You wouldn’t knowingly spec the wrong product or an unsafe condition for a project, then why would you do so for your health? I was having a conversation recently with my younger sister about health and strategy for maintaining physical health by remaining mentally strong. From this conversation, it came to me that there is real value in actually writing down goals and aspirations. Essentially, as Simon Sinek talks about in his Leaders Eat Last book, the dopamine rush is such that seeing goals checked off is enough of a rush that it encourages motivation to keep moving in that direction.
Us architects, designers, and AEC peeps, all know better than to create a design and not document the process or the details of the project. If we call out some doors, paint, or hardware, but not document what it is or how to install it, and the all-too-often-used “leave it to the contractor to figure out” method is used, then we will most likely get what we don’t want. The client counts on us to ensure quality assurance throughout the project, heck, that is what they pay us for. If at any time I say “Oh, they’ll figure it out in the field,” I have just rolled the dice on quality and, potentially, quantity of cost. Now, where is the logic in that? We need to make sure we ensure, or at the very least, mitigate the surprises during the design and construction phases.
Now let’s take that concept back into real life. We wouldn’t let our teammates, office, or selves, get away with “leaving it to others,” so why would we leave something as important as our own health to chance?! That’s right, we shouldn’t, but we often do, and end up paying for it in our 40s and 50s, when all those late nights and studio stresses pop up seamingly overnight. This is the opportunity to make sure we get it right.
The next steps are: create a tangible book of goals. Write them down and strategize what the end result should look like. I personally, write down my goal exercises for the week and include results I want in my 5 and 10 year plans. Often times, I will take the time to lay out my meal plans and reevaluate based on how they make me feel, for two reasons: first, I want to make sure I am eating healthy, and second, I also want to stay on top of my finances and know how much I am spending.
Your strategy doesn’t have to be so in-depth, but ask yourself, do you want to leave your core health, the one thing you and your entire family rely on, to simple random chance? If you answer no, then you are a reasonable human being and we can be friends. Get out there and build your future!
