My friend John Ahn made a brilliant point that I just hadn't found my levels. I was still living at home, I was spending a little too much, and I wasn't eating too well. I was on the right track though. I exercised, I meditated, I read, I had hobbies like chess and writing, and I had a job. So what are the aspects of life that need balance, and what are each of our levels? I'd like to write about mine then invite him to write about his.
1. Diet
My level is that I need to eat fairly healthy, but in a way that is easy, manageable, and delicious. I need to be a weight of between 160 - 200, which I am, and I need to cook, which I don't. I need to spend very little on food and not drink soda. I cut out soda, but I do eat out too much.
2. Alcohol and other vices
My level is none. I can't tolerate those things.
3. Exercise
I need a little bit. I walk a lot for fun, box sometimes, do qigong sometimes, and other calisthenics, but I don't go wild
4. Money
I need about 45k a year to manage my lifestyle. I can struggle on with less, but 45k is good enough to be at the optimal level. Right now I make about 38k. I have a little savings, but I am breaking even with my income statement each month. So not bad, but this is in fact my biggest weakness.
5. Spirituality
Perhaps this is spiritually materialistic to link with the other things. I need a ton of this. I need to meditate many hours a day either in walking, standing, sitting down, or lying down form, read about it, try new techniques, and think about it a lot. I also need to meet with great minds in any way I can. It's significant for me. I'm somewhere near where I want to be.
6. Intellectual
I need a little of this, though my excellent memory allows fantastic retention so maybe I am just getting my fill. I know a lot of facts and theories, and am very creative, but I don't need to spend a lot of time on it. I'm lucky in that way. Others may have a different level.
7. Hobbies
I need a moderate amount of these, as I said, from chess, to writing, to cooking, to martial arts, to travel. I'm about where I need to be.
8. Friendships and relationships and family
I need a lot of friendship, a lot of time with my close family, and a little time with romantic relationships. At least for now. I should say though, with romance I get a lot of joy from connecting rather than the physical aspects. That's a good thing too. I don't have a girlfriend, but I occasionally go on dates which lead next to nowhere. That's not my priority right now, but the level's not quite where it ought to be.
9. The future and hope
I need a lot of this, and I generally have a lot of heart. That's a description no one self applies where I come from, but that's OK. As John Ahn reminded me, failing to plan is planning to fail, so in pursuing my doctoral applications, writing books, teaching, thinking, and reading, perhaps a plan is in order.
I invite him to write a similar level article.
