Chris

I was recently reading an article about a hospice nurse that wrote down conversations with her dying patients and some of the things they wished they had done or would have chosen to do differently. Here are the top five:

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
2. I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.
3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

I’ve read another book on life, choices and responsibilities. That we cannot blame others for the choices we make.

Notice how I am not talking about regret, but simply a desire to make a course correction and learn from the past.

One of the more memorable quotes of a very forgettable Star Trek movie:

Damn it, Bones, you’re a doctor. You know that pain and guilt can’t be taken away with a wave of a magic wand. They’re the things we carry with us, the things that make us who we are. If we lose them, we lose ourselves. I don’t want my pain taken away! I need my pain!

There are some choices and decisions that I would change, sure. I wish I didn’t have to experience some of the resulting trials as a result. I wish my family didn’t have to endure them with me.

But it is those situations that help me learn and grow to become a better person.

Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.

40 minute workout every other day.

Warm up = 5m, 3 circuits for a total of 30m. 1 circuit = 10 minutes. Each circuit will be a mixture of exercises. Cool down = 5m.

A minimum of 30m cardio training every other day. Running or cycling.

I even want to work in some yoga and stretching.

Nutrition:

Lean meats like chicken, turkey and fish with one splurge a week of red meat. Whataburger anyone?

Veggies. Need to stay away from white potatoes though.

My brain is constantly seeking input. I enjoy taking tech news and hacks to implement it into my life. It isn’t a fear of missing out (FOMO) that seems to be the case with most people.

In order to prove that to myself, I look for chances to expand my brain and learn.

The problem is maintaining that focus. I’ll blame the distractions but it probably isn’t true.  If I come across something that stumps me, I’ll set it aside and eventually get back to it. By then, I am starting from scratch again.

For now, I have signed up for a self-help track on web design fundamentals using the Code Academy website. All web-based, this and other courses allow someone to learn step by step and can see the results on the same page. Brilliant.

Moving on. If you know me then you know I read. A lot. I’m thinking that most of what I read is for entertainment purposes and not educational. Do I need both? Can I have both?

As a Linux user, I have scratched the surface of using the operating system. I want to get down to the kernel of it and challenge myself to learn the command line instead of relying on a graphical user interface.

I will work it out enough to host my websites and email server.

Turning off the online streaming video would help too.

Ok, go.

How can someone who works on weekends, including Sundays ever hope to maintain a relationship with God?

There has been a real lack of a relationship and fellowship with other Christians for a long time now.

This coming from a guy who used to study for a degree in Theology and ministry.

Yes, I can read my Bible daily (haven’t), pray frequently (not) but still miss out on opportunities to worship.

So, my first challenge will be to discipline myself to do just the basics to get my relationship right with God. I left, not Him.

The WonderWife came up with a suggestion so obvious and right up my alley that I missed it.

I’ve been appreciating Lifechurch, a multi-site organization that has a huge digital offering as well. With their worship sessions online and their unbeatable YouVersion Bible app this is a no-brainer for me.

So, I am gathering these resources and implementing them tonight for daily use.

I can do all this through him who gives me strength. – Philippians 4:13

Can I really tackle four life changing tasks at once? I suppose that is why they are challenges.

My challenges will be focused on mental, physical, spiritual and social disciplines.

I’ve squandered opportunities and have become complacent. No more.

I will do what it takes to better myself and those around me even if it kills me (it won’t).

There will be daily posts of updates, setbacks and scenarios overcoming those daily challenges. I am not committing to facing all four each day (not yet). Categories will be added and catalogued that way for better organization.

By way of pumping myself up, I am adding a promo video from this year’s Tough Mudder events. Also, that will be a challenge and a goal in itself. I’ve already done 2 different adventure races and now I need to prepare for this one. Whew. Here goes.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUwXTfWxCTM?rel=0]

“People overestimate what they can do in a single day and underestimate what they can do in their whole lives.”

I was listening to a podcast the other day, and I cannot remember which one or even credit the source (apologies) but it really got me thinking about some of the unforeseen consequences of digital sharing. Everyday most of us put ourselves out there with various posts, tweets, pictures and comments.

Let’s not forget photos and social media. We can snap someone and with facial recognition as advanced as it is, locate who it is and their entire social media personas without speaking a word to them.

We don’t realize is that anything shared online rarely goes unnoticed or permanently deleted.

The speaker goes on to compare this to a tattoo. For those of us who have ink, it is a conscience choice. For others, they add this to their bodies without thinking of future considerations such as relevance, appropriateness or regret.

Will I regret some of the content I put out there for the world to see? You betcha.

Do I make conscience choices to avoid such embarrassment? Oh yeah.

In light of these, I’ll just have to make smarter choices on what what is public and what is private.

“THE ONLY PEOPLE FOR ME ARE THE MAD ONES, THE ONES WHO ARE MAD TO LIVE, MAD TO TALK, MAD TO BE SAVED, DESIROUS OF EVERYTHING AT THE SAME TIME, THE ONES WHO NEVER YAWN OR SAY A COMMONPLACE THING, BUT BURN, BURN, BURN, LIKE FABULOUS YELLOW ROMAN CANDLES EXPLODING LIKE SPIDERS ACROSS THE STARS AND IN THE MIDDLE YOU SEE THE BLUE CENTERLIGHT POP AND EVERYBODY GOES ‘AWWW!’”

— JACK KEROUAC, ON THE ROAD

Happiness is only real when it is shared

– Jon Krakauer, Into The Wild