Perfect Life Project

Starting all over again

What do they say about even the best laid plans coming unstuck?

I haven't posted in the last 6 weeks and there is a very good reason. I would have been unable to maintain the theme of this site due to the fact that my "perfect lifestyle" has hit a few hurdles of late. I have been buried in work, chasing my tale and unable to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Sound familiar?

Obviously its something most of us experience and try to cope with every day, but for me it has been a shock to the system after a year or so of idyllic existence.

So what happened?

Firstly the economy has slowed, in case you didn't know, and my business was affected slightly. Nothing terrible but a downturn all the same.

Secondly, my most productive employee left. She was the one I counted on most to get things done and remove stress from my life. She was reliable and hardworking. She also caused friction amongst my other staff (which became more apparent after she left) and may have held the business back a little creatively.

Thirdly, I was in the process of re-organising the business, positioning ourselves in a niche area of the advertising industry for a greater strategic goal when this happened. So I already had a bit of work on my plate.

Fourth, I took a week holiday (planned well in advance with family) when I cold least afford the time.....and got sick.

Simple advice on how to live

We have heard it all before, but there is one piece of advice that we really should take to heart:

Live every day as if it is your last.

Whatever you are doing today, ask yourself "is this what I would want to be doing if this was my last day on earth?" Its a very powerful reminder of what is truly important.

Unfortunately, the significance of such thoughts were abruptly brought to my attention once again yesterday when I discovered a friend had died. He was a champion athlete, loving father and great company. He had been battling a sinister disease for a long time and finally lost his battle.

Times like these put everything else into perspective. Don't waste a moment. Don't look back on your life and regret not chasing your dreams.

Live every day as if it is your last.

10 ways history's finest kept their focus at work

I just came across this post at a blog called LifeDev. It was actually written by Albert van Zyl from the blog HeadSpace. Anyway, its really great advice.

The lives of great people give us interesting clues about how to organise our days.

All of them attached great value to their daily routines. This is because they saw it as being part of ‘becoming who they are’, as Nietzsche puts it.

For the same reason they were also highly individual in their routines. They had the courage to go against popular opinion and work out often strange daily plans that suited them.

This is perhaps the first lesson that we can learn – that it takes courage and resolve to design and stick to a routine that suits you. But as Emerson reassures us: ‘The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going’.

There are at least 10 other lessons that the daily routines of the great can teach us:

Hit the refresh button on your life

I am constantly amazed at the amount of information, technology and general "noise" we allow into our modern lives. Mobile phones, PDA's, internet, email, Twitter, SMS, IMS, general media and more. All this is competing for our attention with work collegues, clients, meetings and everything else we try to accomplish during the day.

How do we ever get anything actually done?

My response is to log off and tune out. My best work and best thinking is one far from the daily noise of working life. Fewer interruptions = more clarity in my thinking. And for most entrepreneurs, thinking is where it is at.  

Australians working harder, sleeping, relaxing less

A new study of Australian lifestyle habits has revealed that we are working longer, sleeping less and getting less exercise. This is something I have been aware of for some time and used to be guilty of. In the last few years I have made a determined effort to combat this trend with a more balanced and rewarding approach that I have termed my Perfect Life Project. Below is a report from the Sydney Morning Herald detailing the latest lifestyle figures. In italics I have included my PLP figures to demonstrate how life can be successfully lived by the average person without following this alarming trend.

Appreciate what you have

Many of us spend much of our lives dreaming about what we'd like to have, or coveting the lives of others. But how many of us take the time to actually appreciate what we already have?

I spend most weekends moving from one activity to another. Multiple sports, social events and kids activities put paid to most of my R&R. My wife and I often take turns with the children while the other one races off to another activity.

Living the Dream

As the year draws to an end, I am sitting at my laptop in a tiny mountain village perched 8500 feet above sea level in the Colorado Rockies. My children are playing in the pure white snow while my wife catches up with her sister for the first time in years. It’s a far cry from our home in beachside Australia.

We have been downhill skiing until our legs burned, snow-shoeing in the national park and occasionally just kicking back in a café talking about how much fun are having.

In short, I am living the dream.

Perfect Life Update

At the beginning of 2007 I embarked upon a project with my
life...to create my perfect life. It involved optimizing my Health,
Income, Relationships and Freedom to make the most of my time and opportunities on this planet, and enjoy life to the fullest.

Three-quarters of the way through the year and the changes and results have been significant. A lot of the ground work has been done and now the benefits are really beginning to flow. Here is a summary of what i have done and how it has helped.

Work was the first aspect I really tackled as it tends to have the most impact on the rest of my life. In fact, the improvements I have made at work have all contributed strongly to the benefits I have gained with Health, Income, Relationships and Freedom. While I never expected to concentrate as much on this aspect of my life, it was clearly an area that needed adjusting.

My Perfect Life

What is my version of a perfect life?

It's probably not the hedonistic nirvana you are expecting but it is certainly dominated by freedom. Want to go skiing in New Zealand/Colorado/Zermatt? No problem, lets book it in. Want to learn a new skill like cooking, a language, music? I have the time so lets start learning. Want to spend more time with my family, help my children learn and grow, help them see the world? Definately. Want to take six months/a year to travel the world? Can do. Want to qualify for Hawaii Ironman/ cycle across America/ be the age champion for my chosen sport? Lets start training.