I recently discovered author, James Clear, and I’m almost finished reading his book, “Atomic Habits.” This is a very well written and easy to read book that I highly recommend to anyone. On his website he has a list of blog posts that always have an annual self review at the end of each year. I decided to do the same as I feel there are many benefits to yearly reflection.
I would always take the time to review easy things such as photos in my iPhone album or Facebook memories (when I still had a Facebook account). I would meditate and reflect on where I was at in my life and how I’ve either progressed or digressed from there. Furthermore, I have noticed that throughout the last 5 years or so, I have developed a habit of reflecting on my year. I’ve come across old work journals where I’ve jotted, in detail, various goals I wish to accomplish that year and beyond. Interestingly enough, most of these goals have not deviated much and have been thematically similar.
Although I have achieved a few of these goals I’ve written in the past, (i.e compete in a triathlon, goal from 2015, accomplished in 2017), I feel I did lack a clear strategy to effectively achieve them. With such strategies, I also feel I’d be able to accomplish these goals much sooner and perhaps could leverage them beyond what I may even think possible. Therefore, by embracing this practice of an annual review, it will allow me to refocus and realign my direction to accomplish what I’ve set out to achieve.
What went well this year?
Engagement. I got engaged! This was obviously a monumental part of my life and hands down the highlight of my year.
Best Man. I got to be the Best Man for my best friend in his wedding this year! I felt I wrote a compelling and heart felt speech that I got to deliver to a few hundred people. I haven’t had much experience speaking in front of that many people. I had a blast delivering my speech and felt it was received well. For me, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel speaking to a large audience and it turns out I absolutely loved it!
Attitude. I told my Fiance this is something I was going to work on this year. There were some difficult times this year in my work life. Unfortunately, I started to bring my frustrations home with me and that wasn’t doing anybody any good. I discovered that your attitude is your choice. Circumstance, good and bad happen throughout the day. How we choose to react to them is what makes all the difference. Some daily habits I’ve incorporated into my routine have dramatically affected by attitude. The biggest ones have been:
Setting my intention to have a good day first thing in the morning. As simple as this may sound, deciding to have a good day and committing to delivering value to every interaction that I have dramatically increases the joy I have that day.
Secondly, I committed to waking up at 5am during the week and working out every morning. (I give myself an extra hour or 2 to sleep on the weekend to catch up on needed rest). My morning workouts immediately kick me into gear and amp me up to take on the day. I cannot begin to tell you how this habit has radically changed my life. This leads to my next big win.
Fitness/Health/Diet. I lump these all together because I believe they all go hand in hand. I didn’t get a chance to track my progress completely, but I’d be willing to bet I worked out a solid 90% of the year. My main form of fitness has been HIIT training. I train at a local HIIT gym in West Hollywood, called, Training Mate. Looking back, I cannot recall any weeks where I didn’t attend at least 6 times a week. Lately, I’ve been attending class 7 days a week. I happen to enjoy eating healthy foods and have kept a solid habit to eat healthy and stay clear of processed foods. Towards the end of the year I’ve cut down quite a bit on eggs to avoid the high cholesterol intake. I used to eat 3 eggs a day. I’ve subbed this with 2 servings of oatmeal along with avocado and Greek yogurt.
Travel. Places I visited this year were: San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, Kansas City, MO for a leadership training course, Mammoth, CA, San Diego, Lake Powell, AZ, Temecula, CA, Carpinteria, CA and Chicago to name a few. I was fortunate enough this year to travel to Italy. Italy is a country I’ve always wanted to visit for quite some time. This place is extra special because it’s also where I proposed. We traveled to Venice, Florence, Tuscany/Chianti region, Sorrento, Capri and Naples. The biggest highlight besides the proposal, for me, was having the opportunity to swim solo in the Blue Grotto, in Capri. I was a little nervous as this cave was currently closed to the public. Our boat driver ensured it was safe and I decided to swim in it. It was very scary to enter a pitch dark cave alone in the middle of the ocean. However, the rich blue glow that filled the cave from the outside in, was a magnificent sight beyond words. This place is not always open and if it is, usually the only way to access it is by boat with a driver. swimming alone in it was absolutely wild!
Writing. I finally decided to commit to writing a blog. I feel life is much better lived by doing rather than thinking. I’m not sure where my writing habit may lead, but that’s not the point. The point is to commit to the process. Similar to working out, there were many mornings I didn’t feel like working out or felt under the weather. The practice was to show up regardless of how I, “felt.”
What didn’t go so well this year?
Tracking progress. As I mentioned above, I need to make sure to reflect and review my goals often throughout the year. I need to avoid the New Year Resolution trap where I set goals, revisit them the following December and say oops better luck next year.
Managing Tasks. In order for me to stay on course, I need to better manage my time and energy throughout the day. Big wins are achieved through many mini victories. I’ve discovered if I have to think about what to do next in my day, then I haven’t planned my day effectively. I have not been very good about planning my following day the evening before. I need to work on establishing an evening ritual to better prioritize my days.
Cell Phone/Social Media Addiction. This is a big one for me. I really need to cut down on the screen time. I have been completely off of Facebook for a little over a year now. Unfortunately, I haven’t broken ties yet with Instagram. Virtually anytime I’m bored I’ll reach for my phone and inadvertently scroll through Instagram. I’ve tried various techniques like turning off notifications, moving the app icon to the last page on my phone and even deleting the app from my phone from time to time. This is a work in progress and must be more cognizant of when I subconsciously decide to scroll.
Cooking. One thing I’ve always wanted to get better at is cooking. My Fiance is a great cook and I’m lucky to enjoy her home cooked meals all of the time. I mentioned to her that I’d like to help her cook more often and she was thrilled to have me join her. Little by little I plan to learn new techniques and hopefully I’ll be able to cook an impressive meal for her at some point this year.
I did not compete in a Triathlon this year. I think I got so tied up with work that I completely lost focus on this goal. I didn’t commit to signing up and I let a year go by without competing. I also procrastinated and made every excuse not to go to physical therapy for a minor knee issue. I think I was afraid they were going to tell me I’m just not built for long distance running.
What am I working toward this coming year?
Establishing an in person and online business. Over the last few months, I’ve been working on developing a training course for people new to the automotive business. This course incorporates industry leading steps and processes designed to prepare individuals for a successful career in the car business. One of the biggest downfalls to this industry is effective training. The majority of dealerships have little to no training and rely on a “sink or swim” approach. Most of this is simply because managers are just too busy and don’t have the time to train their new staff. Unfortunately, this causes a great deal of turn over and is a huge detriment to their store’s culture and profitability. I feel that a strong foundation is the key to success in the business. I’m excited to see what’s to come of this and look forward to putting many people on the path to a fulfilling and successful career.
Writing my blog. I will continue to write my blog which will incorporate a wider view of success habits not just pertaining to automotive sales. It’s my hope to provide valuable content for my readers for them to apply in any area of their lives they see fit.
Leveraging my strengths. All of this encompasses expanding and growing as an individual. I truly believe if we’re not growing then were dying. This is an on going process with no finish line. This year I have successfully committed to being an early riser and working out. Now how do I leverage the strength and expand on it? Once we achieve something and it becomes the norm, we tend to find comfort in it and become complacent. What more can I do in my morning routine that will align me better in the trajectory towards my goal?
Daily habits – This starts with what I do on a daily basis and how I maximize the potential of my day.
Decision making – What decisions do I choose to make that lead me in the direction of my goals or away from them?
Commitment – It’s easy to commit to something when you’re in the right state. The hard part is staying committed once that initial burst of drive dissipates.
Action – This is the biggest one in my opinion. Goals without action are just delusional dreams. In order to make my goals a reality I must take massive actions; there’s no other way around it.
The big picture
My blog as well as the my automotive training business are both outlets for me to share what I know and what I’ve learned throughout the years. Ultimately, through my own journey, I want to inspire others to become better each day. Focusing on the process and not the outcome is key. If we commit to this lifestyle, in the final days we will have surely lived an excellent life.