Tracking A Small Change in Habit, A Giant Leap in Results
“The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our life.”
— Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher, founder of Taoism
Productive Life Begins with Awareness. Tracking is the best tool for awareness. For those who don’t know me, I recommend reading my About Me article. It is pinned to my profile. It’s a 3-minute short read. To make the short story shorter, my name is Wasim Ahmed Khan. I am from India, the land of diversity, and I am 31 years old. Throughout my 20s, my life was unproductive, plagued by procrastination, without even knowing such a word existed two years ago. I improved various aspects of my life, such as finance, fitness, and mental health, through tracking. There are other contributors to the change, but tracking is where it all started. I lost 58 pounds in a year, sorted my finances, and started investing in the share market. I took up meditation, changed food habits, and eating patterns to assist mental health — all because of tracking. I achieved in a year what I wasn’t able to achieve in ten years.
The Journey to Weight Loss
I learned the power of tracking through a three-month free subscription to a fitness app that provided a calorie-tracking service. The procrastination was so strong in me that I waited nine months to use it, as that is when the offer would have ended. Losing weight is not just about exercise; the most important part is diet. When I started tracking the food I ate and its nutrition, just being aware changed the whole game.
Tracking gives a sense of accomplishment and achievement. It helped me identify my eating patterns and change them. I controlled food portions, set nutritional goals, and achieved them. I realized I was on a high-carb diet and that my protein and fiber intake was very low. I increased my daily protein and fiber through adding Greek yogurt, nuts, chicken, egg whites, lentils, cucumber, etc. I reduced my carb intake to half of what it was. I identified added sugar and deep-fried foods as the main obstacles to weight loss, so I decided to give them up completely. Now I mostly eat whole fruits for my sugar cravings, and even that at night. Even when I feel like eating added sugar or deep-fried food, I pick a restaurant that is at least 1.5 miles from my home and walk there so that the food works like a reward for my walking.
Financial Management and Growth
On the financial side, I always felt that I lost track of where the money went. First, I sorted my personal finances. Through tracking, I was able to identify where I was mostly spending it and how I could reduce it, and in cases where the spending was more for pleasure and luxury than need, I avoided it completely. I also set a challenge to spend 45 minutes every day learning about the stock market. Through that, I was able to invest the money I was saving and see it grow.
Mental Health and Meditation
By tracking my meditation goals, I became calmer, more productive, and less bothered by unnecessary things. I employed a simple technique called tracking, spending probably half an hour on it every day, but I got so much more from it.
“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”
— Martin Luther King Jr.
Tracking can be that first step towards reaching your goal. Have a happy life journey!
