Progress

I like the idea of journal writing---but I've never been one to do it in any consistent way. When I started working on my dissertation, my faculty mentors suggested two things: join faceook and interact with your colleagues for motivation, and write a blog documenting your progress and let your friends and family read it. I did both because I had no clue what I was getting myself into with the whole dissertation thing.


So now I have this year-long blog from 2007 documenting my dissertation (sort of, mostly it was just writing stuff to procrastinate). I'm really glad I did it---I just read a post (while I was looking for ideas for this blog) that reflected on my wellness struggles and status at the time. I read it remembering how I felt then--and what it really did for me was magnify the progress I've made since then---but I don't remember making any progress along the way!


I wish everyone could take a look back and see their progress. If you haven't written in any journals or blogs, you might take this opportunity to start documenting in some way--maybe it's just writing notes and blurbs on a calendar about your lifestyle. Maybe it's starting a journal. It brings me back to the idea of how important it is to recognize your progress and give yourself credit for your successes. I can't believe how different my lifestyle is now (and all I've ever focused on is what I need to improve).