Lunch with Lynn in Lisbon

Earlier this year, a dear friend passed away from breast cancer. Lynn and I were knocked back on our heels. We have had a desperately busy year. So far in 2017, I have interviewed 82 guests. We ran a successful crowdfunding campaign. We wrote a book, Crazy Good Advice. And the year isn’t even over yet!

I went for runs in Hyde Park

We decided to follow the very advice that we gave in the book and put on our own oxygen masks. As the saying goes, “You can’t pour from an empty vessel.” So, we made the decision to take an extraordinary journey, a 60-day sabbatical.

It has been the trip of a lifetime: Portugal, Spain, the UK, and France. It has been all pleasure: no business, no email, and very limited social media. Just a deep sabbatical experience. I allowed myself to post pictures on Instagram. I used automated systems to schedule podcast updates, but mostly, I have been offline.

Before we left, we set our intention. We decided to focus on three priorities: rest, renewal, and reflection. I took full advantage of the time away. I took long walks. I napped when I felt like it. I read strictly for pleasure.

As you can imagine, this trip has been magical. It’s hard to pick just one moment above the others. However, there was one decision I made while away that helped me to deeply reflect on my life. I decided to take a self-assessment in every key area – spiritual, intellectual, emotional, physical and more. Then I began to make plans for how my life will be different in 2018.

Contemplating my LifeScore in Barcelona

So, here’s my question for you. How would you rank each area of your life?

How would you rate your health and fitness?

What about your finances? Or relationships?

Here’s the assessment that I used:

http://bestyearever.me/a19143/2018assessment

It’s called the LifeScore, and that’s exactly what it is – a self-assessment score for each area of your life. This free assessment takes less than ten minutes to complete.

I would encourage you to take the self-assessment. If you really want to stretch, send me an email and let me know what you discover.

I’ll go first. Here’s what I learned about myself:

• I’ve been doing well in areas like financial, vocational and marital. That’s not a surprise to people who know me. I’ve saved and invested for a lot of years. I pour a lot of effort into my business. And, well, I hit the lottery with my marriage.
• I work too much, and it’s costing me. This last year, I let my physical fitness slip a bit as I focused too much on my work.
• I could focus more on my relationship with my children.
• I’ve let my social connections slip – not the social media kind of connections, but the real face-to-face personal connections.

None of this is a judgment. It’s just something to notice so that I can make adjustments as I go into 2018. I’m making space for the things that matter most.

So, here’s my challenge to you. Take the assessment.

http://bestyearever.me/a19143/2018assessment

I plan to make 2018 my best year ever. Take the LifeScore self-assessment and see what you notice. Then let me know what you find out.