4 Unrelated Life Improvers

It feels rather strange and self indulgent to be talking about things that have improved my life.

Especially when many blogs preach about how to improve your life, but frankly I haven’t got a clue how to do that. It’s hard enough sorting mine out…

Therefore, all I can do is share what seems to be working for me now. If you get anything out of it, that’s great. If not, that’s cool too.

#1 Exercising daily with the dog, and mountain biking.

Before breaking my back in 2005, I loved exercise. Mountain biking (which led to the broken back), surfing, mountaineering, martial arts, swimming and anything else that looked like fun.

Then after fracturing a vertebrae in a particularly nasty accident, exercise faded from my life.

Now, this wasn’t due to physical restrictions. Miraculously 6 months after the accident I got a clean bill of health. It was simply a case of multiple factors conspiring against staying fit.

It crept and I didn’t notice it at first.

Things like leaving the physically demanding heating trade and working from a desk all day for the first time worked against staying active.

And if you’re anything like me, your great plans to join the gym/go running/start yoga etc never materialise.

I stayed sedentary and overweight until last September when I got a dog, and was pretty much forced into exercising daily. Once the habit was established, the walks gradually got further and faster each time.

I’m now at the point of walking 3-4 miles a day and mountain biking once or twice a week. Going by my 2005 standards, it’s nothing, but it’s a massive improvement compared to where I was.

It seems to be working too… I’ve got more energy and lost about 21 pounds.

#2 Multivitamins

The jury’s out on this one… I appear to have a more energy and need less sleep, but is that due to the weight loss and improving fitness? Not sure.

I’m accuately aware of the placebo effect, so will withhold judgement for now. Suffice to say, they seem to be doing something positive.

#3 Basecamp Software

Multivitamins to Software? Yeah. It’s quite a leap.

If you’re involved in running projects of any kind, Basecamp is such a great help. For me (being naturally disorganised) it’s reduced my stress levels immensely.

All my client projects are wrapped up with their own to do lists, messages, files, and deadlines. Gone are the post-it notes, one master to-do list, too many email folders, and that horrible recurring “what have I forgotten?” thought at night.

I thoroughly recommend it. www.bascamphq.com

#4 Questioning Authority and Thinking for Myself.

I kept this one for last because it’s a biggie.

In fact, to talk about it in as much detail as I’d like would take up a very long post indeed.

It would also involve me expressing this new way of thinking in a way I’m not yet capable of – robbing it of its impact.

For now though I’ll say no more and leave you with my favourite Timothy Leary quote to chew on.

“Question Authority. Think for Yourself.”

Until next time…