A Better Life, Every Day

A Better Life Quotation - 1.12.09

Thought is the sculptor who can create the person you want to be.

~Henry David Thoreau

My Starting Point

In my previous post, I wrote about finding your Starting Point.  Taking a look at my life, here is mine:

The Good:

Career & work - I am very happy with the job that I have right now.  I enjoy the work that I do, and I wake up in the morning excited to get to work.  While I like what I am doing right now, I also want to take it to the next level, so I will be doing what is necessary to make that happen.

Relationships - I am engaged to a wonderful woman.   She has made  me extremely happy, and along with her two beautiful daughters, has had such a positive impact on my life.

Productivity - I follow David Allen's Getting Things Done philosophy fairly closely.  I do a very good job in 3 of the 5 stages of workflow : Collecting, Processing, and Organizing.  I write just about everything down in a ruled, pocket Moleskine that I carry with me everywhere that I go.  I process regularly, and I am very well organized.  My inboxes (work and home) are at zero.

Recreation - I spend most of my free time with my fiancee and her daughters, and I wouldn't trade that time for anything.  I also spend time watching sports, reading, writing, and taking pictures. 

The Bad:

Finances - I have more debt than makes me comfortable.  While I have cut way back on my spending over the past year, I am still paying for past mistakes.  I look forward to the day that I am debt free.

Relationships - I could do a much better job of keeping in touch with my family and friends.  I enjoy the time I spend with them, but sometimes I get too caught up in the things that I need to be doing.  Next thing I know, the time to hang out with them or call them has passed.

Goals - There are many things I want to do, and many things I want for my life, but I haven't taken the time to write them down, define them, and assign them a deadline.  I must make the time to do this.

Productivity - I mentioned earlier that I do a good job with the first three stages of GTD workflow, but I really need to work on the last two: Review and Do.  I have not been consistent enough with my Weekly Review, and I have a terrible procrastination habit.  In fact, It is so bad, I almost put this in the "Ugly" category.

Recreation - While I enjoy my free time, I have a tendency to have my mind on other things instead of enjoying the moment.  I need to focus more on living in the moment instead of being concerned about all sorts of extraneous things.

The Ugly:

Health & fitness - The bottom line here is that I have really let my physical fitness go over the past few years.  Right now, I am at 270 lbs., and I am amazed at how different my life after putting on 50 lbs. over the past couple of years.  I want, and need, to get more fit for many reasons, and it will take the most work of anything else I want to do.

This is my Starting Point for my journey to an extraordinary life.  I am interested in hearing about your Starting Points, so please share.