Tag: perfection

Progress Still Counts: When the Goal Teaches You More Than the Outcome

Progress Still Counts: When the Goal Teaches You More Than the Outcome

Last week, I wrote about a goal I met: working out consistently for over a year.

It felt good to reflect on that win…not because of aesthetics or numbers, but because it reminded me how much small habits, repeated over time, really do matter. Motivation came and went, but the habit stayed. The consistency carried me on days when I didn’t feel like showing up.

This week, I want to talk about a different kind of goal.
One I didn’t hit the way I planned.
And yet, I don’t consider it a failure.

The Goal I Didn’t “Finish”

At the beginning of the year, I set a goal to read my Bible daily using The Bible Recap reading plan.

As of today, I’m on day 148.

That number needs some context.

It doesn’t mean I’ve only read 148 days this year. On many days, I simply didn’t have the capacity to complete the full reading. Some days I read one chapter instead of several, which meant a single “day” in the plan stretched across multiple nights. And yes, there were days I didn’t read at all.

Even so, I’ve read 12 full books of the Old Testament this year.

That matters more than I think we often allow it to.

What Wasn’t Working

My plan was to read at bedtime — a quiet, reflective way to end the day. In theory, it sounded great. In reality, many nights I was exhausted and falling asleep mid-reading.

That doesn’t mean I lack discipline.
It means I need a better system.

Just like with physical fitness, when something isn’t working, the answer isn’t shame — it’s adjustment.

Reading at bedtime gave me feedback: this time of day isn’t setting me up for success.

The Old Testament Was Hard — And Holy

I’ll be honest: parts of the Old Testament were difficult to read.

  • The sacrifices.
  • The battles.
  • The violence.
  • The endless rules and laws.
  • The genealogies.
  • The censuses.

There were moments I felt overwhelmed, confused, and even resistant.

Slowly — chapter by chapter — something deeper emerged.

I saw a God who rescued His people out of slavery.
A God who parted the waters of the Red Sea and made a way where there was none. A God who wasn’t being restrictive with rules, but teaching a newly freed people how to live as a civilization after generations of bondage.

These laws weren’t cruelty — they were formation.

And the people? They were far from perfect.

Moses.
Abraham.
Isaac.
Jacob.
David.

They had moments of extraordinary faith — and moments of deep failure. They played small roles in a much bigger story. And somehow, God used them anyway.

I see myself in their stories.
Believing… and struggling.
Trusting… and doubting.

A prayer I often pray: “Lord, I believe and help me in my unbelief.”

Why This Still Counts as a Win

Here’s what I know for sure:

I have read my Bible more consistently this year than I ever have before.

If I hadn’t set this goal, I wouldn’t be on day 148. I wouldn’t have wrestled with Scripture. I wouldn’t have learned what time of day works best for me. I wouldn’t have encountered God in scripture the way I have.

This goal gave me progress.
It gave me insight.
It gave me feedback.

And that is not failure.

The Same Lesson, Two Different Goals

When I look at my workout goal and my Bible-reading goal side by side, I see the same truth:

Success isn’t about perfection.
It’s about continuation.

With fitness, I learned that habits carry me when motivation fades.
With Scripture, I’m learning that adjustment keeps me engaged instead of quitting.

Both are teaching me how to be honest and rooted in grace.

So no, I didn’t read my Bible perfectly this year.

Yet I read it more.
I learned more.
And I’m still going.

And sometimes, that’s exactly what success looks like.

Bridal Fitness – Mind Over Matter

Every bride dreams of her wedding day. Those dreams usually begin when she’s a little girl. Everything perfect. Every detail thought out completely and executed perfectly. Everything in its place and everything just so. As much as we can dream about a perfect day, it doesn’t mean it’s going to happen that way. I’m not one to get hung up on the small details. I’ve coordinated enough events for work to understand that something isn’t going to go as planned, there is going to be something I haven’t thought about and there is going to be something that didn’t get communicated and therefore leading to a failed execution. I’m not so concerned with that. At the end of the day, Jeff and I will be married and that is the most important thing.

There is a particular wedding day circumstance that stays in the back of my mind and I feel the need to share and address it. I know I’m certainly not the only bride that feels this way and my hopes are that by sharing, it may uplift another bride and maybe give her words that she doesn’t know quite how to express. And to be honest, it’s a reminder to myself. Every bride wants to look her best and most brides elect to lose “x” amount of weight before the wedding. I am no different. My goal was relatively small. 10 pounds, I wanted to lose 10 pounds and if I accomplished that, I was going to lose more. The year of 2018 has proven a year of challenges and setbacks and I can tell you I’m walking down the aisle having lost basically zero. I am ok with this and I’m not ok with it. Let me explain.

There’s not a minute that goes by during the day that I don’t think about needing to get a workout in, to make better food choices, to take the stairs instead of the elevator, to park further from the store to get more steps in, to hit 12,000 steps a day….and the list continues. The truth is, even though I’ve been known as the “fitness girl” several years back, sometimes life’s challenges don’t allow you to be “fitness girl”. As I mentioned before, 2018 has been a year of challenges and setbacks. One of which I recently blogged about, Bell’s Palsy. Other challenges I’ve encountered are…hurting my back 3 times which in turn caused incredible discomfort down my left leg. My beloved cat of 16 years had to be put to sleep. The most difficult decision I’ve made and literally shredded my heart. Two weeks after my beloved cat passed, my beloved, 14-year-old dog became extremely ill, having to go to the ER vet 4 times and her regular vet 3 times. My job moved to Midland, TX which meant I had to find another job in Houston, so I changed jobs as well this year. I am not throwing a pity party and these words are not to hash out all the stuff that went wrong this year. The point of all of this is to say that life happens, and you do the best you can with it. It may not look perfect, but it’s the best you can do, and you must be ok with it, even when you aren’t. When your world falls apart and everything is going wrong, you pick up the pieces and put them back together again as best as you can and that’s all that can be expected. So, I say this as a reminder to myself, instead of beating yourself up, remember the fire you’ve walked through. You’ve survived, and you are still standing and own your wedding day! Celebrate it! Life comes in seasons and this is definitely not the season to be at my top fitness level. One day it will be, but not today and I’m ok with that. Love yourself where you are. Enjoy today! Feel the beauty that makes up who you are and radiate that from within because your wedding day will reflect it. What I’m looking forward to most is sharing this special day with our closest friends and family. We will share our love, our united family and what an incredible day it will be! That is a blessing and everything else is just the details. Love who you are today, where you are today! Own it and rock it down the aisle!