Thing #1

As I was watching the "7 1/2 Habits" tutorial I immediately identified with the "setting goals" habit. I am good at setting goals and pursuing them even if they seem ridiculous. I'm the queen of making insanely detailed to-do lists of every single component of a goal. As an undergrad I actually made an hour-by-hour schedule for myself for the final two weeks before my senior thesis was due. I can be incredibly motivated and organized when I have a clear goal and a day marked on the calendar. Right now I'm training for the Country Music Half Marathon and every thing I do and every meal I eat is geared toward accomplishing that goal. I'm also attending grad school full time during this semester, over the summer, and in the fall so that I can attain my goal of finishing my coursework by the time my husband returns from Afghanistan in December 2009.

That being said...

I'm absolutely the weakest at having confidence in my ability to learn. Even though I set lofty goals for myself, I tend to set goals within my spheres of expertise. I feel amazingly comfortable, even cocky, about learning more about subjects I feel confident in already. There's no book on political theory I can't understand. There's no fitness goal I don't think I can reach. I would never question my ability to cook a new meal from scratch. BUT...once an impromptu trip to the driving range with my dad paralyzed me with fear. I acted like a 3 year old. If someone asks me to try something I've never done before, or do something that *God forbid* I'm not sure I'll be good at I cannot deal. As a kid I was super dedicated to certain things and I excelled in them. I got so much praise for being good at things that it never occurred to me that there might be merit in trying anything new--what if I couldn't do it? Thankfully I have an amazingly adventurous and supportive husband who has encouraged me to start trying new things. Since we've been together I've become a sushi fanatic and zip-lined through the Costa Rican rainforest. And...here I am in grad school learning new things every day.

I actually found the process to set this blog up pretty straightforward. I'm looking forward to figuring out how to use the blogger tools and personalizing my blog. I'm pretty excited about learning how to do all of this. I've secretly always wanted to set up a blog but didn't want it to be amateurish--see above description of my fear of trying things I don't know how to do. I think this can be a great personal and professional tool and I am looking forward to the next 22 things!