Mid-Year Intentions and Goals Check-In

There is really something to be said for setting goals that do not wholly depend on outside factors. When I set out to write this post, I was totally expecting a lot more stalled-out progress within each category. While I'm definitely "behind" where I imagined I'd be, considering everything that is happening, I'm doing pretty damn well! And that is largely because my intention and goal setting practices have evolved in recent years to become a lot more process-based instead of end-goal-outcome-based. 

Griffin

- Work off my seat and legs with more precision | This is happening!
- Hone dressage and school training and first level movements | Eh. Not so much.
- Establish a very solid "forward" button so I don't have to nag | It depends on the day, but there is improvement.
- Take some lessons | I got feedback from clinicians on the Online Rider Collective (videos coming to a blog near you soon!), so progress?
- Cement "long and low" stretching | What is?
- School over novice height jumps, both stadium and XC (probably at home) | Been lunging Grif over jumps more than riding him over them lately, but that's important! We'll keep schooling as the year continues.
+ Make it to a schooling show of some kind | Ha.
+ Cutting | Just the dogs. Get along little doggy...

Q

- Work off my seat and legs with more precision | There is small progress...
- Hone dressage and school training and first level movements | HA. HAHAHA.
- Take some lessons | Lauren Sprieser gave me great feedback on my ORC video.
- Complete at least one endurance competition | HA.
+ Ride 400 non-competition miles this year | Currently at 106.52 miles, so we're getting there. She's also climbed a sum of 16,106 feet (3.05 miles) over the course of those rides!
+ Go to a dressage schooling show | I suppose there might still be a chance, but I'm not holding my breath.

Stan

- Rack up some trail miles and have a ton of fun | Slaying it.
- Ride 150 miles this year | Also slaying it. He is at 90.64 miles for the year (and somehow has climbed the most of all three horses at 18,072 feet over those 90 miles! No wonder he looks so sexy right now.)
- Improve his caudal hoof and make him happier barefoot | Goodness gracious, YES!

Kenai

- Maintain mobility through lots of steady exercise | He has definitely slowed down, but we're still gettin' after it.
- Keep happy! | Oh goodness, he is like a puppy again having finally solved his skin issues.

Taiga

- Adventure often and continue socializing in many situations | Well, we've done isolation adventures.

Myself

- Find balance through time management/scheduling | Thanks to COVID-19, this has become easier than ever. Schedule? What schedule? Time management? For what? Walking to the kitchen and back upstairs to my office? Or maybe the 200-ft to the barn?
- Maintain good mental health and physical fitness | I'm content.
- Be financially cognizant and boost my savings | I haven't even looked at my savings accounts [for retirement] since the economy tanked. I'm afraid. But beyond that, this is also going well thanks to having nowhere to go.
- Minimize my social media usage; become more purposeful when I do use it | HAHAHAHA. I don't even WANT to know how many hundreds of a percent greater my social media usage has become the past 14 weeks. Between COVID and my new unlimited data plan, my use has definitely sky rocketed.
- Organize and streamline my photography hustle | If by streamlining one can include "copious cancellations", then sure. It's real streamlined. 
- Work towards being able to do a handstand | I've been struggling with some intense tendonitis/carpal tunnel in my right wrist/forearm, so any progress I could hope to make has stalled indefinitely. I ought to just start working on forearm stands...
- Climb more | See above issue. I was on a weekly schedule to get in climbing shape again, but I haven't been able to do jack for about 10 weeks.
- Bike often | In the past month, I've gotten out a fair bit. The newly constructed trail in the state park across the road from our HOA is SO FUN. Dave goes almost daily, and I join once or twice a week.

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All in all, not too shabby considering the chaos that 2020 has brought on the world near and far.