Where I'm at...where I'm headed.
My Midlife Re-Start Point & Intentions
Taking stock of where I am.
Let me start by say that I feel incredibly blessed and have so much for which to be thankful. And yet I feel that there is so much more ahead. Before I set off on my journey, it’s important to get an understanding of where I am in relation to my health, my wealth and my relationships. This section is primarily for my clarity before I take off on this adventure, but you may find it helpful to see my process and it may encourage you to take your own moment to slow down and take stock of your current location.
In this section I’ll also briefly cover my intentions for each area and I begin the journey forward…again!
My Health
Physical / My Body
I’ve let myself go! I have always been very fit and active through my life however I currently have bursitis in my right shoulder that has significantly impacted my ability and motivation to exercise. I also have some intermittent issues with my knees after an injury in my previous employment. This has led to a big decline in physical fitness and an increase in body weight!
My intention is to lose weight through becoming more active and being more conscious of the food I’m eating. I will immediately start walking more. I will also research and implement ideas around my injuries to regain mobility & strength, reduce inflammation and lose body fat weight.
Mental
I feel quite strong mentally, but mental health is just as important as physical health and not something to put on auto pilot. My intention is purposefully work on my mental health and give it the priority it needs. For me this means learning how to prioritise my mental health and implementing those things into my life.
Spiritual
This is an interesting one for me. I have a Christian faith which has been significantly battered and bruised over about a decade now. At my core, I believe in the goodness and faithfulness of God. However I have questions about how my faith should be lived out in my day to day. I also have some ‘tough questions’ for God! Questions around his character, the Bible, Christians and the Church. My journey will take me to the heart of these questions. My intentions around this involve my own researching and answer seeking, but I would also like to talk with other people about the questions I have to get their thoughts and opinions. I have an idea to look into an audio or video podcast dealing with some of these topics!
My Wealth
Current Financial Position
Okay, time to be a bit vulnerable. This is currently an area of weakness for me that I hope will become a great strength. I have traditionally been very uninterested in financial matters. I have had a decent income and never had to worry about having enough to cover the bills. This has changed!
My wife and I are currently living paycheck to paycheck. We have some equity in our house, but with the rising cost of living and interest rates, things are very tight. I resigned from my safe secure job of 25yrs in October 2022 and started a small business. This was a particularly difficult decision but I have no regrets! The business is struggling, but slowly ticking along. I have some physical health issues that are affecting my ability to operate in the business. I have taken on a part-time job three days a week to provide some regular income, but it’s not a lot.
We certainly don’t have financial freedom! The only significant debt we have is our home loan, but we don’t have any emergency funds or savings.
Our intention in this area is to pursue financial freedom with vigor and purpose! I intend to identify and eliminate some limiting beliefs I have around money and finance, learn more thought reading, listening and talking to people and then create a actionable plan to get where we want to be.
My Relationships
Marriage
My marriage is great! We’ve been married for about 15 months now and it’s so good. My wife is amazing.
But it also scares me. I thought my previous marriage was going great until it all fell apart! So a great marriage is my starting place. I don’t intend to put our relationship on auto pilot!
I intend on learning all about how to make this an area of absolute strength. Reading, talking to experts and getting coaching in this area are the things I would like to do to ensure I master this aspect of my life through midlife.
Children
I have three daughters! Two in their late teens and one toddler. My girls are the best and I love them soooo much. I feel like I have a good relationship with them, but would love to do even better as a Dad.
I intend on asking my older girls how I can be a better Dad. I intend on reading, listening to podcasts and talking to other Dads about how to be the best Dad possible for my toddler growing up in this modern age.
Friendships
I have some great friendships, but this is definitely something I would like to improve on. I have historically not been great at nurturing and prioritising friendships and want to change in this area.
I intend on developing some new, deep friendships. I also intend on identifying key friendships I currently have and which I would like to invest more time, energy and effort to explore where these friendships might grow more meaningful.
Family
I have a great family and get on with my two sisters and my parents well. But again, I feel like this is an area in which I could improve. I want to up the level of quality time I spend with them. I live quite a distance from my family, so this could look like more regular video chats, intentionally making time to travel and see them, and thinking more about birthdays and gifts.