MY PROBLEM(S)

I'm sure I have lots of problems. One of them is that once I get into something, I try to gather as much data as possible through books, documentaries, email newsletters, websites, apps, etc. As you can imagine in this information age, this can be overwhelming. One of my goals for 2018 is to go deeper into a few good sources, rather than trying to scratch the surface of every resource possible. This includes developing a better method for absorbing information, especially from books. Ideally, I'd buy all the books I read and simply highlight all the info that I find helpful. However, that'd get expensive, so I try to utilize the library as much as possible. But that means taking notes - which can be great for helping me to retain the info, however, it slows down the  process. And, again, this can be hard for someone who wants to learn as much as possible. 

Typically, the websites I follow also send out weekly email newsletters. This is great, but typically I follow so many that I end up not reading any - or just skimming the data. I've been trying to do a better job of this lately too. At the start of every year I like to spend time purging social media that I no longer find useful. This can mean anything from unfollowing "friends", deleting apps, unsubscribing from emails, to clearing out my favorites/bookmarks.

One newsletter that I still read each week is from Brad Stulburg and Steve Magness at Peak Performance. I haven't read their book yet, but it's on my list of "must reads". Their writings are directly linked to nutrition and a healthy lifestyle, but they are about getting the most out of yourself, which is another thing I'm interested in. One of their recent newsletters, under the section Coaching Corner: Choose Reflections not Goals, they talk about their approach to reviewing the notes that took throughout the year.

My objective is simple, filter all of [my notes] down into ideas or concepts that I need to look into further or could potentially apply in the future... the task is to continually narrow all of the thoughts that sparked interest throughout the year into usable and actionable sound bites that lead to functional change in behaviors or, at the least, further exploration. I filter the notes by asking a simple question: Does this cover material I fundamentally need to know when coaching/writing, or is it something I could use elsewhere in my life? If it’s fundamental to coaching, for example, then I take the idea and put it into my “cheat sheet guide to coaching.”  If it’s something that I can use elsewhere, then I sort it into an evernote file based on a number of topics (e.g., Training, Psychology, Writing, Motivation, etc.). After going through all of my notes, I write down the key takeaways from the year. This is supposed to be a concise list that I can glance back at, reminding me of what I learned in the previous year and what seemed important to take forward. In this way, my reflections turn into actionable behaviors.

I'm definitely going to try an incorporate something like this in 2018.

One of my other problems is getting into too many things at once. Here's a list of a few things on my mind lately;

1) Expanding my cooking knowledge. As mentioned above this includes way too many websites, books and apps, which is a topic of it's own blog post. Most recently, I just finished up and online cooking course called Rouxbe (i.e. Ruby). It's a 60-day course that outlines both the "why" and the "how" when it comes to a WFPB approach to eating. If you already eat like this and enjoy cooking, then you probably won't get a lot out of the course. However, if this is new to you and you'd like to learn some cooking skills, it's well worth the $200.

2) Sharing my knowledge. I think part of the reason that we're in a healthcare crisis is that people simply don't realize the impact the foods we eat can have on our health. One of my biggest goals for 2018 is to take all this knowledge I'm acquiring and turn it into a community education class. Ideally, it'd be 2 classes, the first is the "why" and a second is the "how". So basically a discussion class, followed by a cooking class.

3) Trying to listen to every episode of The Rich Roll Podcast. I can't recommend this podcast highly enough. It's not just about nutrition. It's about being your most authentic self. I never listened to podcast until last winter. I was doing a lot of running in the cold, dark mornings and I spent a lot of time with Rich in my earbuds. I've since replaced listening to the radio during my commute with podcasts. I figure why listen to something that I have no control over (music, conversations, commercials, etc.), when I could listen to the topics I want? I think radio stations should be very worried. Anyway, if you go to the Apple store, you'll get access to Rich's last 50 episodes. But, if you download Rich's app, you'll have access to all of his 300+ episodes.

4) I'm trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up that will allow me to be the best version of myself. This includes figuring out what's important to me, rather than what society thinks is important for me. Things I'm trying include watching less sports - especially football, not "having" to drink IPAs, meditating more (check out the headspace app), not eating animal products, etc.

5) Thinking about my health coaching course, which starts in mid-January, and trying to figure out a business model that will help make my efforts a success.

Okay, that seems like a lot to chew on, so I'll leave it there for now.