Howdy! This’ll be the first of many weekly journal entries where I do a quick analysis of the previous weeks successes and failures, which I’ll share both as public shaming, but more seriously to share the formal process of personal goals.
Last week I started a 39 week goal cycle for weight loss and maintenance, plus two 16 week goals for exercise and wrapping up writing a novel that’s proven a tough nut to crack. I’m using two tools to help this process along, stickk.com and Fitbit. Stickk is a simple goal-setting platform that lets you set a goal, apply financial stakes and include a referee for your goals. There’s two parts to Fitbit I’m putting to use, the first is the tracker to monitor daily activity, the second is the food log on their site where I get to be horrified by the sheer volume of calories I consume when I’m not paying attention. (more…)
I’m still shaking off the existential heebie-jeebies I got from reading “Going Clear”, but it did get me thinking about how common it is for us to “surrender power” – to family, to friends, to employers, cult leaders – pretty much anybody. Even more crazy, we’re more likely to give up power to people that treat us badly, as long as they seem to believe their point of view more strongly than we do ours. 
Okay, you can’t “solve” people, I’m indulging in a literary framing device, but you CAN make decisions who you keep in your life. Surrounding yourself with positive, supportive people is easier said than done – but couldn’t be more vital to living the life you want. Managing your emotional ecosystem isn’t just an inner game, you need to stay aware of the inputs too. 
“Life ain’t fair.”
My core philosophy posits that Success, Happiness and Freedom are distinct and unrelated, and must be pursued separately if you’re to achieve any of them in a sustainable way. I don’t like playing amateur psychiatrist (well, maybe a little), but this Donald Sterling guy is too good of an illustration of the canard “money doesn’t buy happiness” to let it pass.