During my week of reflection between Christmas and New Year’s, when I went back and read my journals from the previous year, what I hoped to see were patterns of growth and improvement.
I kept asking:
What actually happened this year?
What did I accomplish?
How did this year change me?
Did this year change me?
This year, my overall impression was that I stayed in one place. Sadly, despite constant pep-talks to myself, I didn’t change.
I didn’t drink more water, meditate every day, or lift weights. I just wrote about needing to start doing those things, but I never did.
So this year, I decided I needed to iterate. I needed to actually do the things I kept saying I wanted to do.
I needed to set up a project and commit to it. I needed to follow my own advice. I needed to reread The Project-Driven Life and set up a project according to my own rules.
Rule # 1: Excitement. I had to feel some excitement about this project.
Rule # 2: Duration. The project had to have a start and an end date.
Rule #3: Goal. I had to state up front what counted as finished.
When I wrote The Project-Driven Life over 10 years ago, my focus was on mastering something: learning how to play the ukulele or learning a new language.
Now, I’m more concerned with mastering the Infinite Game, that is, with seeing how long I can play the game of life, how long I can live with joy and gusto and creativity and kindness.
When I think of possible projects now, I think about those things that would sustain and enhance my life, and the lives of the people I care about.
If I can stay healthy, happy, and whole, I’ll have the vitality and resources to help others.
So around the solstice, I wrote down 6 things on little slips of paper. These were the 6 things that I knew would make me happy, healthy, and creative.
These were the things I knew would keep me playing the infinite game with gusto for a long time.
Here they are:
- Meditate daily
- Write everyday
- Daily yoga
- Daily breathwork
- Lift weights, do cardio, and walk.
- Read 50 books
How These Things Fit My Project-Driven Life Rules
Rule #1: Excitement
Each had considerable appeal. I wouldn’t say they “excited” me, but I felt doing them consistently would amp my vibe, for sure.
Rule #2: Duration
I wanted to start all 6 now and keep them going indefinitely. But I’ve tried overloading before, and it was a disaster. I knew I had to narrow it to just one. At the end of a year, I wouldn’t necessarily be done, but I would have considerable data to work with.
Rule #3: Goal
What counts as done? Most of the 6 use “daily” as a criterion, so calendar checks would be the metric. If it were 50 Books, I’d keep track on Goodreads. If it were Weights, Cardio, and Walk, I could also track it on a calendar, and there would be additional physical benchmarks, such as run/walk speed or heavier weights lifted.
But how to decide which one?
I decided to write each one on a little slip of paper. I folded each slip tightly and put them in a little dish. Each day, I picked one and, without reading it, burned it. The last one would be my 2026 Project of the Year.
The day there was just one left, I gave it to G. I felt really nervous. I wanted her to read it to me.
Here is the winner:
I was SO HAPPY. I really, really needed this. Especially the weights. I resist weights so much.
But every book and article I read says weight training is the most important thing you can do for your health, especially for post-menopausal women like me! It is more important than cardio. It is more important than yoga. It is more important than anything else you can do for your physical body. It will keep you, your bones, and your mind young and strong.
I feel the universe picked this one for me. The universe already knows that I will probably meditate, do yoga, and read—pth! Of course!
But I will NOT lift weights without the incentive of a nudge and a project.
So this time next year, I will be swole. (Bwahaha!)
And I will have this post to shame me if I’m not, and you, as my accountability partner readers, to keep asking me for pics of my bulging biceps.
Right? Right??
Love you!
Kath
Inspiration Location 