Science, Health, and Purpose
A Journey Toward a Better Me (and You!)
The end of the year is traditionally a time for reflection. This year, I'm really thinking about what I have done so far in my company-of-one and what I want to do in the near future. In this week's article, I will share some of my contemplations with you.
In the last couple of weeks, I've been using the angle of the gentleman scientist a lot. I really like this angle. It just fits me so well. There's nothing I like to do more than dive into wherever my curiosity takes me. So, from now on, this will be my main focus. That's what makes me happy, so I want more of it.
Project One: Funding the Playground
Which automatically brings me to my first research project. Being a gentleman scientist is cool and all, but there is the issue of money. We all need it. As I said before, I don't need a lot, but I do need some. So my first major project for the next year is figuring out how to do that.
I'm not actually a fan of setting financial goals like making lots of money just for the sake of making money, but I am making an exception. I want to make enough money so money is not an object anymore, and I want to do it in a way that really fits me as a person. So no "guru" stuff, just me trying to figure it out—finding my own way.
How I plan to do that is by embracing the gentleman scientist in me. That means looking for potential sources of income, experimenting with those sources of income, and discovering (hopefully) what works for me. I plan to write about these experiments because, as a scientist, you need to log what you are doing. Also, it would be nice to share what I find out so maybe it helps you.
Expect me to dive into all kinds of things, gathering lots of information, and then even more information, to be able to cut down to the essentials—and, in doing that, end up with something that works.
Project Two: Thriving at 40+
The second big project I want to do is about being healthy. By the end of the year, I will be 43 years old. Although I work out at least four times a week and I eat healthy (or think I do), I still feel like crap sometimes—more days than I’d like to. And that really sucks. So I want to do something about it.
Since I don't know what, the gentleman scientist in me wakes up. This is a fantastic project to figure out what works. I’d like to write a book about it—but first, research, of course!
So I plan to dive in really deep. I already started by thinking about what well-being actually is. As I said, I thought I was doing a good job for myself, but still, feeling like crap happens more than I want it to.
So I immediately thought there are two options:
I think I'm healthy, but working out and eating good food is actually a mistake. Maybe I'm not doing the right things, or I'm not eating as healthy as I think I am.
There’s more to it than just the physical part.
And that intrigued me.
Me being me, I started investigating if there might be more to it. After reading about it, I came up with a framework. Well-being is made up of four components:
Physical well-being: This has to do with food, exercise, sleep, relaxation—all that sort of thing.
Mental and emotional well-being: Mental and emotional health play a crucial role in overall well-being.
Work and financial well-being: Of course, you spend a lot of your time working, so obviously work has a major impact on how you feel. Then there's the financial part, which also has a big impact on how you feel.
Social well-being: We as humans are social animals—or so they say. As an introvert, this comes with a challenge. You do need some, but how much is enough?
Okay, that makes four parts. And a year has four seasons. So, each season, I will dive into one of these themes. I will try to figure out what works, and I hope to inspire you to figure it out for yourself at the same time. Yes, you can become part of this project. More on this at the end of this article.
In this year, I will dive into each of these themes. For every theme, I will take three months to experiment with all kinds of things to figure out what works for me. Along the way, I will write about what I'm doing, what it does, and how it affects me.
The goal is to write a book about this. And I'm starting a podcast to keep you updated every week.
What Will This Mean for My Weekly Newsletter?
My weekly newsletter will be slightly different from what you're used to. I will no longer be sending out every article as a newsletter. I expect to write a lot of articles on subjects that matter for my projects. So, what I will do is post them on Substack and then send out a weekly newsletter with recaps and links to the original articles. This way, you can decide what you'd like to read and what not.
What Did You Say About Being a Part of All This?
Oh yes, I almost forgot. Getting into shape can be hard. So I thought it would be fun to give you, the interested reader in being fit after 40, the opportunity to be a part of this journey. And you can!
By subscribing to Substack Premium, you get to be a part of this journey. You will find:
A supportive community where you find encouragement on your own journey
Input in the project via polls and Q&A
Access to in-depth articles
ResolutionReady for free: ResolutionReady is a program for building new habits. It works great for New Year’s resolutions. Normally it costs €25.
Join me in this exciting exploration of life, science, and well-being. Together, we can create something truly meaningful.