Goal setting and earning those rewards

I have always been a person that sets goals (big and small) and then work my butt off to achieve those goals. Completing my Bachelors degree, moving onto a Masters degree are a great example of my goal setting and achievement.  This weight loss journey has been no exception to my goal setting.  


When I first started this journey 3 months ago today, I set a large goal of 110lbs of weight loss.  However, in order to make this HUGE goal manageable, I decided that it was very important to work towards smaller goals.  My first smaller goal was to lose 25lbs.  Now I hit this goal a few weeks ago, but this weekend I finally was able to get my reward.  On Saturday, a friend (who is also on her own journey and kicking butt while doing it) and I went to the mall.  What I purchased as my reward was something that truly depicts the journey that I am on.  I bought myself the Journey bead from Pandora.  For those of you not familiar with this bead, it has peaks and valleys, just like my journey.  Not all weeks will be successful in losing weight while I am on this journey.  There will be times when I am in a low, a valley, and there will be times when I am at a high, or a peak.  This bead truly does represent what I am doing in life and how difficult this journey is.  I would like to thank another friend for schooling me in this bead.  Carrie... I am so glad that I took the time to talk to you about the different Pandora beads!


Now don't think that this 25lbs mark would be my only goal.  I actually have achieved a variety of other little goals that I have set... specifically in the gym.  I set a goal of burning 1000 calories in 1 gym outing, and boy did achieving that goal feel so freaking good.  I set a goal of completing 5 miles on the elliptical in 65 minutes, and I was able to achieve that one (it happened to be the same day as the 1000 calories burned).  I wanted to achieve under a 15 minute mile on the treadmill and was able to complete this one today... knocking out a 14:10 minute mile.  A small goal but meaningful goal was for me to do at least 25 crunches on the Ab Solo machine.  Well I shattered that one and am now up to 50 crunches a day!  None gym related goals were to eliminate diet soda from my daily life, and I have been able to achieve that one.  I only enjoy a diet soda on truly special and meaningful days.  It is something that I find I don't need in my daily life.  And it doesn't stop there.  I have many, many, many more goals ahead of me. I will just keep striving to accomplish each and every one of them :)  


So today, I am now sitting 16.8lbs away from my next weight related goal.  I would love to be able to have a few BIG weeks of losses to get to that goal faster, but realistically I know that is not healthy and not food for keeping it off.  I have set the goal that I would like to reach this mark in 7 weeks.  If I hit it earlier than that point, its a bonus.  But I don't want to set myself up for failure as setting unrealistic goals will only provide you failure and I am not about that!


Below is a picture of my Journey Pandora bead.  This symbol means a great deal to me and just looking at it provides a smile.  Oh... my next 25lb goal reward will be another Pandora bead.  It is called the Inner Strength bead and is another one that truly represents this journey that I am on.