Sunday, February 25, 2007
Since I started this site I've been trying to figure out the best way to chart my progress. As an engineer the only answer that is acceptable is a graph. Unfortunately there isn't a simple HTML tag for a graph. I had to get creative and do a little Internet research. To my surprise I found exactly what I was looking for. There's a company called InfoSoft that has a free version of their software called FusionCharts Lite. This product is absolutely amazing and easy to use. You can see the results of using it below.
Let me explain why this task was so important to me. I know that my goal is to become a Class A (1800+) rated player, but those are just words. They are words with little substance. So the question is how do I make them more than just words? The answer actually comes from my 10th grade English teacher. She was a great teacher, but I was a math/science guy that had little time for the soft classes like English. So when she gave us assignments like writing down our goals or keeping a journal I was unmotivated to say the least. She would tell us things like its important to write your goals down on paper. She would say that writing them down made them more real. You know the typical teacher stuff that as a 15 year old you blow off as non-sense. I thought things like I know my goals and writing them down just waste time and paper. Boy was I wrong. As I become more seasoned I know how easy it is to forget what it is you are working for.
My teacher was much wiser then I gave her credit for being. She understood that a goal is just words unless you are willing to commit to accomplishing them. Writing them down is just the first step to realizing them. Writing them down also helps you to focus them. A broad goal is a useless goal if it's left unrefined. It's like saying that you want to drive to the west coast of the United States. Well at first glimpse it may sound like a worthy goal, but the west coast is huge and if that's something you want to do you will have to narrow it down a little. As soon as you write it down it will become apparent that it's hard to google directions to the west coast, but it is possible to google directions to San Francisco. This analogy is perfect for any goal you can imagine. When we write down a goal we are pin pointing our desired destination. How we get to that destination is up to us.
This graph is another step in helping me to focus on my chess goal. Seeing my progress in chart form will be a constant reminder of how I'm doing. It's my way of committing myself once more to this dream. Now a graph or chart may not be your method of commitment, but trust me when I say that you must take steps to reaching your goals. Writing them down is a great start.
The points on the chart below are links to the actual tournament. If you're interested try clicking on one. This chart will be permanently placed on my training page so the world can follow along with me.
Let me explain why this task was so important to me. I know that my goal is to become a Class A (1800+) rated player, but those are just words. They are words with little substance. So the question is how do I make them more than just words? The answer actually comes from my 10th grade English teacher. She was a great teacher, but I was a math/science guy that had little time for the soft classes like English. So when she gave us assignments like writing down our goals or keeping a journal I was unmotivated to say the least. She would tell us things like its important to write your goals down on paper. She would say that writing them down made them more real. You know the typical teacher stuff that as a 15 year old you blow off as non-sense. I thought things like I know my goals and writing them down just waste time and paper. Boy was I wrong. As I become more seasoned I know how easy it is to forget what it is you are working for.
My teacher was much wiser then I gave her credit for being. She understood that a goal is just words unless you are willing to commit to accomplishing them. Writing them down is just the first step to realizing them. Writing them down also helps you to focus them. A broad goal is a useless goal if it's left unrefined. It's like saying that you want to drive to the west coast of the United States. Well at first glimpse it may sound like a worthy goal, but the west coast is huge and if that's something you want to do you will have to narrow it down a little. As soon as you write it down it will become apparent that it's hard to google directions to the west coast, but it is possible to google directions to San Francisco. This analogy is perfect for any goal you can imagine. When we write down a goal we are pin pointing our desired destination. How we get to that destination is up to us.
This graph is another step in helping me to focus on my chess goal. Seeing my progress in chart form will be a constant reminder of how I'm doing. It's my way of committing myself once more to this dream. Now a graph or chart may not be your method of commitment, but trust me when I say that you must take steps to reaching your goals. Writing them down is a great start.
The points on the chart below are links to the actual tournament. If you're interested try clicking on one. This chart will be permanently placed on my training page so the world can follow along with me.
1 Comments:
It sounds like you are on the right track. That is a great idea to use a chart to monitor your progress. Good Luck!
Amanda
http://thetimemastery.com/blog
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