Time flies. Well at least that’s the impression I have. It feels like days go by as I’m trying to run behind. Like a race I’m losing. This is something I need to rethink. We all get 24 hours in a day. Money doesn’t by time. Even my soon to be friend, M. Zuck., gets 24 hours per day.
My wife, Marine, keeps telling me that’s it’s a question of priorities. I guess, she’s right. I’m trying to do too much. Not living the Pura Vida life of Costa Rica, but the same crazy life most people have. The background changed for the lush jungle though, which is always nicer than the Metro 13 in Paris. I’ll invite you to go for a ride next time you’re in Paris. It’s always an experience…
Anyway, It’s not that I am complaining or anything. I like my life as it is. I get to spend time with the people I love, in paradise, working less than I used to before. My life is great. It’s all a question of organization. And probably the fact that I’m working on waaaay too many things at the same time. I like diversity.
Oh and the big thing is probably the fact that child #2 will arrive early next year or maybe sooner. I probably won’t set new year’s resolution for 2020. I guess I should teach my 3 year old son, Elon, how to take care of a baby and let him babysit.
Now before I jump into my goals for December, let’s take a moment to recap what happened in November.
November, a review
November has been a pretty good month for me. I’ve been pretty good at following my goals and have accomplished a good amount of things in a short time.
In case you want to know what my goals were, here’s the article: November Goals.
Relationships
While I haven’t followed through with my coffee breaks, I did a lot of socializing. At least for me. I’m not a super social person, but I like to share my bad jokes with as many people as possible. Bad jokes are my specialty. If you ever want to listen to some, let me know.
We did a potluck at the beginning of the month with all the neighbors as we moved to our new home early October. It was a nice event with people of different backgrounds. And mostly people older than myself.
Health & Fitness
Last month, I’ve biked 10 times to work which is more or less what I planned to do. A bit less, but good enough!
I didn’t drink a single drop of alcohol, despite many temptations. Alcohol-Free beer, which tastes disgusting, was my friend on various events.
And I did a 2 day water fast. Initially I planned on a 3 day fast, but I felt like 2 was enough. As I was running into the end of the month, I just jumped into it with no proper preparation. It was tough. All I could think about during those two days was food, food, food. I’m happy to be able to eat again. And eating I do. So many yummy vegan options here in Puerto Viejo!
Soul & Mind
In November I’ve read two books and read every single day but for the 10th and 24th of the month. The two books I’ve read were great and I can only recommend them:
- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein
- Everything Is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo
Range is a more complex read and from time to time I got lost in track as I’m reading at night. Nonetheless it remains interesting, especially if you have kids. We tend to think that we should become specialists, when in fact the opposite is true. The more experience you gather in various domains the better as those experiences will help you solve problems. Your brain works with analogies and even though knowledge differs greatly from, let’s say, gardening, and computer science, you may find links between the two… as unexpected as it sounds. This is particularly relevant when solving issues in new territory. So next time you think about putting in 10,000 hours into something to become an expert, remind yourself that it’s not always necessary.
Everything is Figureoutable, in contrast, was a much easier read and very down to Earth. Marie appears to me as someone very authentic and her message is very strong. She walks the talk. Funny thing is that I could link her experience with the previous book. She did a bunch of various jobs in many different fiels (bartending, dancing…) before settling for what she currently does on MarieForleo.com, inspiring people to share their special gift! It’s a great read. Very inspirational.
As for meditation, I meditated for 10 minutes every day but one in November. I’m using Sam Harris app, Waking Up. It’s a great resource and a great way to learn more about meditation. It has not been easy every day though. Some days I’ve been flooded with thoughts and simply couldn’t focus. But this is how it goes. Our brain is pretty crazy, that’s for sure!
Business
On the business side of things, I’ve made great progress. I’ve launched my niche website. I won’t disclose it just yet as I want it to be a bit more advanced before doing so. However I did find writers to help me on it and am working on the SEO part.
I’ve also written an article here explaining how vegan culture can be toxic. Some people understood exactly what I was feeling and, as expected, some didn’t like my post as it felt like I should still promote veganism despite my experience. Now to be clear, I’m not anti-vegan. I’m still promoting a healthy plant-based diet. I’m still against animal suffering. I just don’t want labels anymore. I do me and I’m happy with it. But again I’m happy to hear your thoughts on the subject.
To conclude, I’m happy with the progress. I didn’t reach 100% on everything, but what in life is 100%… Nothing. Progress is better than inaction and as Marie Forleo points out in the book, perfectionism is toxic.
How did you improve or work on your self in November? I’d love to hear it.
My goals for December
I’ve decided to reduce my goals to the bare minimum until child #2 is born. Less is more and I don’t want to feel overwhelmed with my goals and stressing out about them. I’m keeping the ones that should improve who I am as a person and therefore improve my interactions with others.
Relationships
- 1 Potluck
That’s it. Only one potluck. And to be honest with you, this is something I’ve already accomplished on the 2nd of December with some dear friends of mind. It wasn’t a potluck per se, more like a dinner, but it was great. However, there might be one planned for Christmas. I’ll keep you updated.
Health & Fitness
- Bike to work 3 times per week
- No alcohol
Nothing new here. It’s all I am planning for December in regards to health and fitness.
Soul & Mind
- Daily Meditation
- Daily Reading
- Reduce Facebook consumption to 1 hour per week
As I’m trying to improve my organization and be more effective in my little time allocated to work, I need to remove, or at least, reduce distractions as much as possible. Social Media is not making me happy and it’s wasting too much of my time.
Business
- Outreach to a minimum of 10 people
This is for my new niche project. My objective is to start building relationships with influencers and other people in my niche. Starting a conversation with them, not trying to sell anything. Just saying hello. This is a long term goal.
As you can see, I’m not putting my head under water with goals. I’m mostly following with the same goals I had the month before. I want to create healthy habits. Reading, Meditating and having some physical activities. Improve the brain, the spirit and the body.
How will you improve your self in December, the last month of the year? Any plans?
