To the Year of Living Intentionally,  or dangerously…

Between standing on the cusp of the 34th birthday, and getting a diagnosis of borderline LVH, I have come very close to freaking out more than a few times over the last few weeks. More so perhaps because in stumbling on an early copy of the 5 year plan - written back in the day when I was an excitable 26 year old with the dream job and the dream girl, and all  the important people in my life the small matter of a six hour road trip away - just how far off target in quite a few categories I still am was made very clear.

That prompted the Big Question -  What if I committed to a year of changing and improving everyday rather than allowing life just happen to me? What if I identified 12 things/ focus areas to work through in my 34th year, such that by conscious change and deliberate action by the time the clocks chime in  the start of year 35, I am significantly closer to closing out all the actions on that 5 year plan of antiquity – and am a much better person to boot?

There will be benefits to the year of living intentionally. For one, at the end of the year, if I do this right, I will be in a much better place spiritually, socially/ relationally and career wise. Additionally, seeing through a focused program for an entire year will do a lot for my personal confidence and self-esteem and provide opportunities to develop a practice of personal discipline.

Hillsong Conference Europe was a great launchpad – messages from Brian Houston, Judah Smith and Louie Giglio all included a let-go-and-trust-God theme, something my over-analytical brain has historically found hard to do.

Sooo.. On to the plan – and the key deliverables for the year.

  1. Develop a daily practice of prayer, bible study and meditation
  2. Complete a mental reboot…
  3. Develop a practice of healthy eating and living
    • Use the gym/ exercise thrice a week; aim to weigh 82kg
    • Cut out cokes and sodas of all sorts, replace with water and green tea
    • Improve diet - High potassium, low sodium food, more vegetables, lower calories
  4. Meet, chase and date the one, end up in a position to be able to marry or at least commit fully to someone in a year’s time.
  5. Resolve my relationships with my parents - a wife and children deserve a better connection with my wider family
  6. Lay down roots in the UK
    • Get a UK driver’s license
    • Buy a house
  7. Learn something new each day
    • Post the learnings/ ideas to Instagram, Flickr or a blog;
    • Practice the discipline of journaling and sharing.
  8. Close out outstanding Professional Development actions – NACE Snr Corrosion Technologist Certs & API 571/580.
  9. Develop physical maturity
    • Develop critical DIY skills
    • Learn to swim
  10. Develop a properly balanced worldview (and clearly articulate them) in at least three key dimensions – faith, social justice, politics,
    • Write up a 2500 word essay on the key facets of my worldview - will need to decide on what key aspects to focus on.
    • Develop moral maturity – shut down all my activities which may not stand proper scrutiny.
  11. Improve relational skills
    • Learn to engage people in crowds and as individuals,
    • Speak up more in public at work, and in personal relationships.
    • Grow into a leadership role of some sort in church (Media & Tech?)
  12. Complete Brett Blumenthal’s 52 small changes: One Year to a Happier, Healthier You.

For a rallying cry, I have to turn to the words of Francis Chan from his Passion 2013 message, God Is Faithful:

I want to know that I am battling and doing something with my life… There’s actually the joy of a soldier, walking out of a battle all bloodied and cut up because he’s went and did something

Currently overdosing and bobbing my head to: Dangerous - Group One Crew.

Resources

  1. The Marks of Real Manhood – Al Mohler (Part 1, Part 2)
  2. The New Rules for Love, Sex and Dating – Andy Stanley
  3. A Guy’s Guide to Marrying Well – Boundless
  4. The secret to changing habits – Lifehacker