Charging Through Life

This bitch is busy.

Welcome to my new job - the job of Sam. I'm taking this opportunity to really transform myself and to prepare for the road ahead, the next stage of life. And it is a full-time job. Discovering where you want your life to go and re-inventing yourself takes time, dedication, and hard work. 

Just this morning, for example, I woke up later than I would have liked and had to motivate myself to get to Bootcamp. Now, it wasn't on nearly the same level when I had to give myself a morning pep-talk each day to drive into Beachbody; but still I could have easily stayed in to watch Matt, Meredith, Al & Ann tell me what I need to know for the day. Exercising is hard, painful, embarrassing, and a place where you find your limits. Plus the rewards are slow coming. You would think that someone who has spent three years of his life working for a national fitness company would be in better shape than I am. Wrong!

And then there is the food. I've tossed out all my junk food including chips, soda, and frozen pizzas. They have been replaced with vegetables, eggs, chicken, and water. Even last Thursday when I had the boys over to watch Survivor I only provided healthy snacks. But, God, does Wendy's sound good right about now!

Staying dedicated to myself and 'the big picture' is what's keeping me on-track with the things I don't enjoy. Luckily, exercise and diet are just components of the overall project. It's all just part of the job; and even though I'm the boss here, I still expect results!

So how does a manager yield results from his employees? Well I've always found that an insentive-based approach works well. That's why, for the part of this new job that I don't particularly enjoy, I have set up a habit chart with a reward system to track how often I make positive choices. I did it at GoalForIt.com As you see, there is a chart and I get a pretty green check whenever I accomplish something physical. I have assigned points to the different items which are tallied at the end of the week so I can see how I've done. Those points accumulate and I can exchange them for personal rewards which I've set up. At 125 points I get to treat myself to a fun shopping spree for new clothes. At 200 points I get to do a photo shoot to capture all I've accomplished. Notice how both of those rewards are complementary to my efforts as apposed to being detrimental like a pizza party would be.

While this new job of mine isn't paying a salary right now, it's an investment which I believe will yield excessive dividends in the future. I'm looking to get payed off with a great new career (not just a job) that I love and which pays me handsomely, new interests and hobbies, a clearer understanding of what motivates me and brings me joy, and a smokin' hot ass to land me a man. 

Can I go on break now, boss?