The network marketing mentor I had, Chris Estes, taught me this practice. I have adjusted it over the years based on what I have going on, so you don’t have to be rigid with this. He authored The A.P.P.L.E. Principle which is focused on Network Marketing, but can be applicable outside of it. Some of what I’m sharing is also from The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy. I reference that book at least once a week and believe it’s a must have book in every home library.

Your calibration vacation can look however you want. The important things is to set uninterrupted time aside to truly reflect, dream, and plan. I know that can be easier said than done. There have been times that I could do this calibration time over the course of an entire day/weekend, but there have been more times I do this over the course of a couple of weeks… a little bit at a time.

1. Get intentional
   • What areas of your life matter most?
     • Chris has buckets: Faith, Family, Finance, Fitness, Food, Fun, Philanthropy
     • I incorporate Philanthropy into Faith/Finance, Food is also part of fitness. I also add Friends to Family.
       • Here are mine: Faith, Family/Friends, Finance/Philanthropy, Fitness/Food, Fun
   • What do you want to experience in those areas?
     • Give yourself time to dream. Ultimately, what do you want?
     • Example: Ultimately, it is important that my family and friends feel loved and respected when they are around me.
   • What are your goals? Remember to keep them SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound)
     • Example: We will continue with the family/friends example: I keep working on being a better listener, and I schedule time with family and friends. Those are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Which means I can track it and reflect upon it.
2. Track it
   • Darren hardy has a weekly rhythm register that you can use to track your areas of focus each week.
   • Tracking isn’t fun for most of us. That’s not the point. It’s to become more objective about your life.
     • There have been times I feel like I’m not doing much. When I track what matters, I see if my feeling is right or wrong.
     • There have also been times I feel like I’m doing so much and making progress. Sometimes, I’m right. Sometimes, I have found that I sure am doing a lot… a whole lotta of nothing that creates true progress.
3. Reflect
   • I like to ask myself: What did I do well today? What could I have done better? What did I learn? What am I grateful for?
   • You can list as much or as little as you want. I write down 2-3 things I did well, 1 I could do better, 1 thing I learned, and several gratitudes. The more the merrier when it comes to gratitude.

Take some time to reflect and plan. Track and reflect daily. Then, you can do a calibration vacation quarterly to “check in.” Are you on track with your goals? What adjustments do you need to make?

When I do these things, life becomes less chaotic, more intentional, and fuller in the best way. Life is too precious to let it pass us by.