It's nearly impossible to convince Adrian to do something he hasn't decided himself he wants to do. The dishes, gardening, cleaning, etc.But once he decides he wants to do something, he couldn't be more committed. When he sets a goal, he most often accomplishes it. And his goals aren't always small. I was first made aware of this "quality" while we were dating (we were 25 years old).
"I'm sorry, but you have to go home now. I need to practice the piano." Adrian would say to me.
"What? Are you serious?"
"Yes, I made a goal to practice every day for an hour, and I haven't gotten to it today. I don't want to be rude, but I really don't want to miss a day." And so I would leave.
My first reaction was, "you'd rather practice the piano than hang out with ME?" But I soon realized that he was willing to sacrifice for the things he had set his mind to do.
Another example is when he decided he wanted to write a book. A lot of people say that one day they will write a book, but few of them actually do. Adrian is not one of those people. Adrian got started as soon as he began talking about it. He woke up at 6am every morning to start writing before work. And a book he wrote. Or two, or three. And he was persistent in getting them published (2/3 are now published).
When Adrian was laid off by his law firm, I cried. But not Adrian. To him it was an exciting opportunity to do what he really wanted to do - start a business. He had an idea in his head, and he went with it. He started by attending conferences, trying to find/convince clients he could consult. The first few conferences he went to, he wasn't even quite sure what his product was. He laughs at himself now, because he had no business being at those conferences as if he was a seasoned veteran. But he persisted, found his niche, and created a successful business.
As you may have learned from his earlier post, Adrian's new obsession is running. But he didn't just start running here and there. He set GOALS - run 4 days a week, run a half marathon, do time trials, run a marathon, etc. Once his goals were set, he has not deviated. Within two months he has run regularly, done a half marathon, and signed up for a marathon (which I have no doubt he will finish).Many people think that Adrian is lucky . And he is (he did, afterall, win a Nook and a Kindle recently). But I believe he creates his own luck by setting his sights high, working hard, and accomplishing things. And I am proud of him.
So while I am often best at focusing on the things he hasn't decided he wants to do (things that I want him to do), I should admire his ability to accomplish great things. And then follow his example and accomplish great things myself.
8 comments:
What a great quality to have! Inspiring. :)
great post and nice tribute to your husband! I'm certainly skilled at the goal setting part, it's the not getting bored of trying to reach them part that gets me every time. It's my greatest weakness, and so I'm trying to overcome it.
Great post Natalie, and it accurately portrays what I see of Adrian at work. I'm going to have my son read this, because he thinks Adrian is cool (because of the shared interest in video games) and I want him to know you can be cool, play video games AND accomplish many things. :-)
That is such a great quality to have! You two are an amazing couple!
What a nice post for your hubby! You should have saved it for Father's Day (or your anniversary). What are you going to do now?
I really enjoyed this post. I am trying to decide why because I often don't like women bragging about their awesome husbands and making me feel like mine is less than. I just thought it was inspirational, endearing and so well written. I especially liked how you started with him making you leave early when you were dating so he could meet his piano goals. He is really adorable and I am so happy you have him. Good luck with the marathon. I am way too chicken to set that goal. Miss you guys! How about the Boston Marathon next year Adrian? We will come watch and then you can recoop at our place.
Love it. So true. We loved having Adrian here to visit! His excitement for life is infectious and his drive to accomplish his goals is inspiring. Great post.
i thought it was a sad post because u end up doing all the things he doesn't want to do/help out with. that sucks. he explores and grows in the directions he likes, while u r stuck with mundane tasks that take forever and get u nowhere new (eg all the house work)
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