We all want to improve our life, right?
In fact, if I sat you down right now with a paper and pen you could probably quickly come up with five to ten areas of your life you’d like to do better in. For most of us eating and exercise would be right up there. What would be on top of your list?
BE LIKE WIL
I just stumbled upon a blog post titled The March Reboot Check-In That Happened in April by Wil Wheaton. If you’re a trekkie you would likely be more familiar with the character Wesley Crusher that he played in the first four seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation, although his original breakthrough was playing Gordie in the hit movie ‘Stand by Me’ (1986) and more recently as a version of himself in the much loved The Big Bang Theory.
In the post, Wil describes the epiphany he had six months previously:
This thing that I’m doing? This series of choices I make every day? It isn’t working. I don’t like the way I feel, I don’t like the way I look, I don’t like the things I’m doing. Things need to change.
He targeted seven areas he wanted to see change in:
- Drink less beer
- Read more (and Reddit does not count as reading)
- Write more
- Watch more movies
- Get better sleep
- Eat better food
- Exercise more
The rest of the post is Wil giving himself a report card on how he has done in each area.
FIND YOUR INNER WILL
Now lists of ten things (or even seven) can feel overwhelming in the busyness many of us find ourselves in. And to be fair, I did only promise you one radical jump forwards.
A list like Wil’s is a great example of something to aim towards, but for today, for right now in this moment, as you are reading, I just want you to think of one. That’s right – just one area of your life that you want to improve. Let me give you two words to make it a little easier:
# Attainable
# Measurable
Too often, with lists like these or ideas like New Year’s Reso-lie-tions we think of “it would be nice” ideas rather than realistic goals. So start with one thing that you know you can do and that a week from now you can look back and measure to see if you did, and start there.
Take a moment right now to speak it out. If you’re in a room full of people and that will be a little weird for you then just let it be a metaphorical speaking but commit to something. Right now. Don’t think “this is a great idea for me to get to sometime” – it’s only one thing. Don’t leave this screen without committing to your one thing.
In fact, if you’re feeling brave, why don’t you leave a comment under this piece and tell us what your one thing is.
Mine is the commitment I made with my wife this last week to go for a 2km run or walk three mornings a week, and this morning was our third.
What is yours going to be?