Evaluation time

With it being the last day of 2011, it's time to check on the resolutions I set at the beginning of the year and see how I did.  Let's dole out some grades.

-Lose weight/get in shape again: B

On the plus side, I lost approximately 26 pounds.  (Since I don't weigh myself, this is going by doctor's visits in the latter part of 2010 and December 2011.)  On the down side, I think I lost most of that in the first part of the year and only took off a little in the second half.  Maybe the difference is the muscle I added from September on.  So great, I lost a not insubstantial amount, but I'll admit to wishing I'd taken off more.

I was going to grade myself more harshly on this one, but expectations may be clashing with reality here.  I ran in four races--three 5Ks and one 4+ mile race--and was clearly faster and in better shape by the time I completed the last one.  I have to give myself some credit for that.  Plus, I'm stronger and feeling better.  Granted, I haven't reached my target, which puts this resolution more in "in progress" status, but it seems like I'm on the right track.

-Read The Bible all the way through: D-

I kept up with this daily read for about a month or month and a half and then fell behind and never resumed.  For at least sticking to the resolution a little bit I'll avoid dropping an F, but clearly I didn't do so well here.  Next year will mark my third undertaking of this resolution.  That'll be the charm, right?

-Read more:  C-

As best as I can remember, I read four books in the span of a couple weeks, began another, and then failed to make any progress beyond that.  Three of those books were the entries in the young adult series The Hunger Games, which I could rip through quickly anyway.  Time seemed to be a pressing issue this year.  Time to try and carve some out for this resolution in 2012.

-Give more to charity: C

Perhaps I'm being charitable here with that grade, as I think I may have given less in 2011 than I did in 2010, although when I put this on the list, I didn't really know how I was going to go about it.  I do have something in mind for next year, for what it's worth.

-When it comes to media consumption, aim more for depth among the breadth: C+

My iTunes is so full that I've had to start unchecking things to free up space to fit everything I want on the iPod.  I did do somewhat better in terms of ripping the CD, listening more than once or twice, and moving on, but I can surpass this year's habits.  I received a new set of headphones for Christmas, which have been a revelation when listening to music versus the ear buds that were going bad.  That should help as I try to work on this next year as well.

Overall, lots of middling grades and one success, which doesn't surprise me as I spent a lot of time working on that fitness goal.  Undoubtedly the time invested in it affected some of the others, but it was (and is) the most important of the bunch.

Whether I succeeded at accomplishing what I resolved, 2011 was a pretty good year for me in a lot of respects.  I'll write about some of that in the coming days and refocus resolutions for the new year.  So, as I write here for the last time in 2011, here's hoping this was a good one for you and that 2012 will be even better.