Integrity Checks

I reckon it’s a good idea to periodically check that you are doing everything you can to create the life you want for yourself.

Most people do this once a year on new year’s eve. I find I benefit from doing it as often as I remember. Probably once a day is ideal.

Generally I sit down and review everything that’s going on in my life and I usually find a few “lose ends” : things that I have been putting aside, not doing, leaving for later, or just ignoring because it seemed more convenient that way.

The interesting thing is that if I deal with them I feel better. It’s like keeping things unfinished like that consumes your energy/resources even though it doesn’t involve you doing anything. Dealing with lose ends will free up loads of your energy and enable you to focus on other things, things that are important to you.

Doing an integrity check is really easy first make a list of your lose ends, then of your top priorities, and then make a list of how you can take action now. Once your done, take a deep breath and set about your lose ends. Then take action in the ways that are available to you now to move towards your top priorities.

It’s so simple it seems obvious but we nevertheless often forget to go about things in this way and end up sabotaging our own dreams for lack of organization (design) and by forgetting to take effective action.

Here is my integrity check for today, to give you an example of what I’m talking about :

18/09/2011 integrity check

List of my lose ends :

do the dishes.
clean house / put away gear.
see Tristan about his website.

List of my current top priorities :

Become a great musician, and enjoy playing and writing songs every day. This includes having top vocals skills, guitar skills, learning keys and bass and drums over the years, mixing / producing skills. The most important is the playing / singing - in terms of personal satisfaction.
Travel, have fun, overcome my limits, grow into a person who is capable of doing more things. Creating myself a life with more love and less fear.
Earn a lot of money, earn enough that I can buy anything that money can buy as soon as I want it, and on the way learn to be aware of what I really want. Perhaps through using the web and my skills therein for promoting my music creating websites for other people or other ideas.

How I intend to take action today :

sing+practice for 2hours+
record some of the new songs for sacem.
visit Tristan and talk webdesign.
write post about integrity checks for twiwytii as a reminder to self to do them often (this is it)
write for prana web blog (to improve SEO)
work on transag project