Uncertain, yet disciplined.

December 31st, 2022, the alarm goes off at seven and John is sitting stoically at the edge of his bed contemplating his dear life. Very quickly, he gently wipes his wry face and stands up. He was aware that if he were in bed much longer, he would willingly allow the comfort of his cozy bed to take over and convince him to fall back asleep.  

He next proceeded to perform a few pushups and sit-ups and then took a cold shower. Even though it was his day off, he promptly changed into business casual attire to get himself mentally prepared and walked downstairs to prepare breakfast.  

“Hey, Alexa, what’s new?” The Alexa dot then goes about mentioning the current news. Once he prepared his avocado egg toast and coffee, he took them to his backyard. Over time, he realized he could solely focus and think clearly when he was out in the open and there were no distractions. John is aware he loses focus quickly, which is why he tries to avoid unnecessary distractions, or else he would spend a lot of time on something and still would not get much done.  

While he was enjoying his hearty breakfast, John thought about the valuable lessons of 2022 that disciplined him and how a few things progressed in his way, and a few did not. He felt remorseful he was not able to stay disciplined to get to where he ideally wanted to be, but he also realized that not all goals were meant to be achieved. Some work out and some do not. He is more focused on considerable progress. He also acknowledged an understandable mistake he had been committing. He kept making unrealistic goals.  

Over time, John stopped comparing himself to countless others. He used to think about how others were ahead and that he was left behind. Everyone is fighting their own battles and is constantly trying to improve themselves whether it be minute or significant improvements. We all move at our own pace. He presently realized it never got him anywhere, but undoubtedly got him severely stressed.  

With everything in mind, he next began visualizing where he genuinely wanted to see himself by the end of 2023. He was working as a lab assistant and wanted to be promoted to lab technologist. While he was thinking about this, it made him happy, and he knew this would be a step in the right direction in terms of progressing in his career. Additionally, he wanted to start a side hustle to further support his parents financially. 

There are situations where a person might not consider their innovative ideas seriously, and John was aware of that. He knew that for him to go along with the operational plan, it would have to be written down. He goes to his attic and finds an old blackboard with several scratch marks on it and says “It is all right. It will work, I think.” John has also gotten better at reusing old products and not having to buy new ones.  

He then went back to his backyard and sat comfortably on his lawn furniture. On the top, he writes ‘John’s 2023 Map’ and on the bottom, he writes ‘Lab Technologist and a successful side hustle.’ As he was carefully formulating a road map to where he wanted to be by the end of the year, he was not only focused on progressing his career, but he also wanted to get closer to his family. He did not want to focus on a specific thing or else he would leave the other significant things unattended. An hour went by, and he felt overwhelmed because he was not able to make much progress. He impulsively decided to go for a drive and clear his anxious thoughts.  

Driving through the woods in silence with the windows down. He simply wanted the gentle wind on his face. Some listen to music to soothe them or help them instantly switch their immediate focus to a preferred one. For John, it is all about peaceful silence and fresh air. He comes back home and continues to devour his breakfast. As he typically went about his day, he kept thinking about the unfinished road map and it bothered him. One might wonder why they are unable to think of an ambitious plan for themselves. Are they incapable of inspiring one? That is further from the truth. We all accommodate several things going on in our lives and it impacts our cognitive ability to concentrate effectively.  

He yells. "Ah,” as he clutched his head with both hands. He could not stop thinking about it, and it undoubtedly hurt. He then tells himself with expressed frustration “Forget about the roadmap. Things will fall into place at the right time." John did not require clear-cut instructions. He preferred to go with the flow because for him, if something did not go according to his operational plan, then maybe, it was unintended to work out and something better is destined for him.  

As John was working on the road map, he carefully made backups plans as well. John carefully approaches everything with a realistic sense. He is aware of rare instances that could happen which could shift the course of the road map. He conscientiously tries to be flexible and is increasingly willing to adapt to change. One necessary thing John makes certain that he made part of his regular weekly routine is self-care. If he does not take care of himself, he will be suppressed, and the plan will fall apart or will not be done effectively.  

Well, now that John knew his end plan and a few possible uncertainties that could come along the way. He feels confident that he would achieve his goals if he was flexible and determined. John is wise. He realizes he may not make it to the end of 2023 because the world we live in is unsafe. Life is not guaranteed, death is. Whatever inevitably happens, his main aim is to treat everyone with the dearest respect and not make judgments because everyone has their vision board to work through.