I hated Personal Progress as a teen. All the goal setting, the failing, the beating up on myself.

So here I am, 58 years old, atheist...a reasonably decent human being. I'm sitting at my table, reading another self-help book, and I look over at my list which is now labeled, "Daily Practice".

No food after 7 p.m.
Eat only at the table.
Drink only socially.
Walk every day.
The list goes on...

They are stories of a future. Me trying to be different--to be better. I'm not good enough.

On the same page:

"What I want is what I have. What I don't have is what I don't want."

All we have is right now. The past is a ghost. The future is a phantom.

Thanks to author and teacher, Byron Katie, I'm finding some peace.

I don't even walk anymore except for dog walks. I used to walk 5 miles a day. I'm 64. I'm okay as an old lady the way I am.

I hated personal progress, too, so when I was a leader in YW, I would have my little "get together" with each of the 23 girls in my class and go through the list of goals and I'd say, "Do you help tend your younger brothers and sisters?" They'd say, "yes," and I'd sign off the goal as being done. I did that all the time. I thought why make them do busy work when they do all this stuff every single day anyway.

Personal progress was stupid. In fact, when they put me in YWs, they had changed the program and had stopped the old program and didn't have new manuals OR PP books for a few months. I had to go to SLC to the distribution center to pick some up when we found out they had them FINALLY. Must be really important???

Well said, Dorothy.

I used to have a giant list of short and long term goals. I'm old enough now to not need them. I have more stuff than I'll ever use. Too many unforeseen things beyond my control change my priorities day to day. Living for right now has never been easy for me but I'm getting better at it.

My vision of personal progress is a Bronco with a good GPS install, good guide books, satellite radio, top-notch provisions and gear. Maybe start with the Pony Express Historic Byway out of Lehigh.

"Eat, Drink;
Poop, Pee!"

--Elohim, when asked how He plans to 'endure til the End'

My long term goal is survive until Christmas
My short term goal is survive until tomorrow morning
Other so called goals

I'm trying to increase my bench press, as a personal progress, but sadly I think I've peaked out, been the same for a couple years now...

No more boyscouts for the YM. I thought that the young women's program was boring compared to what the young men were doing in scouting. One of my big young women's progress was to sow my own dress which I did and I even wore that dress to church several times. Now that the church is only 2 hours long they rotate Sunday school and young women's each week.