I’m in the driver’s seat, speeding through my checklist of daily tasks, accomplishing more each day than the day prior. No longer am I procrastinating on things that I have been fearful of… Taxes?… call a bookkeeper, find a CPA… Credit sucks?… repair that motherfucker. No new leads? Call all your friends and setup coffee dates. All my new found habits are, now, routine… Work, exercise, meditate, journal, write… Turn the TV off. As Gary Vaynerchuk stated in Tribe of Mentors, “squeezing the fuck out of the seconds [of my day].” And, that’s what the goal was, but there are times when it feels kind of boring or lackluster. When I’m not motivated. That’s when I need to keep my eyes on the prize. So, with that said, it is time to reevaluate my Quest, see where I am at in each vertical, and see where improvements can be made.
MENTAL HEALTH:
Depression is gone, I haven’t had it in a while now. I stay busy, exercise, meditate and journal, and with that, my mental clarity has never been better. I can say that this was the outcome I have been wanting out of all this. Happiness coincides with mental health, and a positive disposition is key to my growth.
One thing I have learned over the past six months is not to hold resentment against myself for not completing one of my tasks. If I flup up, I just look back at where I was when I started meditating and regain my footing. It’s very easy to forget to take care of mental health when I get busy, but it’s also very easy to meditate and doesn’t take more than fifteen minutes out of my day.
GOAL: Now that I have built somewhat of a foundation, I want to take it up another notch. My goal for the remaining six months would be to continue with the habits I have made and use them to alter emotional responses that I have. Those responses include: anger, anxiety, frustration, impulsivity, impatience, and others.
My lovely girlfriend pointed out that I am picking my thumbs, again. I had completely quit doing that for a couple months and, all of a sudden, I’m back gnawing those nubs like a squirrel gnaws a nut… Fuck. Done. Quit that shit and move on. I had a short stint where I wasn’t meditating regularly, and for whatever reason, that’s when I started picking my thumbs again. That also coincides with when I started my new career. Whatever the root cause, this habit can be put in check, as I recently had it in check. No more lapses.
PHYSICAL HEALTH:
I have been consistently lean and strong for a while now. Aesthetically I look pretty good, as well. My gym routine is solid; I get some cardio (rowing, running, hiking, skiing, etc.), have progressed in my yoga practice, lost weight, have almost rehabilitated my shoulder (I think), and eat an all around healthy diet of proteins, healthy fats and vegetables… with the occasional pizza binge. 🍕
This, simply, just needs to continue. I’m satisfied with the results, but would like to put a couple pounds back on. That is going to be dependent on how my shoulder and neck feel. If they continue feeling better week after week, then I might be able to start lifting a little heavier, again, which would allow me to obtain some mass.
GOAL: Get in climbing shape. I want to climb some mountains and I need to train for that. That is the last missing link in my fitness routine. Adventure routine, more so.
Which brings me to my second goal here which is something I have been trying to do throughout this quest, and that is to complete one adventure per week. Whether it is skiing, hiking, biking, etc., just one adventure a week and I feel better in so many ways that I would almost put this under mental health if it weren’t for the profuse amount of sweat that trickles off me. Anyways, hiking season is now upon us, and I plan on hitting the trail regularly, which I have already started doing. Mount Saint Helens is coming up in May. #ADVENTURING
CREATIVITY:
I write pretty regularly now. I am working on writing a book. I write this blog. I write in my journal. This area could still be worked on though. I spend more time watching TV than writing, so it would make sense to flip those habits and write more than I stare at a big screen
GOAL: Turn off the TV and write, paint, edit a video, etc. My goal here is to put whatever time I put into TV & video games, instead, into my creative outlets.
Also, in the creative vertical, my goal is to finish writing a book by the time I get back from Patagonia.
CAREER & LEARNING:
I have started my new career in Real Estate. I’m ecstatic about that, and although I started off slow in this vertical six months back, I feel like I’ve made insane progress here in the last two to three months. I have some definite goals (which I’ll keep to myself for now) and way more room to grow here than all my other categories combined. Watch out world, I’m getting after this one.
As for learning, I am learning a bounty of knowledge about real estate. I’m, also, reading multiple books a month and applying what I learn to my life, business, etc. It’s interesting how much reading does for your brain overall. More or less, my vocabulary seems to be expanding, and my ability to read faster and for longer periods is strengthening, too. A lot of my ideas start with something I read and expand from there. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, BITCHES!
GOAL: I want to keep on with two books per month goal that I set for the New Year. It’s helping me commit to a certain amount of Audible/reading. I would prefer to spend more time actually reading, but right now, with the new career, I am going to have to commit to the hybrid approach that I’ve been doing thus far.
I don’t know where to put this one, but I think it fits best under Career, since it will likely benefit my career the most, but I need to get up earlier. 630 AM would be a good time, but that also means I need to get to bed earlier.
RELATIONSHIPS:
Oddly, or not so oddly, starting a career selling real estate has helped me reconnect with many people that I had otherwise lost touch with over the years. Having kind of been a hermit for the last two or so, it’s nice to reemerge from my shell and be socializing again.
My girlfriend and I are on the same page now more than we have been in a while. It probably helps that I am having some success at work — haha. I love her and she’s pretty (she made me write that, but I do and she is). Beyond that, I should probably spend more time with my family and go visit a handful of friends I haven’t seen in a while.
GOAL: I cannot tell you what my goal is because my girlfriend would get mad at me. 🍑🍆 . Hahahaha. Just kidding…. Or, am I? 🤨 No, I totally am…. Or, am I? I am.
Girlfriend and me at a show in Seattle meeting my favorite folk singer, Austin Basham. He was a super rad dude.
In summary, I have completed so much in the last six months, but have no time to rest and way more to do. I think that once my quest is complete, after I feel that I have maxed out my verticals, well, then, maybe next year I enter TIER TWO. Also, there are some other verticals that are not included in my quest that I probably would include if I were to revise it… Financials (money, investments, savings, credit, etc.), adventures (although this is somewhat prevalent), organization, productivity. I guess you’ll just have to wait for what I conjure up six months from now.
Cheers 🤙 ,
~Dane
PS ~ I have a ton of vids to make a great VLOG, but editing that shit takes so long that I keep putting it off… So, coming soon!
aLifetoSummit 