There’s an old adage that if you set the bar low enough, you will always achieve. In setting expectations for ourselves, we certainly have options.

To set the bar low is to not expect much at all. Maybe a good way to get started with something, but not a good way to achieve over time. A greater achievement generally does take some time.

It would be silly to set a goal to work out once next month. Not really much of an expectation for yourself unless you were to have a debilitating condition. A starting point, yes, but not much more than that.

I set an expectation 613 days ago to exercise more frequently. The bar was set at closing the three rings on my I Watch, each and every day. Pretty simple: 30+ minutes of exercise; stand for 12+ hours per day; burn 700+active calories. Not exceptionally high expectations for myself, but a challenge to do say daily.

The expectation level hasn’t been met in terms of achievement because consecutive day 614 is here before me today. With my specific goal, the value associated with this achievement is clearly in the process of achieving each day. The incremental success of stepping over the bar each day and the next and the one after that.

The good news is that it appears that I have more days to come and more achieving to do. A definite benefit of the daily exercising would be to have many more days.

One day, the consecutive string of achieving may be lost and the achievement could be tabulated and defined at that time. From there, a new or similar expectation will be set and I will aim to go on achieving again, just as I work each week day to continue learning with you in the writing of this message.

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” — Theodore Roosevelt —

MITM