Michael Hyatt: Your Best Year Ever

Okay, this book was great. As I listened I found myself wanting get started right away applying his ideas. It's a short listen at 4h 33m but he has packed in such good info. The author talks about the several different domains of life which was great because sometimes I tend to focus on career but when evaluating my life I need a lot of work in other areas of life. Honestly the info was not rocket science but it was delivered in a clear concise way. He of course touches on SMART goals but adapts it to SMARTER goals. Read the book to see his adaptation. The audio book was read by the author which is a nice touch.

I feel like he gives simple ways to start writing and putting goals to action. I do have a couple of small complaints though (which did not stop me from listening to the book twice). At the end he seems to pitch his master class that he teaches in conjunction with the book. This move does make sense given her wrote the book based on his class. I just don't love a book with a pitch at the end but to be fair it was a soft pitch. The other thing I found a little bit lame was the means of meeting his goals. For example he talks about utilizing his secretary to schedule things and prepare things for him i.e. set things up for success. He also talks about some of the automation techniques he uses. These would be of great help to accomplish goals but the caveat is I don't have these resources at my disposal. Regardless of your resources there are no excuses not to go for your goals. Maybe I'm just jealous he has access to resources that are out of my league at this point. Regardless, I did not love those aspects of the book but in the end it is a relatable read. 

He does touch on some of his personal life which I liked and found relatable. At first, as I was listening, I started to think I don't have time for goals and then he mentioned he has 5 kids and I realized I was making excuses. I have 5 kids when he mentioned this it resonated with me giving me a sense of self-efficacy. 

If you are looking for a book that encourages not only goal writing but pushing you out of your comfort zone, this book is great. It's well rounded not just focusing on your career but talks about setting goals in all aspects of life. 

Have you read this book? If so, let me know what you thought.

Haven't read it? Here is an affiliate link to check it out. Michael Hyatt: Your Best Year Ever 

Have any book suggestions? I would love to hear what you have enjoyed reading so I can read it too. 

Almost 5 Years Later: My Loan Is Still HUGE

I've been a PT almost 5 years now... The time has gone fast and life has taken me on a journey. I graduated, got a job, and worked hard. I paid extra on my loans for 2 years then I made the bold move of working for myself! I opened a small PT office in the town I grew up in. Things were going okay (not amazing but I was able to cover the basics and I continued to make minimum loan payments. Then Covid hit like an unexpected snowball to the face. Patients cancelled therapy and there were no new patients. The rug got pulled out from under me! 

So I closed up shop and took a 1099 (contract job) upwards of 1600 miles from where I was. The money was good and the thought of making some extra payments on my loan was enticing. At this point I have been doing this contract work for 6 months and starting to chip away at my loan with small extra payments. 

I used to have the mentality that I can't do anything until my loan is paid off but at the moment I have come to terms that I will just keep chipping away a little bit at a time and keep living live. This doesn't mean that every once in a while I don't freak out about the sum but for the most part I just try to forget about it and just understand it is part of my budget for the foreseeable future. It's not really how I thought things would go but plans change.

If I allow the loan to paralyze me with fear and anxiety that I am chained to it for years and years to come. The fact of the matter is for now I am tied to the loan but I have to live life. I have a family to raise. Having 5 kids and a wife I just can't say sorry family we are going to move to a one room studio apartment for years to come so I can pay down my loan. So I will continue to budget and pay down the loan as best I can. I surely will shave some time off but I guess I am not going to be the story you see on Yahoo! News about getting my loan paid off in an incredible period of time. I can only imagine what the headline would say if an article was written about me... Guy Pays Off 185K In 27 Years: How He Did It. 

When it comes down to paying down your loans find a plan that is realistic and stick to that plan. We'll make it through the next couple of decades together. 

Join the journey with me! Leave a comment and let me know where you're at in the process.