Keep Asking Myself These

QUESTIONS I NEED TO ASK MYSELF THIS 2019:

1. How much of life had I missed from under-planning or over-planning?
2. How can I be kinder to myself ?
3. How can I better say no to the noise to better SAY YES to the adventures I craved?
4. How can I best reassess my life, my priorities, my view of the world, my place in the world, and my trajectory through the world?

One of the perks of having an iPhone is having access to iTunes where I can listen to my favorite authors who also happen to have great podcasts.

So far, these are my TOP 3 Favorites:

1) Debbie Millman

2) Tim Ferriss

3) Tony Robbins

I haven't really had time to listen to many episodes yet but the ones I have listened to did me a lot of good so I have to remind myself to APPLY the principles and test the ideas that they have shared so I can reap the benefits for myself.

The questions above are from the podcast about the introduction chapter of Tim Ferriss' latest book "TRIBE OF MENTORS" where he shared the 11 Questions he sent to a set of 100+ people he looks up to.

I will probably attempt to answer at least 4-5 of those 11 questions in another post but for now, I figured that it would be  helpful for me to answer the above 4 questions so I can get some clarity for where I AM AT and where I wish to go moving forward.

Here it goes..

1.  For 2017-2018, I think I had done a fair job of determining what type of endeavors I wish to be involved in based on my strengths and skills BUT I did not really have a clear set of plan in place.

Hence, I missed one major milestone that I was aiming for: apply to the Producing Program in Busan, South Korea last October. This is the same program a good friend of mine,  was able to get into. And in order for me to qualify to this program, I need to be able to qualify first and work on the pre-requisites. 

So, that means I need to do a more detailed PLAN on how I can fulfill those pre-requisites BEFORE OCT 2019.

I believe in planning and setting SMART Goals so yes, I admit I will need to make sure that I have a new plan in place.

2. I can be kinder to myself in two ways: 

a. By remembering to celebrate my small wins (even mundane things like being able to adhere to my eating schedule -- eating only during an 8-hour window)

b. By reminding myself to forgive the things that I do when I feel small, insecure and fearful. These can range from procrastination (putting off tasks for tomorrow or next week, or eating a whole pint of ice cream, or not responding to texts or emails immediately because I don't know how to explain myself).

3. How can I better SAY YES to the adventures I crave? This is definitely something I struggle with. I know that I crave to always go someplace new. It doesn't even matter where. Sometimes, I just want to grab my backpack and GO. The only hindrance right now is not having enough money to do it more often. So I keep looking for "jobs" and opportunities that will allow me to travel for FREE. But then again, sometimes I want to go to a place to explore and experience it without having to worry about accomplishing anything. Realistically though, I know I will be bored and restless if I stay at one place for longer than a week if I don't have any business there so I guess I need to get a more reliable source of income where I can do my tasks remotely without being confined to my current location. So, I can have more freedom and mobility.

4. I have been thinking about this question for quite a lot since 2017. Before I turned 40, I honestly thought I did NOT want to be boxed in or to be known for just doing just ONE type of thing. I thought that having just one JOB TITLE for life is such a dreadful thing. 

But now that I am in my 40's I have to admit that that kind of thinking might not work for me in the long term. I know that I will still be an interesting person and have a colorful lifestyle no matter what I do but first I need to determine what type of CAREER and which industry I really want to be part of for the next 10-20 years. It's not good to be jumping from one job to another every 6 months and hopping from one industry to another every 2-3 years. Because obviously, that IS what I have been doing thus far and it's not working for me. 

I understand also that I have to keep planting seeds and wait for the seeds to grow before I can reap the fruits of my labor and THAT takes time, effort, commitment, persistence and a healthy dose of imagination. 

So, the question remains: How can I best reassess my life and my priorities, as well as my place in the world and the trajectory I want to pursue?

I guess I need to use some tools and "lenses". 

The first tool that I can think of is using the lens of my Strengths based on the research conducted by The Gallup Organization and as used in the book, "Now, Discover Your Strengths."

According to this book, my 5 Signature Themes are:

1. Woo -one who is able to easily persuade (short for "Winning Others Over")
2. Intellection- one who enjoys thinking and thought-provoking conversation often for its own sake, and also can data compress complex concepts into simplified models
3.  Maximizer - one who seeks to take people and projects from great to excellent
4.  Individualization - one who draws upon the uniqueness of individuals to create successful teams
5. Significance - one who seeks to be seen as significant by others

Since these 5 are my Signature Themes it means I am naturally gifted in these areas. So, it would be easier for me to if I can focus on finding roles and jobs where I would be able to handle teams, manage projects involving talented and creative individuals where I can think and ponder much, persuade others and maximize all of our strengths.

Another tool I can use is my Personality Type. According to the Myers-Briggs 16 Types Test, I am an ENFP.

This illustration cracked me up.. Because I just went through this "existential crisis" the past 2 weeks or so.

And yes, I have a tendency to see the silver lining in almost everything. Which I would like to think is a good thing.

The major drawback is that I am constantly changing my "life plan" and just this past 2 weeks, I have written and revised my where-do-I-want-to-be-5-years from now-scenarios at least 5 times and in all 5 scenarios I am living in a different country and married to 5 different guys. hahaha..! :D

Let's just say that I have a very fertile imagination and I have such an itchy feet. I would really love to be in a position where my occupation or obsession allows me to go and explore the world and all that it has to offer.