DECEMBER CHALLENGE... The Sequel

As it happened last year, the holidays caught up with me and I ended up losing the flow of the challenge... but as I hate to leave things unfinished, and since it’s always better late than never, here goes:

DAY 22: Action. When it comes to aspirations, its not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen. What’s your next step?

Funny I should get stuck precisely in the call for action. But it’s symptomatic. Even though I’m a man of action, I’m also a master procrastinator, and this has always been my achilles heel... When  faced with a large task I tend to put it off and focus instead in smaller errands and simpler tasks just to get them out of the way and feel active, while avoiding the inevitable moment when I must tackle the White Whale... 

This is a problem for which I know the solution, which is to take on the large project by decomposing it into small easy-to-handle tasks that can be turned into quick wins and thus give me the sense of moving forward.

So now I’m precisely doing this, and decomposing the huge task of going from 0 to 100 on my new professional project, so I can at least attempt to engage it and get things going...

DAY 23: Write a letter to your future self, telling the future you about what you hope for you. (read it slowly again, you'll get it)

Dear future Fran, I hope you are happy with your life. This is my main wish for you, and my objective in everything I will do this year is to ensure your happiness... 

This year will be an important year for us, so I will focus on our professional project, and hope that you reap the seeds I saw... I also am a believer in “enjoying the ride”, so I will make sure I enjoy the work and the road towards getting you to where I hope you get. Hope you’re still doing this as well...

Finally, I will also make sure that the main objective does not distract me from the important people in our life, and also from keeping healthy and in shape. You can thank me for your ideal weight, low cholesterol and amazing abs... just keep at it for the both of us!

Don’t forget to pass all this on to our future self...

Present Fran (Past Fran to you)

DAY 24: post a photo of what this holiday means to you...

To me Christmas is all about family, and I’ve been blessed to be with family every single Christmas of my life... Maybe not with the whole family, as that get’s harder every year, but always with somebody of my immediate family... So these two photos describe my idea of what Christmas means to me... 

DAY 25: what is your favorite holiday tradition?

Christmas Eve dinner... My mom’s traditional menu if and when possible, but the main ingredient is the company, of course... 

DAY 26: If you had the chance to do X over, what would it be?

My choice of career... If I had to chose today I’d probably choose a different major or even a different field... It’s a shame an 18 year old is expected to make these choices before really knowing what the choice means... Still, I’ve changed that original choice many times over: From Economics, to Communications, to Marketing, to Business Administration, to Marketing Online... so maybe the fact that I took the long road will eventually make sense after all... 

DAY 27: Surprise. What event touched you in 2012 in an unexpected way?

Finding out I was going to be fired. It actually made me realize that I was wasting my time in a place that did not appreciate me, for people who did not respect me professionally... This made me wake up and admit that I was not happy in that company, I was not engaged with that project, and -with some exceptions- I did not respect my directors professionally... So I saw clearly that I should make the most of my time and efforts and decided that I would make the best of the situation, and take this opportunity to try something different. So this event actually changed my life in a way, and hopefully for the better. At the very least, I am more engaged and much happier now!

DAY 28: Compassion. Were you gentle with yourself in 2012? How were compassionate towards yourself in 2012? How will you be kind towards yourself in 2013?

I suppose I could have been much gentler towards myself... Specially I could have taken better care of my body and my health. I will try to eat better, sleep more and exercise much more... To train better before my next Marathon and to be fitter and slimmer before my next surf trip.  I already started, so I hope it shows soon, and most important, will strive to maintain my good habits throughout the year.

DAY 29: Challenges. What did you wrestle with in 2012? What did you learn? What challenges do you foresee in 2013?

On a superficial level I must say my biggest wrestling match has been controlling my weight. I can “easily” lose the extra weight when I follow a strict diet, as I did a year ago, and reached my ideal at 80kg... Staying there is the real challenge... For 2013 I will strive to change my ways and my lifestyle, rather than just “campaigning” for a quick loss. Become healthier in my eating habits, and maintain a regular exercise routine. 

On a deeper level, my struggle is always to keep from second-guessing myself. Self-doubt can be draining and keep you from moving forward, specially when you rely on faith to build a new life project. For 2013, keeping my faith will be a must to be able to maintain momentum and push forward. As with my other challenge, will power will be vital.

DAY 30: Love. How did you feel loved in 2012? How did you give love?

Being loved, even when it doesn’t work out in the end, is the greatest gift one can receive. I have felt loved this year. For this I am very thankful! I did give love as well, but I'm afraid not enough, or at least not in the right way I suppose...

DAY 31: I Wish. What do you wish for in 2013? How will you make it come true?

For 2013 I wish what we all want: Health, Love, Prosperity and Happiness... I hope that my prosperity does not come at the price of my health, that love brings happiness and that I’m able to make all these coexist in harmony...