Gregory Paul Johnson – Personal Update 200901 | 31 January 2009 | Saturday
Summary. There’s not much new to report this month, other than some minor tweaks to the regular update. So, I’ll provide the general summary of where things are at for those who are new to these personal updates. This month I’ve made some changes to the health and also relationships sections. I’ve posted new photos from my recent India trip from December 25 to January 15. After a long break from composing music, my latest song, Lakota Future, is now available. Everything else remains much the same. Life categories are listed below in the interdependent progressive order they are presented on the life map page.
- Lifeways. My philosophy and religious practice continues to be defined as Adonaikido which I also refer to as Applied Judaism since it is based upon Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) – a foundational teaching and goal of Judaism. I often tell people, “I don’t want to know what you believe. I want to know how do you live because of what you believe.” This is a unifying statement because many of us have different beliefs, yet we share common values, goals, and practices. My daily practice begins with stretching (Yoga/Pilates), a quiet meditation with deep breathing, exercise, and then expanding in the other areas of life described below. Following the Schedule for Life is at the core of my belief system and practice. I continue to look to the Blesofsky family as mentors and role models for me. They miraculously manage to be attentive parents and also have time to reach out to the community in many ways. They simultaneously follow the ancient traditions of Judaism while embracing the latest in modern information technologies (such as their website). I know how demanding it can be to serve as an outreach focused family. So, I try to support them as I’m able. Their outreach is holistic and offers support and advice for all areas of life such as health, finance, family, relationships, and career as well as the spiritual questions of life.
- Health. Since my last update my weight has remained the same. I guess the good news is that I’ve not gained any weight. Yet, I still want to achieve some weight loss. Since my return from India, I’ve been walking almost daily. I’m hopeful the walking will give me the aerobic benefits of running without the impact. With the colder weather, I’m walking on a treadmill at the gym. I’m using the Nike+ and iPod to keep track of my workouts and publish this information to my personal web page.
- Career. I’m thankful that my work at the University of Iowa is going well and my consulting business continues to be busy. My clients have been really wonderful to me. I’m very grateful.
- Finance. My financial situation is stable right now. I continue to look for ways to decrease my regular expenses and increase my income. I’ve recently started investing in Kiva, an organization that loans money to the working poor of the world. I’ve also begun seeing some revenue come in from Google AdSense ads that I’ve placed at the bottom of a few pages on the website. Using Google AdSense ads has allowed me to conduct a study of website advertising.
- Relationships. I continue to be grateful for the relationships I have with family, friends, colleagues, and clients. I’m keeping in regular touch with Makur and continue to be thankful to have her in my life. We both enjoyed my recent visit to India from December 25 to January 15.
- Activism. My book, Put Your Life on a Diet, continues to do well. I believe that responding to emails and media inquiries will be an excellent method of outreach. I continue investing time in upgrading the Resources for Life.com website which is reaching hundreds of people from all over the world every day. In the future, other than consulting, I see my greatest positive impact and most effective use of my time being through the website. With regard to activism, I believe that the answer is to live the answer. Lifestyle activism and becoming the media are powerful tools.
- Effective Living. I’ve been deepening my understanding and practice of effectiveness principles, tools, and techniques. The website conversion is part of this effort. I have a renewed commitment to the Schedule for Life and the Holistic Living System which help to provide maximum effectiveness and efficiency.
Many thanks to all of you who are continuing to keep me in your thoughts, prayers, and meditation time. ~ Gregory
About the Personal Update
For about seven years, the first and most important communication I would send out each month would be a personal update covering seven areas of life described on the Map Page of the Resources for Life.com website. I reference this monthly practice in my Schedule for Life. Over the years, my personal updates went out each month to about 10 family members and friends who I consider to be my “advisory board.” A group of people with several hundred years of collective wisdom. As well as looking for feedback and guidance, I also saw these updates as a way of making a regular personal life assessment. As of September 2007, I began putting these monthly updates here in my online Journal. The seven areas of my personal life have solidified in recent years, so there’s not much “news” to report, but as there is, I’ll report it here in these updates. Additional writings are available through my online journal and other writings.