The year of 2023 was my year to focus on living a healthy life. At the beginning of 2023 I decided a healthy life consisted of several buckets. Alongside each bucket, I documented my intention. Below you will find my buckets, intentions, and learnings/reflections.
Not documented in my post last year were the measurements that I was using to track my progress on these buckets. About halfway through the year I stopped tracking my progress. This happened for two reasons.
- I had too many questions I was asking myself in a daily survey and it felt like a burden.
- My habit was to complete my survey in the evening, this usually meant I was on my phone completing my survey during the precious time I have alone with my wife each night.
It was not a good combination, so I chose to put my phone away in the evenings and spend time with my wife without distraction. What I will do based on these learnings is change my survey to the morning and dramatically reduce the number of questions.
Now on to my buckets and learnings.
| Bucket | Intention | Learning / Reflection |
| Spiritual | Strengthen my capacity to receive revelation | My progress on this intention of becoming has been mixed. I feel I have become more aware of my capacity to receive revelation and I have written down promptings that I believed has primed and prepared me to receive more. I have work to do in documenting my feelings and promptings throughout the coming year. |
| Physical | Be in the best shape of my life | Late 2022 (December) I had shoulder surgery. That meant I could not run or exercise for a few months. This means I ran 392 miles, which is less than my mileage (519) the year before. This year I also started to lift weights. I felt great lifting weights the days I was not running. We did a home project that disrupted my habit of lifting (it also disrupted the physical location where I was lifting) so I did not pick it back up. Despite in inconsistency, I lost 17 pounds over the course of 2023. |
| Mental | Reduce distractions | I had great intentions of doing a daily mindfulness practice throughout the year. By not doing it regularly, I chose not to prioritize it. Because I didn’t prioritize it, it is clear I do not want it enough, so I plan to take time to reevaluate my reasons and try again. |
| Family Relationships | Strengthen my relationships with loved ones | There are tons of ways to build relationships. I chose to write down the things I saw in my wife and each of my children that I wanted to praise or recognize. My love for them grew and I started to see things I had not noticed before. This recognition was embedded in my survey. When I stopped the survey, I lost the habit, and I could feel the difference in my relationship with them. |
| Professional | Share what I love with the world | I wrote 34 blog posts and challenged myself to post to LinkedIn, 100 posts in 100 days. I shared what I learned in that experiment here. Sharing 100 posts in 100 days is hard and I am proud of what I accomplished and look forward to sharing more of me and my gifts with the world in 2024. |
For 2024 I am following my pattern of focusing on becoming. I also will be more focused and intentional. 2023 I tried doing and tracking too much.
This year I will focus on my body and my mind.
For my body the data point will be exercise minutes. I will record my exercise minutes each day (thank you Apple watch) and push myself to hit a certain threshold.
For my mind I will track whether or not I have done something for myself each day. This can take many forms and I noticed in 2023 I was not taking the time to invest in myself as much as I feel I need, to be the best I can be.
That is it. Those are my two metrics. I will continue to work to build relationships. I will continue to strive for spiritual growth and progress. I will push myself to think, write, and create. And all of this will be fueled by a good working body and a tuned mind.
What is your plan for 2024? What will you focus on?
I invite you to consider writing a year in review. It is never too late and it leads to personal reflection, growth, and tangible learning.
