Per the clock on my eMate, I'm 6 minutes away from my birthday. I'll have to say that this year, with so much going on, it's relatively irrelevant. Each day is really a matter of dealing with the crisis of the hour, be it a work-related deadline already missed, the immediate need for something at home that's still packed away in an unknown location, or the resolution of one or more screaming toddlers.
Days begin at 6am, work spans 9 to 5 with frequent overspill of home needs spattered about, evenings from 6-8 are kid-focused and frequently include full coverage so Linda can have a chance to catch her own breath, 8-9 are general cleanup and prep for the following days and exhausted collapse and/or the hour or two a day to focus on any personal emails or projects. So time spent considering the annual passage of my progressive deterioration has been minimal.
Still, now that I have the opportunity and momentum... wtf... what the hell has become of the man I once was? How did a toned 175lb man morph into the 200lb+ soft-bellied no-energy, short-attention-spanned irritation-driven curmudgeon?
On to fixing it.
Everything I am concerned about can be changed. If it was not always this way, it need not always be this way either. Letting go of excuses is essential to success. I can't spend my time undermining constructive ideas with criticism and generalization. There's a vast number of ways I can take measurements to improve the daily interactions with my wife, co-workers, and friends. I've certainly got the room for improvement in my focus, convictions, personal philosophies and communication skills. Who doesn't? And who would not benefit from continued reflection and improvement?
As far as the weight, attitude, performance, focus… all require the one elusive factor I know, historically, will effect change: Focus. Until I have a consistent conscious intent, I'm only as effective at the momentary concentration. Walking past a plate of cookies just after a self-affirming mental thought about my health is not a problem, but a harried rush past the same plate while en route from the 3rd of 5 back to back meetings, an increasing list of action items out of each, doesn't always afford me the same degree of awareness. The momentary pleasure of the 'goodie' feels like a welcome bit of comfort amongst the overwhelming responsibilities of the days' momentum.
But that has to be managed.
