Recently, I have been characterized as a hesitator. Intrigued, I asked why?

One of my favorite sayings is ‘choose your favorite flavor of sh*t sandwich’.

I am sitting in a café looking out of a window getting peppered with rain.

It has been another extended break from writing for me, but one that has been productive. . .

Recently I watched Thirteen Lives, a film that dramatizes the rescue of a young soccer team from a flooded cave in northern Thailand. . .

Hey all . . this post is a follow on from my last article where I discussed schedule and boundaries. . .

So it is that time of year for resolutions, to evaluate our habits and lifestyle . .

I have a bad relationship with my digital devices. I look at my screen time each week . . .

Hey all, it has been a year since my last blog post and it has been quite a year. . .

My last couple of weeks have followed a similar style, at the start of the week, I have my goals set out.

The past three weeks have felt like three years. It is one of those times, when the days go fast but the weeks go slow.

Where do I start with this post? Well . . . let’s start with what I am thinking, and it will lead to why I’m thinking the way I am.

I wrote in previous posts about ‘finding your V’ and ensuring that you are either ‘earning or learning’ in your job.

In the last month, I started a new job and moved apartments. Coming after spending three months in China, this year has been more eventful than the last.

What would you do with $175million? Well, if you are Elon Musk you would define the most important issues humanity ought to address.

My writing has been infrequent this year, as I struggle to maintain a routine with most things. However, I am back in California and day by day I am settling back into the work from home lifestyle.

I am here, shut in a Shanghai hotel room, unable to leave for another 14 days. Part of a meticulous process on paper, sometimes chaotic in practice.

Enjoy . . . being ready for it I am grateful as we reach the end of the year to have some extended time away

When do you know whether you are exploring, or if you have made up your mind?

Three years ago, I turned vegetarian. My decision was prompted by the health benefits of avoiding animal protein, such as reduced risk of heart disease.

Let’s face it I am lazy. I am sitting outside a coffee shop, all concerned about sustainability, when I am drinking my latte out of a single use plastic cup. . .

I, like most of us, have experienced an uptick in my social media consumption over this quarantine period. This has come at the expense of my exercise regime, writing and ‘in real life’ socializing.

In my last blog post, I wrote about ‘abundant’ and ‘scarcity’ mindsets. In summary, an abundant mindset is knowing what is enough and framing your consumption around gratitude for what you receive, spend and give away. . .

My last blog post ended with unanswered questions associated with my desire to find meaning as I move into the second half of my life. The uncertainty of roaming through the wilderness to find that second mountain to conquer, one that has a summit larger than oneself.

When I was 18, I started my career in manufacturing. At that stage in life, I had flunked my A-levels, was ill-disciplined, drinking, smoking and thought too much of myself.

For better or for worse, I am always reading these days. It is good because it is a better-quality habit than sitting back and watching YouTube. Viewing reading as a positive habit, I often use it as a trade-off not to do other more active pursuits such as exercising or in particular writing.

I read a lot of self-development books. They provide inspiration for many of the articles on this blog. A synthesis of both my own thoughts and the authors into a coherent understanding.

If I were to describe my homebody existence, I would say reading, running, writing and YouTube. It was the latter, I was half-paying attention to, when this quote grappled my attention into a headlock.

Hi, Hi, Hi . . . should we talk about the weather? Should we talk about the government? Both can be polarizing subjects but are these the conversations we have every day, even with those we are closest with?

‘Friday I’m in Love’ a lyric that echoes within many of us, capturing that precipice between the end of the working week and the promise of what the weekend will hold. Friday is the eternal optimist . . .

Are you willing to change your mind? If you are reading this and have an interest in self-development. I am guessing you consider yourself open-minded to hold any idea up to unemotional critique. Allowing your opinion on said subject to be shaped by the strength of argument.

Do you want to live your dreams? Of course! You spend day after day thinking about becoming a digital nomad, no longer tied to a location, schedule or boss. Ok, ask yourself. How much progress have you made to achieving this goal?

Have you ever stopped to think about the attitude you take to different areas of your life? When you think about a physical challenge are you filled with dread? What about when you have to give a presentation? What then? Are your two approaches different? If so, can you learn and develop a better mindset to areas in which you struggle?

Pressure is mounting. You have that compressive feeling in your pre-frontal cortex. Something needs to be accomplished. You haven’t given much thought to how its framed. It just needs to be done. Is it a goal, a task? Do people expect or depend on its success?

You wait and wait . . . and wait, until you get there. You carved out the dedicated time to write that blog post, update your website, start that project and you sit there. You sit, in unease, in growing frustration, in muttering self-deprecation.

I want to talk about my emotions. Why? Recently, I have not been composed or rational. In the past, I prided myself as being diplomatic, able to deal with tense situations. To withhold my own emotions, providing space in which to navigate a difficult situation. 

Did you know that your simple indicators such as your ambulatory speed, doing twenty push-ups or being able to stand from a lotus position without using your knees or hands is a good indicator of your biological age?

I spent three days trying to start this article. I would go to Starbucks, order my Medium Roast and sit down, poised to write. An article about those hidden scripts that affect my life was the fixed intention for my writing. Indeed, I was able to force out a paragraph, but it was all very structured, a formal introduction of what I was reading.

Have you watched the Google Talk by Ramit Stethi? If not, you should definitely check it out here. What is so different about Ramit? Well, he has moved beyond the standard financial narrative of paying down your debt, building an emergency fund and automating your savings. These are the basics, the path to get to a life that is secure. Ramit also wants us to live a Rich Life . . .

The future is uncertain . . . how many times have we heard that? How many times do we excite ourselves by a new path in life only to be tempered by the realization of our obligations and the comfort of what security has to offer. It is why we stay the course, until we reach that magical confluence of health and wealth to finally live our dreams.

Another day, another opportunity for you to achieve those micro-goals you set for yourself to keep you on the path to bigger things . . . better health, better relationships, better life. It does not begin with these lofty ambitions in mind but the infuriating ring of your cell phone alarm.

What changes have you made in order to promote a lifestyle which is happier and more fulfilling, or one which is productive and allows you to reach your goals. I recently re-read a book by Paul Dolan called ‘Happiness by Design’ in it he delves into the components of happiness and how to design your life so that you create an environment that is conducive to your wellbeing. . . .