Friday, February 1, 2013

Where's the Line?

I've been sort of in a funk, lately. And one thing I've been thinking is that I need more concrete goals. Weekly, or monthly, or whatever. And they'd have to be things I actually have control over. So, for example, "lose 10 pounds" would be a bad goal; "exercise at least an hour three times a week" would be a good one.

It's not just weight loss, though, it's everything. I feel like I've been failing at pretty much every aspect of my life. (Except reading. I'm awesome at reading.) I know that one thing that's often mentioned as part of the culture shock of graduating and going out into the real world is that life isn't structured the way school is. With school, you're working toward something, you're getting feedback at regular intervals, there's a continuous sense of achievement. Out in the real world . . . well, some jobs work that way, I guess, but life itself doesn't. And while that's not THE reason I miss school, it's definitely A reason, one that I'm very aware of right now. So I need to transfer a little of that to my current situation, I think.

And, of course, what better place than the blog to keep track of all this? I mean, it's a way to keep organized, and to keep accountable. Only . . . where's the line?

With so much oversharing going on, a big question is, "Who really gives a damn?" But let's assume for a second that that's not a problem. Let's say I have a devoted audience -- small, but devoted -- that DOES actually care and will help keep me accountable . . . or maybe I just don't care if no one cares, as long as it's "out there" in a public space where I can't take it back. There's still the question of how much is appropriate? Take that word "appropriate" however you want. Obviously there's plenty of content that may fall into the TMI category, but is there also a point at which the sheer volume becomes inappropriate? Or, if not inappropriate exactly . . . maybe just unhealthy?

And all of this is stuff that any person who spends a decent amount of time on the internet has probably asked themselves (or wondered about others) at some point or another, but combine it all with the fact that MOST of my relationships are long-distance, and therefore the internet is my main way of communicating, and I feel torn. Things that I might ordinarily just share with friends over drinks . . . well, I don't have the option of just getting together for drinks (or whatever), so I go online. And, as long as it isn't something that's really private, that I don't mind the rest of the world knowing if they come across it . . . well, it's just easier to post a general Facebook status, or a Tweet, or something here on the blog, than it is to have a conversation via text or email.

I don't know. This all started because I wanted to start setting some goals for myself and having some way to hold myself to them. And yet, I think I'm hitting that point where I feel like I'm documenting my life more than I'm actually living it.

3 comments:

  1. I think goals are great and posting about them is a good way to stay accountable. Putting anything in writing makes it more real, you know? And that way you're documenting but you're forced to have something to document so you're living too, right?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, it's just a tricky balancing act. Especially when you make out a list of what you want to do, then do it, then come back and think about it and what you accomplished... just seems like the "doing" is such a small part of it.

      Delete
  2. I have recently realized that I stopped setting goals, quite awhile back, when a good part of my life no longer belonged to me. Now that my life is my own again, I am floundering a lot. I actually had a goal setting meeting with my upline this week, because I need to have someone to be accountable to, and some help with the steps to the goal. This has made me more productive with my business this week. It works for me. I am not a blogger yet, so that would not work for me. If your not sure about putting in public, you may want to share it with only one or 2. Or you may want to blog some of your goals and privately share others. I do think the accountability issue is a great motivator. I also like reading your blogs. -love you, Marilyn

    ReplyDelete