Anticipating Obstacles

My 50 Frolics are off to a great start.  As of this week, I’ve already enjoyed eight frolics.  As I talk to more friends, more ideas and plans for more frolics are emerging.  I’m truly pleased -- my fiftieth year is going to be more fun and frolic-filled than I’ve experienced in the last decade.

However, I’m aware that many project start like this...off to a great start and then sidelined by unforeseen obstacles. 

I don’t want that to happen to my Fifty Frolics project. 

To that end, I need to identify what might get in the way, and prepare myself accordingly.  KInda like an obstacle inoculation.

Possible Obstacles:

1.  Slipping back into old habits.

It’s funny how you can be full of mad resolve, embarking on a new initiative...and then, a few weeks later, notice that you’re back to doing the same ol’ same ol’.  Let’s take my 50 Treats initiative for example.  I started out great on my birthday, purchasing fresh cut flowers and special ingredients for my birthday dinner...and since then I’ve faltered. 

I’m keeping track of my commitments using Ye Olde Excel Spreadsheet.  I couldn’t help but notice yesterday that I’ve only enjoyed two treats in the past four weeks.  So I made a point of picking out some glorious special cheeses for our next trip to the farm.

My gameplan is that my spreadsheet will help keep me on track.

2.  Negative people

As excited as I am about my Fifty Frolics project, it’s horrifying to see how others’ reactions can squash my enthusiasm.  Even something as innocuous as a lukewarm reception can cause me to doubt the merits of my efforts.  I need to remind myself to stay on track, regardless of what anyone else thinks.   

The point is, it’s going to be a better year for me if I focus on my 50 Frolics (and my other 50th year initiatives) than if I don’t, so why wouldn’t I do them.

3. Getting overly busy

It’s fine to commit to 50 Frolics -- basically an average of one a week.  But what happens when work and domestic responsibilities and random other things swell to fill my schedule? 

Again, I’m counting on my spreadsheet as a way to stay on track.

4.  Life intervenes

Case in point:  when my mother passed away unexpectedly a few months ago, my professional life got derailed.  Everything else got put on hold while I dealt with all that needed attention. 

It’s been unsettling to see how off kilter I got thrown.  Only now am I getting back to work...and I’m still not quite back up to full speed.

It’s an extreme example, but smaller things -- an illness, a move, an unprecedented event -- can also affect commitment and progress on any project. 

So what can I do to stay on track with my project, no matter what?  Somehow, no matter what unfolds this year, I need to remind myself that this is the year of my 50 Frolics.  I’m counting that the public nature of this commitment through this blog will see me through.

5.  Fatigue 

Well, I *am* older now.  Fifty years old, unbelievably.  I find myself moving slower, thinking slower and needing more sleep than I did during earlier decades. 

My hope is that the 50 Frolics will give me energy, rather than deplete it.  So far that’s been the case. 

* * *

What about you?  What obstacles derail your projects and how do you overcome them?  I’d love to hear from you -- message me or leave a comment.