Set Your Goals – Then You Can Achieve Them

Disclaimer: I’ll start this post by saying that if you only come to MCP Actions for photography and editing tutorials and products, skip this post.  This one is personal and since I am the owner of MCP, but do not have a personal blog, a few times a year it’s okay to write about off-topic posts about things that are important to me. If you were inspired by “A Different Kind of Before and After” (the story of my journey of getting healthy during the course of a year), my fitness/health Facebook group, or my posts about getting in pictures with and for your family, you’ll enjoy this follow up.

As I talked about in my past few personal posts, I was not happy in front of the camera. As a photographer, I know it is so important to get in photos and be part of the memories for your family and friends.  While I made getting in pictures a priority a few years back, I still hated to look at the images I was in. I felt worse on the inside than on the outside, unhealthy and out-of-energy.  In July 2014, I started on a journey to lose weight and get fit. I ate low-calorie/low-carb and lifted weights 3x a week plus did yoga a few times a week. I set goals for the scale, but also set and achieved goals like pull-ups. I realized the only way to succeed short and long term was to make eating healthy and exercise a part of who I am. I started feeling more confident, got in more photos with my kids and even got in some photos by myself, all with more confidence. At 43, I turn 44 this upcoming Friday, I feel stronger, more fit and healthier than I did in my teens, 20s or 30s.  I can honestly say, I am in the best shape of my life, and this carries through to my outlook on life and my confidence in almost every aspect of it.

Photo credit to my daughter Ellie Friedman for taking this on a recent photo shoot we did together:

Once I reached my goal weight, in July 2015, a year after beginning, I decided to mix things up a bit. As a Lululemon customer and fan, I was intrigued by the Seawheeze half marathon that takes place in Vancouver each August.  I heard amazing stories from dozens of my fellow online Lululemon fan friends who participated in this race in 2015.  I was so inspired after hearing these stories that I started with a couch to 5K program in late August with my daughter Ellie. Neither of us could run for more than 30 seconds straight.  In Mid-September, the minute spots to Seawheeze 2016 opened up, I was on the computer and iPad, hurrying to reserve my space. I got my spot — now what? I have my new goal – to run a half marathon in August 2016.

Every big goal begins with baby steps.  Naturally the baby steps towards a half marathon are learning to run, increasing distance, and increasing speed. I run 3-4x a week now.  I tried different C25K type of apps on the iPhone and after two months of running, yesterday I completed my first race – a 5K called the Wicked Halloween Run.  Ellie did it with me and that made it even more rewarding.  If you would have told me a year ago, or maybe even a few months ago, that we’d finish a 5K (doing run/walk intervals in 36 minutes) after two months of training, I would have laughed at you.

Here are a few pictures.  I dressed as a Lululemon Shopper Bag.  I had them laying around and thought it would make for a cute Halloween costume. 

Through this journey, I am learning that if you set big goals, and smaller goals as steps toward the bigger ones, they can happen.  If we did it, so can you.  Find something you want to focus on this upcoming year.  Write it down or even comment below and let me know your goal. Then come up with a plan and make it happen.