Progress

It seems to me that picking out "focal points" I want to develop and moving forward with them has been satisfying so far. Perhaps the biggest benefit is that I can look at my week and know that I put in enough time in lab to be considered a hard worker, yet I still have some time to practice my other interests. Before, I fell victim to considering my default state to be "I should be working," so I spent my spare hours either doing work or feeling guilty for not doing work. This way, I can reassure myself that I'm putting in the time (60 hours a week ought to be enough for anybody outside of real crunch time) without losing myself in one pursuit. I know it's still early, but I'm hoping this will really turn into something good if I stick to it.

First Post

So I've been meaning to stay well-rounded for quite some time, and I picked up a book by Margaret Lobenstine called "The Renaissance Soul" to help me get started. It had some really useful concepts and exercises, even if it was a little too forgiving of people who never stick to anything. To me, developing a variety of talents means setting a broad array of goals and doing the work to reach those goals. It takes more than claiming to be interested in a lot of different things. Hopefully I can articulate this as I go on.

For now, I recommend checking that book out if you have an interest in a lifestyle based around enjoying multiple hobbies. For my part, I've begun by selecting five focal points:

• I want to deepen my understanding of biology, starting with the area I'm researching
• I want to write, ultimately drafting the novel I've been meaning to put together
• I want to go on more adventures with my wife, growing together however we see fit
• I want to read more books. Try Shelfari to get organized.
• I want to keep my exercise routine going strong. It's important for me to keep my body in decent shape so I'm still able to be active when my life finally allows me some more free time.

Wish me luck. I realize I don't have any readers yet, maybe I won't for quite a while, but if you see this, I'd love to hear what kinds of focal points you all can come up wiht.