What went well, what could have been better?

This is a great question to ask after giving a class or seminar, participating in a sporting event, at the end of the day, or at the end of a week, month or year or any number of other scenarios. It is a good way to debrief both the good and the not so good about the time period you are critiquing. We do this after every martial arts black belt grading, self defense seminar, and nutrition seminar, and I thought it might be useful to do it more often. Since it is the beginning of March, you could look back and ask this question about the month just past, keeping in mind the goals you have set for yourself.

The nutrition seminar on February 6^th went well. This was a new seminar – Level II – with some old and quite a bit of new material, which was followed by food sampling and juice tasting. This went well and I am excited to give the next seminar in the spring with more food tasting. The content I talked about in Level II did not necessarily relate directly to the food tasting as it was more about disease prevention, digestion and break-down and build up foods. Next time, in Level I, the subject matter will be more applicable to the foods we will be testing. But, having that break and time to eat, drink and socialize before beginning the next seminar was a good idea, and related well to the subject of the next discussion.

What went well this month is that I wrote my final exam in Holistic Nutrition. The result is still unknown, so this may yet turn out to be something that could have gone better but just having written it is an accomplishment, so I am putting it in the “what went well” file. The studying beforehand could have been better. I focused on the tests and what I guessed were the main protocols that could be the subject of case studies. I did 4 practice case studies for practise and for timing because in the exam we had to write two case studies, each in one hour. This part I thought went well but when faced with the exam, I felt slightly unprepared.  As with any exam, part of the trick is to anticipate what is going to be asked and prepare accordingly. It is impossible to study everything. So the studying and the exam itself could have gone better.

The 5-day intensive training in Montreal went really well. Previous blog posts have already described how well the training went. I can’t imagine how it could have gone better. The trip down there on the train Monday morning, and getting to the training academy from the train station, went smoothly. The taxi got a little lost but I had plenty of time, so it wasn’t a problem, and the driver gave me a break on the cost of the trip. Getting to my hotel with all my luggage at the end of the day could have gone better. My traps were killing me after the 25 minute walk but I didn’t die, so it's all good. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the hotel room was beautifully furnished - a nice place to crash for the evening.

The breakfast the next morning left a lot to be desired. Food in general could have been better while I was in Montreal. It is challenging to eat well when you are travelling. I ate the instant oatmeal, bagel, and yogurt they offered since it was convenient and included in the cost of the room. At lunch I had a grilled chicken burger from a greasy spoon and at night I had the dreaded McDonald’s! But, the food got better as I found out the right places to go.

On Friday, I had to leave an hour early to catch my train home. The 5:30 train was the last one of the day. I planned well and got there in lots of time. But, there were a few delays. I ended up in the washroom when the announcement came that my train had arrived. I quickly made my way out to the platform with all my gear only to watch the train pulling away. Needless to say, this could have gone way better! Next time I will be out on the platform waiting when the train is due to arrive.

The fitness classes are going well but the attendance could have been better, much better. But, now that the exam is out of the way, I can focus on improving this. Personal training with my one ongoing client is going well and I am learning as I go, how to make it better.

And lastly, my own training could have gone better. I am still sorting out how to conduct the fitness classes, attend karate classes and fit in my own strength training and not neglect my cycling. So I would say my own training could have gone better. But in the scheme of things, I have absolutely nothing to complain about. This time last year, summer felt like it would never get here. I was literally counting the days. This year, I am completely happy in this moment. When summer gets here, I will love it, but I don't spend any time thinking about it.

What went well for you this month, and what could have gone better?