Do you struggle being an adult?
Everyone does at some point. But if you focus on just 5 areas of life, the struggle will be reduced. Are you ready to be a CHAMP? Good, let’s dive in.
CHAMP stands for Career, Health, Adventure, Money, and People. These are, in my opinion, the 5 areas of your life that need attention. They are broad enough categories to fill many many books on their own (and there are), but balance these areas over time and you will be a much happier and successful person.
CHAMP Explained
Career – This is the foundation of your life, your work life….how you put a roof over your head, put food on the table, and pay your bills. You must have a way to live independently to enjoy the spoils of success. This means finding meaningful work, in a growing industry or company, that allows you to learn, grow, and advance as far as you want. For those that want to work for themselves and own the company, do so in a growing industry or an industry that will let you grow your business. Your work is roughly 40% of your life. Choose wisely or choose often.
Health – In order to work and play, you must be healthy. I’m not talking super fit, running marathons or anything like that, but maintaining a level of health that prevents you from getting sick or injured on a regular basis. In order to do this, you have to learn how to maintain the proper level of health for your age. This changes over time, as you age, so be sure you know what you should be doing to maintain good health. Health also includes mental health. Emotional issues are just as serious as physical issues, because it will impair you ability to work and play.
Adventure – Seek out activities outside of your work that interest you, and that keeps you wanting more. Do you like travel, sports, music? Whatever it is that interests you, do it! But do not only do it, do it well. There is nothing like immersing yourself in a subject and going all in. One of my hobbies is poker. Not just playing poker, but reading about it, studying it, working on my game, and making vacation plans just to play in notable tournaments in my local area and elsewhere. Your life needs adventure to balance out the work that you do. Weather it is to escape reality for a while, learn a new skill, or do something crazy, do it, and enjoy it.
Money – In my opinion, this is the least enjoyable area for most people. The reason is simple, there is never enough money. We are humans after all and we always want more, more, more. Your level of income is a factor of 3 things, your chosen industry, your role in that industry, and how hard you work. Take a look at the top 25 highest paying jobs according to Glassdoor. The top industries are healthcare and technology. These two categories account for the top 9 highest paying jobs today. Can’t be a doctor? No problem, but work in the healthcare industry somehow. All industries need business people such as accountants, project managers, building managers, or any other aspect of running a successful and profitable business. Don’t know how to program? No biggie. Technology companies still need artists, human resource specialists, writers, and trainers. Just do your research and don’t settle.
The next big area of money, is how to manage it. Make sure you live below your means, budget wisely, and invest. Earning a living and managing money is probably the single most important subject that you are not properly prepared for. The fact that we aren’t taught this, especially at an early age, is sickening. Money management is a life skill that you will never truly master. You must work on the basics of budgeting, income growth, multiple income streams, and investing for retirement. Many sources exist, so try to learn as much as you can.
People – The last area of your life are the people you choose to share your time. These are people who inspire you, energize you, and share your interests. Also, this is how you learn to work with people. Be a student of human behavior and learn how to make the best of work, family, and friendships. There is a famous study out of Harvard that has been going on for almost 80 years. A TED Talk by Robert Waldinger, Director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development reveals the results of the study and it is astounding. The one true thing that determines your happiness is the quality of your close relationships. This is something that permeates throughout all aspects of your life. The people you work with and for, the people that help with your mental state, the people that enjoy your hobbies and free time, and the people who help you manage your money.
So what do you do now?
Work on it and measure it. You can focus on one area at a time or all at the same time. That part is up to you. But you must work in order to improve. Measure each area on a 1 to 5 scale. If you feel you are lacking in a particular area, then work on improving that area.
Start now with a simple self evaluation of each area in your life. Get a piece of paper and write down where you think you are on the scale. Or better yet, use my NerdZestCHAMP sheet.
Do it. Now!!! So easy!!!
Here are some questions to ask while you are evaluating your 5 areas. Are you working in an industry that is growing, thriving, and allows you to grow as well? Do you enjoy the work, enjoy the people, and the work you produce? Are you healthy for your age? Do you enjoy your free time with hobbies? Do you make enough money to meet your basic needs and fund a retirement plan? Are your close relationships healthy, and do you have people in your life that help you instead of hinder you?
Record the level of each area over time and notice how it changes based on what is happening in your life. Make changes in your life based on what you need to improve.
Future tools and posts will help you with evaluating and improving these 5 areas of life. If you concentrate on these areas, you will, over time, build an envious life to anyone that you encounter. Then, you can teach them to do the same by sharing the tools and techniques you learned at The Nerd Zest.
Make sure to do your self evaluation and let me know about it in the comments.