Assessments

As it's a month since I made my goals for theyear, I thought it best to check in on how they are going.

•     Live in a Safe House and Garden, free of clutter

Currently there is a mass of junk, even if it is hiding in storage.  The Garden is full of uncut lumber, and the fences badly need attention.

• ·      Have the financial resources to cover any surprises.

I have at this stage not had to use any debt to cover expenses, so far so good

• ·      Have enacted a financial plan to guarantee financial abundance

I have looked at my assets, and observed how they are performing. Now it is time to see how they can perform better.

• ·      Add maximum value to every gig I do.

I have only had a few gigs, but have remained sober, and prepared the best I could.

• ·      Have full sensory acuity.

My hearing and Sight are still compromised - tinitis and far sightedness.

• ·      Weigh under 78kg

I weigh around 83kg, thanks to a long holiday, but look forward to losing the weight

• ·      Have a strong, flexible, energetic, freely moving body.

My body is strong, but not as flexible as I would like.  Still recovering with my Achilles, but many of my ills have seemed to have gone away! Energy could be better - probably goes along with a diet that helps me lose weight.

• ·      Am an elite athlete.

I seem to manage to come last or second last in every event in which I compete!  Howeve, I wanted to compete so that I could see where I stand with other athletes of my age, and can now prepare for this.

• ·      Live in a 3 dimensional, level three marriage.

I am very happy, but would like to improve the physical side, and be more aware of Lizzie's needs in all things.

• ·      Am guiding my daughter to a wonderful adulthood.

My darling daughter is 12, and growing up so quickly.  It is easy for me to overreact when she acts out emotionally, owing to hormones or other reasons.  She has started High School this year, very successfully

• ·      Use my time to maximum effect, for play and work.

I have planned my week, using RPM.  Look forward to seeing the rewards!

• ·      Am present.

Still let my mind wander - but now I am more aware of it, and am aiming to reduce distractions.

• ·      Am an agent of change in my workplace.

I am making sure that I am doing my job as well as I can, and being positive with other people.

• ·      Contribute to the society around me both financially and practically.

I have already started to become more involved in my daughter's school band program as a volunteer.  Looking to make large financial contributions in general.

• ·      Have effective promotional material for my band.

I want to have a package that explains the band in a matter of moments

• ·      Have found the resources to finance the things I love, whilst growing my capital.

I always seem to use capital to pay for major things, instead of using the income from the capital.

• ·      Have completed my Masters of Music

One thesis to go! Work begins tomorrow, with March 31 as my deadline.

• ·      Am planning an overseas trip for the family.

Keep putting this to the bottom of the list.  Will look at my options this week.

Recovery

After 5 weeks off work, my first day was spent at the dentist's.  Whilst being grateful for the technology that will fix the abscess that has plagued me, I have also been keenly aware of the lack of balance in my life with regards to consumption.

I will never judge another person for their habits, whether they smoke, eat junk, couch sit all day - WHATEVER.  It all just takes away from our journey.  The best thing I can do for anyone is to be healthy, be happy, be wealthy, be helpful.  We have all heard the phrase "Be The change you want to see in the world".  It always made sense, but now it makes sense on a cellular level.

It's funny though how opportunities come our way.  As a result of staggering around being unable to run, my achilles has healed 90%.  Unbelievable.

Also, my face aches whenever I think about unhealthy food (processed, sugar etc.)

Nature is taking care of itself!

The Gap Map: Personal Mastery Plan

I have an RPM Planner.  It's a huge filofax style planner, that requires almost an A4 size hole in my suitcase.  It is incredibly inconvenient to carry, and often makes me feel like a wander when I carry it around.

However, it does keep everything in one place, and has pages like The Gap Map: Personal Mastery Plan.

Today I filled it out again, looking at what I reckon refection would be like in different parts of my life:
Physical, Emotional/Spiritual, Relationships, Time management, Career, Finances, and Contribution.  I reckon that most of the things we do in our lives will fit into one or more of those categories.  Firstly you look at what you want, why you want it, how to get there, and possible traps, and then where you are now.  It really works.  I first did it at Unleash The Power Within in 2007, and update it regularly.  It really helps me when planning my days/weeks/years.

Using your time wisely has all to do with making sure that you are heading in the right direction with your actions - Steven Covey said that the compass is more important than the clock.  His Book "First Things First" is a brilliant explanation of this, and Robbins' "Time of Your Life" is further explanation.

Well worth a read (an implementation) for anyone wanting to achieve their dreams.

Scheduling

So I've decided on outcomes for the year.  Now is the task of breaking them down into 1 month (almost gone), 90 day, and six month milestones.  As Tony says - when you schedule it, it becomes a reality.

In the past I have overestimated how much I can do in a month, especially in a quarter.  I am doing my best to pace myself.  The thing is that I love the adrenaline of a near impossible deadline being reached, when in fact by planning small steps, one can get much further.

The important thing is to have outstanding outcomes with worthy reasons, so the small baby steps have meaning.

Tomorrow I'll pop in the 1 month goals.

First Steps

So I've been really wanting to improve my heath and fitness.  Today I went for a 45 minute run, and did 45 minutes of Yoga.

Bottom line was that the idea of doing them excited me, but the reality of starting each of them did not thrill me. Having said that, within 10 minutes of starting each of these activities, I was enjoying them.  The more present or in the moment I was, the more I enjoyed them.  I love the saying that to achieve happiness, you must happily achieve.  Being present really helped make that happen.

I've also been working on finding out more about what is important to my wife.  What I am discovering is that it''s the way in which things are done that is just as important as what it is that is being done.  Lizzie has certain ways of working, and if I take the time to do things in a way in which she feels comfortable, then it has a much higher chance of pleasing her.

Only took 17 years to work that one out!

The Gap

So now I know the things I want to do , be, and have.  Now to assess where I am with regards to all of my outcomes:

•     Live in a Safe House and Garden, free of clutter

Currently there is a mass of junk, even if it is hiding in storage.  The Garden is full of uncut lumber, and the fences badly need attention.

• ·      Have the financial resources to cover any surprises.

I tend to dig into savings which are reserved for other thing.  I must budget for the unexpected (repairs, appliances, medical)

• ·      Have enacted a financial plan to guarantee financial abundance

I have a financial Plan, which according to The exercise in Wealth Mastery, gives me financial survival until death.

• ·      Add maximum value to every gig I do.

I have a tendency to cut corners on gigs if there are a lot, seeing what I can get away with.

• ·      Have full sensory acuity.

My hearing and Sight are compromised - tints and far sightedness.

• ·      Weigh under 78kg

I weigh around 82kg, which is healthy, but I know that being a little lighter will make me faster and less prone to injury

• ·      Have a strong, flexible, energetic, freely moving body.

My body is strong, but not as flexible as I would like, and I suffer from a fair bit of nerve impingement.

• ·      Am an elite athlete.

I seem to manage to come last or second last in every event in which I compete!

• ·      Live in a 3 dimensional, level three marriage.

I am very happy, but would like to improve the physical side, and be more aware of Lizzie's needs in all things.

• ·      Am guiding my daughter to a wonderful adulthood.

My darling daughter is 12, and growing up so quickly.  It is easy for me to overreact when she acts out emotionally, owing to hormones or other reasons.  She is beginning High School this year.

• ·      Use my time to maximum effect, for play and work.

I have a tendency to only do the urgent at the moment, leaving things to the last minute.

• ·      Am present.

Still let my mind wander - I miss out on so much!

• ·      Am an agent of change in my workplace.

It is all to easy for me to let my level sink, rather than being an outstanding example.

• ·      Contribute to the society around me both financially and practically.

I am a regular financial donor, but need to get more involved with the practical involvement with my community.

• ·      Have effective promotional material for my band.

I want to have a package that explains the band in a matter of moments

• ·      Have found the resources to finance the things I love, whilst growing my capital.

I always seem to use capital to pay for major things, instead of using the income from the capital.

• ·      Have completed my Masters of Music

One thesis to go!

• ·      Am planning an overseas trip for the family.

Keep putting this to the bottom of the list.  Time to move it up!

The Power of Momentum

Whilst looking through all of the New Year New Life material, I discovered a document that Mimi Peak , a Results Coach had sent me a few years ago.  Entitled "The Power of Momentum", it goes through 7 steps.

1.    Get Clear.

2.    Get Certain.

3.    Get Excited.

4.    Get Focused.

5.    Get Committed.

6.    Get Momentum.

7.    Get Smart.

I found it to be a great experience to look back at my year (the good and the bad), and then look at what I wanted out of this coming year.  The thing is, I must decide what I am willing to put INTO this coming year before I look for greater results!

I did New Year, New Life, and found that my "wheel of life" looked like this:

Two things are interesting:

1. I have done this exercise in the past, and had the same scores, but my general quality of life was much lower than it is today.  
2. The scores are about the same, going from 5 to 7.

Looking at 3 things that I wanted to concentrate on, I settled on Physical, Emotions & Meaning, and Finances.  I figured that if the body is right, then I will have the energy to improve everything else. I believe that if I get mind, body and soul together, then the rest will follow. 

Looking at the Physical, I have made a booking with a running consultant, Keith Bateman, who is someone who I believe is achieving the results that I desire.

I will look more carefully at all aspects of my life before New Year's.  I am hoping that by making my hopes dreams and aspirations public, I will be holding myself accountable to a higher standard.

The Gap

One of the exercises in Unleash The Power Within is The "Gap Map", whereby you look at 7 aspects of your life, look at where you want to be, and where you are. Yesterday I had a look at where I want to be, and today I thought that it would be a great idea to assess where I am.

Physically: I weigh 84Kg (BMI just under 26), suffer from hearing loss (a hazard of being a professional musician), have slight vision impairment (though not enough to Warrant Glasses), am slightly inflexible, with a shoulder that aches all the time. Having said that, I did pass my work medical assessment with flying colours, so I am not exactly an invalid.

Emotions & Meanings I am easily put out of kilter by challenging circumstances (especially physical), and can focus on what is happening to my, rather than what I can do (and feel) about it.

Relationships: My relationship with my wife is what Robbins terms 3 dimensional (Mind body and spirit), and level 3 (we are both vitally interested in each others needs. Having said that, I believe that there is no such thing as enough passion in any relationship, and also know that there are things that my Wife would love to have (new car, renovations, holidays). We both dearly want more time with just the two of us.

My relationship with my daughter is very close, but what I really want is to be an outstanding example of possibility. I realise that the most important thing I can to is to lead by being a role-model. This means that I really must raise the bar in every facet of my life. Spending time with her, being patient, loving and strong at ALL times (not just when it is easy) is paramount. At the moment I am not the father OR example that I want to be.

My relationships with friends, family and workmate are often hampered by my not listening with the aim of truly hearing their point of view.

Time: Currently when I plan my week, I achieve a lot. I am hamstrung by not planning EVERY week in advance, with my long-term outcomes in mind. I also can burn time by doing things that are neither important or urgent - I'm looking at you Facebook!

Work & Career: Although I am in a satisfying job, I know that I can make a greater contribution towards it being a better, more effective place. On top of this, my band is performing occasionally, but has no recordings out, and no corporate work. I have not yet completed 1 subject from my first year of my Masters.

Finances: Today someone was telling me about "first world problems". My finances would fit into this category. I have a house, and a car, and little debt, and so am in a relatively good place compared to many of my friends. However, my income does not match what I want, I am not solidly investing, and my debts are not being paid off in an orderly fashion.

Contribution & Celebration: My contributions (both monetary and time wise) are haphazard eat best. I do not spend enough time being grateful for what I have.

So tomorrow - what is my plan?