I came across this tweet, by Barry Ritholtz, years ago and it has always stuck with me
A buddy suddenly announced he wanted to speak fluent Italian.
“How long do you think that will take?” I asked
Him: "Five years"
Me: "Gee, sounds like a long time"
Him: "Five years are going to go by whether I am learning a new language or not."
I often think about that anecdote with things I would like to do and haven’t yet. A while back, I had the idea to record myself every birthday talking into the camera about what is happening in my life. Discuss my thoughts, feelings, and personal growth. That was when I turned 30. I'm 36 now, and I still haven't done it. I keep meaning to, but it never seems to happen.
Lately, I’ve been reflecting on my goals, habits, and how I can work towards them. I want to use my time efficiently, achieving my goals rather than letting them slip away. I thought of a few daily habits that I would like to continue doing, some I want to improve on, and others that I want to reduce. This list isn’t complete but it’s what I have for now.
IMPROVE
French
My French has always been a bit, comme ci comme ça. I need to practice more. When I was a teacher, I used it everyday. Now that I work at the Capitol, not so much. Recently, I started taking small steps. I began listening to more French music and reading the lyrics as the songs play. I have been practicing daily using the app Duolingo. I am currently on a 73-day streak, which is my longest yet. I will try to read one French book. Most likely a children’s book.
Tennis
I’ve been playing tennis off and on since I was in high school. I was never consistent with my playing. I've been improving my consistency by playing at least once a week. I joined a group that hits for about an hour and a half each week. We work on serves, backhand, forehand, volley, etc… then we play doubles. In that group I made a friend and we started practicing together weekly. Eventually I’d like to join a league.
Writing
I started this blog a few years ago, and to my amazement, I'm still keeping it going. I am also not consistent with my writing but I am just happy that I am able to put something out. Whether the writing is any good is debatable. I find writing pretty difficult and often procrastinate. I do the same thing when I'm editing videos. I'll edit for a little bit, and then I'll start finding other stuff to do. Most of the blog ideas I write about usually come to me when I am on the treadmill at the gym. Walking really stirs up the thoughts. Henry David Thoreau said it best, “The moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow.” Well said Henry.
CONTINUE
Incline Treadmill
This is a new exercise that I started this year. Great leg workout. Set the incline to 12, the speed to 3, and then walk. At those settings, I burn 200 calories in 20 minutes which is one mile. I often play around with the speed and incline, increasing them in intervals to give myself more of a challenge. The most I ever did on incline treadmill was five miles which took 1 hour and 40 minutes and I burned 1,060 calories. That was an intense day.
Reading
I read every day, and I'm pretty consistent with this (Finally, I am consistent with something). I read anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes each morning. For the past few years, most of the books dealt with finance related topics but lately I have been delving into other genres such as psychology, history, humor. I believe I am on pace to read more books this year than I did in 2023. My record is 23 books in one year. And I still have my Wall St. Journal subscription so I do a little bit of reading there.
Data
I like to keep track of all kinds of personal data. Currently I track:
How many books I read
How much I make and spend
How much wine I buy
How many miles I walk on the treadmill
In addition to those, I recently picked up a workout journal and will start tracking my workouts in the gym. Should be fun to see how I progress.
REDUCE
Clothes
I really do have too many clothes. I don’t think I need another item of clothing. I have T-shirts in my closet that are still in their bags. I have a pair of shoes that haven’t been worn. I have five different suits, seven pairs of shorts, eight pairs of pants, and two thousand T-shirts. My wardrobe is complete. I do not need another oxford button down. The thing is, when Ralph Lauren or Brooks Brothers sends me those emails that say 'Labor Day Event Sale,' it's difficult not to take a little look. Sometimes I’ll add items to my cart, go to the checkout, see the total price, and then close the tab. I do that quite a bit.
Wine
I love red wine. I can easily drink a bottle of wine in one night. No problem. It pairs so well with a baguette and cheese. Try it if you don't believe me. Though not all wines pair with every type of cheese. What I want to do is stop drinking wine on weekdays. More often than not, I open a bottle, pour a glass, then another, then another, and before I know it, the bottle is nearly empty, and it's only Tuesday. And I wake up super early for work, so waking up hungover is unpleasant. I will save the wines for the weekend.
Impatience
I can be a bit impatient when it comes to all sorts of things. If someone sends me an email I want to respond right away as opposed to thinking clearly about my response. If I want something, I often buy it immediately without considering whether I really need it. Clothes are a big example of that. Also when someone tells a long, overly detailed story I want to urge them to wrap it up, but I know it would be rude so I do not. I need to manage my impatience like my favorite comedian, Bill Burr,
Inhale. Exhale. Smile.
