Month: August 2022

Making Progress and Making New Goals

Published on by EmilyMaxwellMcLemoreLeave a comment
Me sitting by my pool smiling at the camera

I’m the kind of person that
could drive you nuts.

I get that. I try to tame my crazy as much as possible for the outside world. 🙂 But I can’t help it. There are just so many things I need TO DO!

I have BIG Dreams and Big Plans. I am all kinds of EXTRA, and at 48, I’ve learned that if you don’t like my brand of extra, that is okay, move along.

But I’m not going to hide it anymore. And more than that, I will not apologize for it anymore.

What a relief. I’m permitting myself just to be me.

So anyway. With the work on my Ph.D. winding down and my brain working on what is next, I’ve been reflecting and considering the next steps. The next achievement. (This is when my amazing husband, Doug, starts sweating a little.)


But let me take a minute and explain something about creative achievers like myself. It isn’t necessarily about beating you; it’s about doing something challenging and proving that we can do it. It’s about paving the way, finding something new, mastering it, and then finding another thing and starting the process over. It can overwhelm people created to be more stable in their interests and pursuits.


So here I am, ready for the next challenge. I’m not sure what exactly that means for my career. Right now, I’m finishing the last chapter of my dissertation while the rest of it sits at Quality Control. Then my dissertation committee members 2 and 3 will require edits and additions. I’ll do those and then defend! Such exciting times.

I’m also working full time and teaching 6 hours this fall. That puts me at a 150% load (which Doug said was about right for me…).

All that to say, it’s time to start planning the next challenge. I think I’m ready to shift back into running goals. After the last few years of research and writing, I need a physical challenge to shake the dust off.

I downloaded a training plan for running a faster 1/2 marathon.

I start tomorrow.

me as a young child with an electric train
me at 10 with my requested Christmas gift. A typewriter.

And for you parents out there with Creative Achievers..

Give your kids something to accomplish. Make it hard, but make it attainable.

Here are some things that I have loved:

  • Legos and building sets.
  • Puzzles. Progressively harder with more pieces.
  • Rubik’s Cube. Teach them that it isn’t a mystery, but an algorithm to learn and use.
  • Physics challenges. Like building paper bridges and egg drops.
  • Physical challenges. Running, plank hold, burpees, swimming. Anything that is timed and an individual time/number to beat.

Why am I saying this now? Because if you don’t give us something to focus on, to fix, to figure out.. we will DRIVE you crazy. I get up at 4:30am to run, so that I can be worn out before I go to work. I know myself. But it has taken a lot of years to get to this point.