July FIRE Metrics That Matter - Part 3: Hanging Out by A Troll Campfire
It’s fascinating. I have been researching “place” and finding out some very interesting facts about different areas of the country.
Earlier this morning, I was approaching the research from three different perspectives:
What is the music scene like in this city/town/area? What are its primary genres?
What is the local music artist community like, how unified is it, and how open is it to plug in and play?
What is the ideal musical archetype who would thrive in this place?
It was very revealing. Of all the places I live, have lived, or have considered living, there were real “winners” in terms of a match for who I am as a musical artist, who I want to become in this capacity, and what I think The Leavers are about.
But that doesn’t answer the question of what identity I am putting at the center of my life.
To determine if a place or multiple places are a good fit for the lifestyle design you are working to implement in a FIRE post-FIRE life, you must answer this question.
It’s not just a role. You carry your roles wherever you go, and they are tied to the identity. Read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People to get a sense of this. A role is more about fulfilling responsibilities in relationship to other people.
An identity is more of an umbrella concept, covering all areas of your life. Everything flows from this. What you do. Why you do it. How you do it. Who you do it with and for. Etc.
And then there is the main point of today’s article,
my Part 3 update on July FIRE Metrics That Matter, which will cover results and insights in a bit more depth than Part 1 of this series.
As I said in Part 2, I will use the Back On Campus vision to organize:
The Bicycling Class — Health and Fitness Updates
Ironically, I am not enrolled in a “class” like the bicycling class I took during the year when I was firing on all cylinders.
And, it is worth repeating that I am not trying to be Uncle Rico and relive my past. I am trying to recreate the conditions that led to my flourishing that year. It’s very different.
Here are the big things I was tracking, though, and it was a good month for health and fitness overall.
Goal of 15,000 steps per day, average
I walked 15,364 steps per day on average.
Since starting this ONE Hit Wonder at the end of April, I have averaged approximately 15,700 steps. (I am still walking today, so I can’t give an exact count until the end of the day.)
Thus, I have about 4–5 days banked still.
I took time off over the weekend, so I am in the process of gaining steps back to bank. I have walked 20,000 steps the last 3 days.
Today is the 100th day of this goal, BTW, so it’s serendipitous that I am behind on posting this!
Target Weight Maintained
I spent the month just shy of one pound over my target weight on average.
However, that is a 2.5-pound improvement from June.
And, the one time I weighed in and found that I was 4 pounds above my target, I successfully implemented austerity measures to get back to the goal.
Success. I am on track to achieve this ONE Hit Wonder.
Muscle mass and body fat were both at the Excellent level, too.
Nice.
I still want to increase muscle mass, but that is going to take some coaching and dedication that I am not ready to commit to just yet.
Calorie Count, Protein, and Just Say NO Items
Protein grams were right at my target of about 85% of target weight, which is perfect.
Last month I was eating more protein than needed.
I gave up “protein bars” at home as a result. I was using them as “sweet” replacements.
My calorie count was up about 390 calories per day on average from June.
Why? Because I added back adult beverages and sweets.
Adult beverages were about 1.4 per day.
I had 2 days where I had 4 drinks, 1 day with 5, and 3 days with 6.
That is not bad. They were done in connection with social events and spread out over several hours.
But I bent my rules a bit, so I want to tighten this up in August and going forward.
Most days were, and should be, 2 or less.
Sweets…oh boy, I fell off the bandwagon hard by the middle of the month.
It was tied to depression. I had a few “bad mood” days and said, “F’ it,” and ate them to soothe myself.
That is not so great.
But I am glad I recognized it.
Also, I am not as committed to the identity of a guy who “only eats sweets 1 or 2 times per month” As I thought I was.
What is the saying? You can’t quit smoking if you don’t really want to quit. Something like that.
So, I will keep an eye on it.
But I am going to release the austerity unless it is impacting my target weight, protein grams, and will work to avoid “eating my feelings.”
A Dorm Simple Lifestyle — Simplicity and Lifestyle Change Updates
I started a process of tackling 5 important to-dos per day, but quickly found that overwhelming.
Honestly, I have let this focus slide for the last 2 weeks, and I am okay with that.
My real opportunity here, and the one I have been hyper-focused on, is “where do I live, when do I live there, what are my living conditions when there, and why do I live there.” It’s tied to the identity work I was referring to above.
The Annual Musical Production/Performance — Creative Expression, Open Mic Updates, and Insights on Songs
I played 11 open mics in July. That was great. I learned a lot. I have played many of the 40 or so songs I wanted to get in front of an audience and have some ideas about the strongest contenders to retain.
Unfortunately, but by intentional decision, I have not traveled to another city that requires an overnight stay to play.
Nor have I played one yet in the month of August.
To make my ONE Hit Wonder of 100 Open Mic performances in the next year, I should have been at 10–11 by now.
I am at 14 total, so I have 3 banked.
I will make up for lost opportunities to build on this in the next 3 weeks.
Dr. Bob’s Self-Actualization Class — Learning, a Few Updates on the Northwest Tarot Symposium, Reading, and Insights
Well, the Northwest Tarot Symposium seems to have released a flood of energy and chaos into my life.
Ever since getting back from the conference, I have been consumed by answering questions given the insights I took away from the conference.
It was wild.
I will write more articles about the experience this month, but for now, it’s got me wound up, stirred up, and processing.
I think that is a good thing.
But, we will see.
A real highlight was reading the Woody Guthrie biography, Ramblin’ Man, but I have even put that on hold.
Sometimes you have to slow down to go fast, right?
We will see.
Trips With the Gang (Friends & Family) — Adventure and Exploration; Planned Experiences and Travel Updates
Zip. Nill. Nothing. No plans. No adventure trips besides the conference in Portland.
And, I have no idea what I will do in August, either.
Oh boy, I am a mess.
Breathe. It will all be okay.
Becoming a Professor of the Highway to Yeah — The Search for, and Stepping Into, Vocational Callings
On a positive note, the Northwest Tarot Symposium filled the well with ideas and insights and will help me navigate this dimension.
This, too, comes back to the identity I want to put at the center of my life.
I’m workin’ on it.
Also, I did achieve my ONE Hit Wonder goal of posting a blog article every single day.
Another 9–10 days, and it will have been 5 full months.
That’s incredible. Time flies when you are having fun, right?
Freedom to Live Your Truth — Updates on Financial, Time, and Psychological Freedom; Insights, Changes, and Directions
Financial Freedom — I have yet to do my end-of-month Net Worth check. This is the absolute longest I have gone after the close of the last month.
Heck, I haven’t even built my August budget yet. I am keeping scraps of paper with data on them to load up later.
I feel I am in a state of intense life investigation, and frankly, this can wait.
Time Freedom — I have it in spades. Particularly when I am back in the PNW. Where I live is very isolated. It is a Batman Batcave.
The Big Point is that I am financially free, and will be the rest of my life. This is gold.
Psychological Freedom — I need more of it. I’m working on it.
There you go. I am on FIRE and in FIRE, and it’s a trip.
Stick around. Things could get interesting, folks.