning some new habits, not necessarily ending bad ones.  Hopefully by beginning some new things in my life, that would push some of the bad habits away.  So, as to keep with the positive focus, this blog entry will not focus on what I did not accomplish, because everything that has happened over the past 5 months has been a positive move in the right direction.  So often we focus on what we did not accomplish and that defines our success.  We should rather focus on what we did with our goals that would have never happened had we not set them.  There are always more goals to set for yourself, don’t forget to stop and for a minute and enjoy some success, some positive life change.  If you have a goal to quit smoking and you smoke 2 packs a day.  Is it not a victory if you were able to cut down to 1 pack a day?  Yes, it is!  Your next goal might get you to the place you want to be, but by taking steps to set and achieve goals you are closer than ever to get there.

Lets review the 5 goals I set out to accomplish:

Running:  My goal was to go from the couch to running a 5 K (3 miles).  I achieved more in this area than I have done in 17 years.  I was in great shape at age 22 and have been in steady decline ever since I started sitting at a desk most of the day.  I was able to get up to running 2 miles.  During this journey I had ups and downs, took a few weeks off between runs.  The most awesome part is that I have overcome some major mental blocks.  After  a few weeks off, I was able to go out and run over a mile.  5 months ago, I could not run more than 60 seconds at a time.  This is huge for me!!

Weight loss:  The goal was 50 lbs – 10lbs per month.  I lost 15 lbs.  The good part is I can keep setting goals for this because there is a whole lot to come off.  My next set of goals will be more fitness and eating focus, rather than a number of lbs to lose.  I think focusing on what I eat and how much I exercise is a much more positive thing to focus on.  Looking at the symptoms will help more than looking at what I hope the end result to be.

Saving:  My goal was to save $5,000 over what we normally save.  I did this, and am glad we did.  We moved into a new house during this journey, and this has come in handy.  I will not have a savings goal again, at least without a greater purpose.  My reading list will share more about why!

Read 5 business books:  I read 1 completely, and part of 3 other books.  I read the 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing – an old marketing book with some timeless lessons about marketing.  GroundSwell – a book about Social Media.  A Pearl of Leadership – a book about Haiti and lessons on leadership.  And just starting a book called The Go-Giver – a story about a lesson a sales guy learned about having the spirit of giving, focusing on people, rather than closing the sale.  I read more about business over the past 5 months since college.

Read 5 books about my faith:  I read 3 books.  Sampson and the Pirate Monks – a great book about brotherhood and the struggles men face in our world and culture.  It speaks about having a circle of brotherhood to help share each others burdens, to walk through life with a band of brothers rather than alone.  Crazy Love – one of the most life-changing books I have read since I read The Pursuit of Holiness when I was 22 years old.  Crazy Love has changed a lot about my life, the focus I have every day, and what my priorities are.  I want to experience the Love of Christ, and I want to represent that love to all who I meet and see.  The world needs to see this Love, the world needs to see Christians being Christ-like.  Givers, care takers, servants of mankind.  We are here for a purpose, and you can bet it is not to save as much money as we can, get a bigger house, and drive the badest car.  I did not learn to be judgemental, or to deny myself of enjoying life and my family.  I did learn that I must be focused on others, and not on myself.  By doing this, my priorities must be different.   Another book I read before I started this journey was a John Piper book called Don’t Waste Your Life.  This book had a similar message.  It spoke of the American dream  – work hard, save, invest, and then retire to a nice house, boat, and golf and spend the rest of your days resting.  What a wasted life – do something for Christ by sharing His amazing Crazy Love with others.  The Shack was the last book I read.  Another great book, more of a novel, that expressed one mans journey and experience with God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit through the pain of losing someone he loved.  It gave some awesome imagery to what it would be like if the Trinity lived among us in physical form, and reminded me that they do live all around me, they are here, they do listen, they do love me and want nothing but the best for me even when I and those I love go through pain.

What a journey!  It is time for the next 5 months, and 5 more goals that start tomorrow.  Check back tomorrow to see what the next challenge looks like!

Thanks for following….