Phase Two

Time to move on.

The past several months have been very difficult physically and emotionally and I am tired of all this stress messing up the progress I have made in the past two years on both fronts. So I am refocusing my energy on starting a new phase. In looking back, this is probably phase two attempt 15. But who is counting?

I have four goals in mind to work on. 

1. Continue the weight loss and physical fitness
2. Get my finances in order
3. Move forward with personal projects
4. Have fun

1. I have done very well in getting my health in order, but the past 6 months have seen a slide backwards and I am not happy with this. Luckily the impact in not that bad, but it is still a little bit of a letdown. I know what I need to do to fix the problem, so I have a definite plan on this front. The key is to make sure that stress of the job and other things in life do not upset this balance.

I want to make sure I am running on a regular basis and going to the gym on a regular schedule as well. Plus I have to get my eating habits back on track. That has been the biggest change in the past few weeks and I know it is my main issue, so I am going back to a simpler plan. Calorie counting worked well in the past, so I am going to combine that with some other changes and I am pretty sure that will get me on the right track again.

2. My finances are not in bad shape. In fact they are really pretty good. I have no credit debt and I have saved up quite a bit of "safety-net" cash just in case things go wrong. But in working on my income taxes the other day, it became very clear that I need to start looking at my future. 

This may mean seeking help of a financial advisor or just doing some old fashioned research. I think the peace of mind that will hopefully come from this action will aid in eliminating some of the unnecessary stress from day-to-day life. Also, I have spent a lot in the past month on items I would not typically have bought. I am not regretting the purchase, but I wanting to be sure I maintain the fiscal responsibility I have developed over the past several years. I really do not need more things in my life and I want to continue moving forward clearing our some of the clutter and kibble.

3. There are so many personal items I want to tackle and I just have not set aside the time to do them. Some are even as simple as creating a custom theme for this site.

4. I do not know what I like to do for fun anymore. It is sad to say it, but it is very true. There are activities I enjoy; running, gaming, reading, etc., but these are not the "fun" I am thinking of. I need some more social interaction. I need to find hobbies that take me away from normal life. Previously, I blamed my lack of social activity on where I lived or how much money I had, but these were just excuses. For a long time I was not very healthy mentally. Depression had taken a large part of my life away from me and while I have finally overcome that part of the problem, the habits and fears that were created are still present and something I am not over yet. So it is time I move beyond them.

Breaking habits like this are difficult, especially since even at the best of times I was not a very outgoing person. This is the part where I do not have a plan as such. This is something I am going to just have to approach day by day and see where it leads me.