Navigating the Turns: Using Values to Map Your Next Steps
Earlier this week, I shared an example of a micro-case study of how I did at expressing my values during an open mic performance. (See Expressed Values: A Micro Case Study on the Highway to Yeah.)
Today, I want to take that discussion a little deeper and reveal what I have learned during my goal review and planning process over the last week.
What I discovered is that, of my top ten values, some are more operational than others, while some are more reflections of a well-designed and well-lived lifestyle.
In other words, some of them help me decide how to live, while others are realized through living that way.
I also realized that, given where I am on this journey, two of my top ten values matter more than the others right now.
These are the two values I have decided to prioritize as I think about where I am headed and what I will do over the next 12–18 months.
The first is Freedom.
I want to continue increasing my time freedom, psychological freedom, and the intentional way I direct my T.E.A.M. reserves (Time, Energy, Attention, and Money).
The second is Simplicity.
This is not only a value but also a preferred design principle for the radically designed lifestyle I am building and stepping into more fully.
The simpler my life becomes, the more freedom I experience.
These two values work beautifully together.
This realization means three things for how I move forward.
First
This orientation will help me decide on my next set of One Hit Wonders.
I currently have six one-year goals that I am pursuing, and I suspect that, at most, I will be able to add six more over the next six months.
Therefore, I want to choose wisely.
As I reflected on my current lifetime dream goals through the lens of Freedom and Simplicity, seven areas of focus emerged.
By concentrating on these seven areas and taking effective action, I believe I will increase my lived experience of both freedom and simplicity.
Therefore, I want to select One Hit Wonders that move me closer to achieving these things.
The seven focus areas are:
Finances — Continue growing cash flow, reducing expenses, and achieving a reasonable return on investments.
Determining My Ideal Geography — Deciding where I live and when I live there. For example, do I continue my dual residency or consolidate back into one place? If I maintain two or more places, when am I in each one, how often, and what do I do while I’m there?
Creating a Place I Love — I have pretty much done this with my apartment, although there are still some minor improvements I could make. My primary residence remains the big question mark. Most likely, I will renovate and continue improving the interior design, but we’ll see. I also have a lot of “stuff” in the house that I have tolerated for too long. Primarily, I want to own things that I genuinely love.
Health, Fitness, and Self-Care — Keeping the body happy, fine-tuned, and ready to rock and roll.
Music — Writing, recording, and performing remain the core components.
Researching and Sharing How One Finds and Gets Out on a Highway to Yeah — I have begun to realize that this is a form of Action Research, and this blog is where I am currently documenting what I am learning about stepping into an encore career as a singer-songwriter while implementing a radically designed lifestyle I love.
Fun in the Sun with Friends and Family — Making time for adventures and experiences with people you love and care about is one of the simplest ways to increase joy and adventure, and it is a big part of why many of us pursue the freedom that FIRE offers in the first place.
Second
Focusing primarily on increasing freedom and simplicity has helped me realize just how much friction still exists in my life, even post-FIRE.
I have too many possessions.
Too many loose ends.
Too many half-hearted commitments swirling around.
Too many unnecessary expenses.
Basically, I have too much.
I want to get to enough.
This goal of “Clearing the Decks” deserves its own focus as well.
Perhaps that becomes the next One Hit Wonder.
TBD.
Third
This process has helped me realize that I am creating a lot of tension between competing identities and the different roles I am trying to fulfill in my life.
I have at least six—perhaps more—all competing for my T.E.A.M. resources.
Freedom and Simplicity encourage me to consider choosing one or two as my primary organizing identities and allowing the others to become supporting roles.
This is different from the seven focus areas listed above.
Those Seven are about what I will do and when I will do it.
This is more about who I am becoming and why I am doing those things.
I suspect I will have much more to say about this in future articles, but this was one of the biggest insights I arrived at just this morning.
My goal is to reduce the tension between these competing identities and discover ways to better integrate my life.
Exactly how that will play out remains to be determined.
So, there you go.
Where am I going, and how am I going to get there on a Highway to Yeah?
This is a quick snapshot of what I have been able to figure out during a mid-year review and check-in with myself.
Stick around.
More to come.