#somebodypickup

In 2015 I’ve accepted the challenge of “The List.” It’s a year-long list of things to be done or accomplished one month at a time; 12 months to accomplish 36 goals (3 per month) and tell the story here.

April’s 3 Goals/Challenge

Take a Selfish Weekend (Pass): The goal was simple, take one weekend to be work free. FLYING COLORS PASS, and it felt so good! I got all my work done by the time I left the office (felt like the first time ever), and I spent my weekend on Netflix, visiting friends, working on music. It felt like I had more time than I knew what to do with...it was so good to take time to myself, and get some real rest. Truth be told, it was the only real rest I’d had on a weekend in months. Gotta make this happen more often.

Release My new Music Project (Pass): I’ve spent the better part of the past few months balancing my waking hours between the demands of an increasingly complex job and the creation of a project that would serve as a snapshot of my heart over the past two years. This meant drowsy, long hours at work, weekends in the studio,on-going communications after recording sessions, hours spent on mixing and mastering, design and plastering of promotional materials, and more. There has been so little time to do much of anything for almost 2 months now aside from work, and working on this EP, but it has been worth the struggle overall. On April 28th, I released my first completely original music project in over 2 years, an EP entitled “Sombody Pick Up.” The project is personal, real, and the gateway to what may be my last stretch of efforts as a musical artist. I was always excited to share it, but the response has been the overwhelming thing. The numbers are not astounding, the downloads did not break the internet; but the people who have heard the project have been moved and impacted by it. Some of have related deeply to the truth I shared in the project, others have been burdened with and put off by truths I shared involving them, so to some extent it has been polarizing while being impactful, at least to some degree. I’m content in that, especially in the responses of people who have deeply related to the tension, struggle, and journey of faith & self-discovery represented in the lyrics. It has moved some, troubled others, and encouraged and entertained still more. No matter what the numbers turn out to be in the end, the impact makes all of the long hours worth it. In case you missed it, you can download the project absolutely free here.

Cardio 5 Days per Week (Fail): Because of the schedule crunch (see the section above), and in part because waining motivation, I visited the gym only once in the month of April and did only 2-3 cardio wokouts overall. There’s no positive spin here, just the hard truth to look at. I’ll have to better prioritize to succeed in a healthier lifestyle.  

May’s 3 Goals/Challenges

Cardio 5 Days per Week: I’ve got a new gym membership, might as well use it.

Social Media Fast: I have some obligations to post on social media professionally, outside of that, I won’t be on social media this month. I’ve deleted the apps from my phone so I won’t be compelled to cheat.

Plan and Budget Vacation: I need some time away and new scenery...and after 2 years, I think it’s time for me to make my way back to East Saint Louis this summer. That being said, I’ve got some planning to do, so I will get to it.

For those just joining the journey, I don’t assume my success in these things, the goal is to authentically try. Some will be great successes, others will be great pitfalls…both should yield lessons and growth, as you can see. That’s the point. I invite anyone to join me on the challenge and set your own 36 goals to accomplish, but either be all in, or don’t commit. If you do, I would ask that you share the story of your year and challenges with others as I will. What’s the point if no one else gets to experience what we do?

My Challenge:

I will approach my challenge on a monthly schedule so as to stay the course. Here are the rules:

I will choose and post my (3) goals/challenges within the first week of each month.

I must explain the reason behind each goal when posting.

Everyone and anyone following my progress can hold me accountable by asking about my goals on this blog or other social media.

I must answer all questions related to my goals.

At the end of each month, I have to share what goals I completed or failed at, why, and what I learned or how I’ve grown.

There are no makeups; a fail is a fail. Goals can be repeated (such as an ongoing goal of weight loss) but cannot be repeated for the purpose of checking off a prior failure.