Here we go again (again)

It feels like I’ve written this blog post a hundred times already, but I haven’t put the proverbial pen to paper once in the last few months. I’ve been working… working hard at making positive changes in my life so that I can be more present for my family, and more engaged in building my future.

Over the last couple months I’ve made a few significant changes that I’m hoping will really start making a difference. As many of you may already know, I’ve been working to improve my physical health by eating better and staying active regularly. As a result the last 10 months have seen me loose close to 45 lbs, a few pant sizes (42 down to 36), and look significantly more trim.. but those are only the outward representations of the changes. My body feels so much stronger, healthier and more energetic. It’s so amazing to be feeling this way.

Another byproduct of this change has been my emotional and mental transformation. Just like my health, this is still very much in process, and likely not nearly as far along as my health improvements are. I still struggle with not being confident in who I am, what I can do and feelings that I’m not as good of a dad or husband as I should be. But there is a bigger glimmer of hope. I can see a spark, something deep inside wanting to push out. My physical transformation has shown me that if I put my mind to it, I will accomplish it.. not might, not possibly, I WILL. Why is it so hard to apply that to ‘real life’ when I can see how far I have come?

And I have gone far.. before this summer I was never a runner… never.. I think I may have run a 5k once in my life probably around highschool sometime, but that was it.. In May I was out for a walk and decided I’ll jog part of the way.. The next day I jogged a bit further.. Within a few weeks I had built myself up to 5k and working on improving my speed and endurance all the way up to a 10k in August and logging over 250km in running and cycling since May. How crazy is that??

So what else is new? What’s coming next?

I’ve been felling like I’m spinning my wheels in many other areas of my life with very little progress. I’ve done lots of reading, watching videos, listing to podcasts and have started to make some very simple, but meaningful changes to how I do things going forward.

The first thing I’ve done is convert my desk into a standing desk. I’ve been sitting for a long time while I work, and sometimes when I get more tired I loose focus and don’t get as much done. I’ve been using my standing desk for 2 full weeks now and I’m starting to learn how to use my time more effectively so that I’m getting as much done as I can while I work so that I can move around and take more meaningful breaks.

I’ve also started practicing time blocking with my schedule. I schedule fixed chunks of time on my schedule to work on specific projects or accomplish specific tasks so that I’m not constantly multi-tasking and moving from one thing to the other aimlessly. I’ve just started this, but so far I’m finding I’m much more productive.

The last thing I’ve started is dedicating a small amount focused time every day two two things. First thing in the morning I set aside 30 minutes to do “One step forward”, focusing on small, simple tasks that can move my business(s) forward. I’ve been feeling really stuck and very frustrated at the end of every day, week, month that I’m not where I wanted to be, and it’s amazing to feel a sense of accomplishment every day that I’ve completed something small, but meaningful towards my goals!! The second thing I do is take the 30 minutes that I  eat my lunch for “Lunch and Learn”. I’m using either training on productivity, or Instagram training right now that I’ve already purchased and I’m shutting off all other distractions and focusing on taking away one meaningful thing that I can start implementing as a result of this time..

So that comes to 1 hour a day, 5 hours a week, 20+ hours a month that I’m investing into myself and my business, but doing it in little chunks so that it doesn’t eat into my active project time.

So what? What does this mean to you, my reader??

Part of my goals is to be more active here on my blog investing into you. Sharing things I’m learning as a father of a type 1 diabetic child, father of 3 amazing kids, husband of a wife struggling with chronic pain and fibromyalgia, Christian, small business owner, health & fitness coach, food lover, DIY home renovator & aquarium keeper so that I can share my life in such a way that it will help improve yours and encourage you along the way in your journey.

So, are you ready to come along with me??

I would love it if you can subscribe to my newsletter as it will be a great way for me to stay connected with you! Simply fill in your first name and email address into the space on the right side of the page and then I can keep you updated and help encourage you! Deal?

Thank you so much for reading this far and getting involved in my life and journey. I look forward to connecting with you more often in the coming days, weeks and months!

~ Chris