A few months ago, I was listening to a podcast and the speaker was talking about getting everything you want out of life. The podcast was on goal setting and one of the exercises was to take out a blank piece of paper and begin writing down some very simple, very basic things you’d like to achieve. The goal for this exercise was to get us started with smaller goals, then work our way up to our five or ten year goals.
A few things I wrote down:
- At least three times per week, go for an early morning walk/jog as the sun is coming up. I use this time to clear my head, pray, and think about things out loud.
- I need to spend more quality time with my wife. Find ways to make her feel special every single week.
- I need to remember this can all be taken away quickly. Spend some time each day being thankful for what I have been blessed with.
- I need to spend less money on fast food/junk food. I need to eat better and we need to eat healthier at home.
- I need to clean up my home office and work from home one day per week. Those can be my focus days to get a lot more done without distractions.
- I need to get back to reading more books. I used to enjoy reading a lot, but in the past year I’ve had several books sitting in a pile that haven’t been read. I will read at least two new books per month, and browse back through at least one of the old books on my shelf to look at my notes.
There were a lot more statements on my list, but I’m sure you see where I’m going with this. I like to set goals and be focused, so some of these things I was already working on before the coronavirus shut a lot of things down. I was already walking more. I’d already stopped eating so much fast food. I’d already cleaned up my home office, and I’d already begun reading some new books. I guess the virus and the mayor’s “stay home order” just made it easier to complete the remaining portion of the list.
Full confession though, I still have room for improvement on most of these items. I’m certainly not a model husband and our current situation has made that even more stressful as Elaine enjoys having her space at home while I’m at work. This last week I decided to spend a few days at the office just to give her a break. Can I put that under the heading of “making her feel special?” Probably not.
I know everyone is struggling right now. For me, I have to be proactively doing something to keep busy. Yes, my real estate team is still selling homes so I stay focused on that. We just have to be more protective with it and do things differently.
I was glad to find this list of goals earlier this week. Putting some of these things on my calendar helps me feel like I’m accomplishing something and not sitting around worrying about what’s going on in the world. I’ve stopped watching the news, I try to post humorous things on Facebook to keep everyone laughing, and I’m trying to be more empathetic to the people around me.
I’d love to hear what are you doing to keep a positive attitude these days. Text me, Ron Henderson at 816-651-9001.