Quarterly Quest Check-In: Facing Challenges, Finding Purpose, and Staying Consistent
A Reality Check on My Quarterly Quest
It’s been a couple of weeks since I started this journey of newfound empowerment and organization. And I have to say...
This is hard—much harder than I imagined.
When I first set out to create goals, become more productive, and take back control of my life, I didn’t fully grasp just how far I had strayed from the ‘straight and narrow’ path.
From a life perspective, I’ve realized I wasn’t in the best place mentally or emotionally. I wasn’t fulfilled, and I certainly wasn’t happy. Now, don’t get me wrong—I love my wife and two boys more than anything. But I wasn’t living up to my full potential with them, and honestly, I wasn’t living up to my potential for myself. And as for my finances? Let’s just say I’ve been way too lax, and it shows.
I also learned something else very quickly: Anxiety and overwhelm set in fast when I attach deadlines and specific metrics to my goals. Take this blog, for example—I set up accountability measures to create a sense of pressure, yet here I am, writing my second post almost two weeks late.
Time for a little reflection.
Over the past week, I took a step back to reassess. No, I’m not throwing in the towel—far from it. That would be ridiculous.
My quests remain unchanged—unwavering and concrete. But what I am committing to is consistency. Every day, I will show up with purpose and prioritize one thing that must be completed before I move on to anything else.
For example, today’s goal was simple: Get my thoughts out for a new venture (more on that in a second). Not only did I do it, but I ended up producing three times more than I expected—all while walking 18,000 steps. Woot!
So, what’s the takeaway?
It’s okay to put pressure on myself to get things done. But I also have to be realistic about what I can and cannot achieve within a given timeframe.
Quarterly Quest Update: Where I Stand.
I’ll share the specifics of what I committed to soon, but here’s a high-level check-in.
For my work quest, I set a goal to have some sort of business or side hustle up and running by March 31. By January 31, I needed to have a list of viable (and profitable) ideas. So, what did I decide on?
Well, I did create a list—a pretty long one, actually. And after some deliberation, I landed on something that will take a bit of time but feels right.
I’m going to write a book.
Yes, a book.
I’ve always wanted to create something that could help even one person in their personal or professional life. Writing a book and becoming a published author has been a long-standing dream of mine. As I worked through my goals, I found myself struggling with the idea of life purpose—and this is where I landed.
I know what you’re thinking: Justin, how on earth are you going to write and publish a book by March 31?
Great question. Honestly? I don’t know. But I do know that I’m going to take you along for the entire journey—start to finish. I’ll share more details in an upcoming post.
As for my personal quest, my goal was to reduce screen time and be more present with my family. While I’ve deleted most social media apps from my phone, I haven’t made as much progress as I hoped. And you know what? That’s okay.
I keep reminding myself: As long as I improve 1% every day, I’m better than I was yesterday.
That’s it for now—more updates coming soon. Hopefully, I can establish a regular cadence (fingers crossed!).