Ten Rules for 2016

#1 — Do things that scare you.

AKA willingly leave your comfort zone.

I’m beginning to see hints of why people tend to become more conservative as they age. It’s tempting to fall into a comfortable, happy routine at the expense of personal growth and purpose. I could stand to get un-stuck in spots and scare myself more often in service of expanding my comfort zone.

#2 — Move every day.

AKA work out in some way/shape/form.

I’ve done my best to live this belief for years, but it’s time to write it down. I want to be climbing, running, biking, hiking, and stretching every day in 2016. The first step is staying healthy and uninjured. From there, the key is structuring workouts as play versus a chore!

#3 — Breathe fresh air.

AKA be outdoors in nature.

Portland is growing, but luckily it’s still pretty easy to get out of town and enjoy the outdoors. Nature is my favorite therapist, so I could always stand to visit more often.

#4 — Keep a student mindset.

AKA seek out opportunities to learn and be challenged.

Nothing is more personally rewarding and stimulating than expanding your knowledge. The more years removed from school I am, the more I find myself needing to facilitate my own opportunities to learn and broaden my perspectives on the world.

#5 — Simplify Life.

AKA live frugally, stay clutter-free, and minimize cognitive load.

I’m about as far as you could be from a hoarder, but I take pleasure in having the right things, and only the right things. That goes beyond physical goods by minimizing over-stimulation from today’s information onslaught. I could use a little less screen time, less push notifications, and less decision fatigue.

#6 — Be mindful.

AKA take time to be in the present.

Highly related to #5, mindfulness exercises like meditation and yoga have been a great way to achieve clarity and focus while compartmentalizing the thoughts constantly racing around my brain. Beyond that, I listen and connect better with others when I “stop and smell the roses” a bit more often.

#7 — Do creative.

AKA structure activities that will inspire creativity.

I’ve decided there’s no denying my status as a doer and achiever. That can come at the expense of creativity and abstract thinking, but a wonderful little mental hack is to make specific creative endeavors the thing to be done. The creative juices tend to flow from there!

#8 — Eat well.

AKA eat healthy.

Many of you would look at the makeup of my caloric intake and laugh at the notion of wanting to be any healthier. But now that my gut is back on track, I want to continue fine-tuning my diet. There’s always room to further cut out refined sugars and processed foods, add more healthy fats and oils, and eat piles of leafy greens. Plus with mounting evidence that LDL cholesterol (the “bad” one) can be too low (which mine is) and cause some health concerns, I’ve been advised to up my intake of cholesterol-laden foods a bit.

#9 — Make a plan.

AKA end the year with a clearer life plan.

My project management experience tells me that things never go fully according to plan, yet having a plan and expecting to deviate is always better than shooting from the hip. If 2015 was a bit of a rebuilding year, 2016 is the year to create the cliche but useful 5 year plan. The funny thing is every time I’ve put one of those together, I’ve accomplished it in half the time allocated. So what am I waiting for?

#10 — Avoid excuses.

AKA there’s nothing holding you back but yourself.

A few too many moments of playing the victim crept into my psyche during 2015. There were some legit health issues to deal with, but ultimately I wasn’t enough of a self-advocate in 2015. No more making excuses to avoid tackling life head-on!