the robkaiser.me project

Just wanted to say I enjoyed your story with the man and his son.Awesome it was cool to read your updates haven't been on here in awhile.Keep up the good work!

Ben Skiba wrote:Just wanted to say I enjoyed your story with the man and his son.Awesome it was cool to read your updates haven't been on here in awhile.Keep up the good work!

Thanks Ben - despite all the changes in life this is something that's consistent.  

I don't think I'll be going anywhere anytime soon - so as long as you're around, I'll be here as well.  

Many thanks for your continued support and encouragement.  Thank you!

I’m finding my way…yet I feel like I’ve been saying/writing/thinking this for quite some time.  

Too long.

Here we are, the first Monday in Q4 2021 – where are you at with your life?

Only recently have I begun thinking about years in this quarterly manner.

I’d done so previously, but by the age of 40, I lived so seasonally at this point, my quarters were:

Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter

The reality is that most of the world doesn’t operate that way, and I caved.

It really stemmed around from the use of the Self Journal – by the Best Self Co, which I’ve been using for approximately three years now…and the writing of this project is tied to that.

Apparently as I grow into middle age, the desire to leave a legacy of some kind grows as well.

However, I don’t have children – and I often times find myself wondering about what my purpose is.

Accordingly, I’ve explored many a topic and subject, but haven’t truly pulled the trigger on any *one.*

It’s no surprise that I’m all over the map with my projects, having many unfinished projects…but many unfinished because many are poorly defined.  The identified dysfunction in my own life has presented itself in a number of ways – and one could potentially argue that it has in terms of my health.

Last month, I had my first appointment within the Functional Medicine Department at the Cleveland Clinic, after entertaining the idea for approximately four years and working through some health issues on my own first in order to fully capitalize on the experience I find myself in right this very moment.

It’s somewhat intimidating, quite frankly – but also somewhat exciting.  The biggest change over the next 8 weeks is going to be with my diet, a grain-free elimination diet…something I have spoken about in past podcast episodes you can see here:

• Ep. 189 - AAR on Functional Medicine and The City
• Ep. 193 - Functional Nutrition

At this point, almost one month after my initial appointment, I’ve completed all testing and am now moving forward with the suggested dietary and nutritional supplement protocol.  I am on this grain-free elimination diet for 6-8 weeks and then I begin reintroducing items back into my diet at that time.

I’m looking forward to learning how to use new foods, seeds, pseudo-grains, in the kitchen and will do nothing but benefit from these changes being made.  I’m also using this as a springboard to focus on the four pillars of Functional Nutrition during Q4 2021:

1. Nutrition
2. Movement
3. Sleep
4. Stress

The focus being on Nutrition and Stress

I’m going to largely attack stress via sleep and increased time in bed and quality sleep.

Hoping that the next 8 weeks will provide an incentive / framework for documentation that I might not otherwise do.  This is going to become my “life project” for lack of a better term, and I feel increasingly confident that fully embracing my health and well being in this context will help me further identify my “why” in this life and be able to execute upon that when I am able to better ascertain that.

In the interim, my health *must* be my focus, otherwise all efforts on finding my “why” or anything else for that matter, are not a good use of my time.  If I were coaching someone on obtaining the best results in life – I’d suggest personal health first and foremost in conjunction with elimination of consumer debt.  I had done the latter, but all this medical testing is changing that…but luckily I’ve got a plan.

The Baby Steps as taught by Financial Peace University have become such an integrated part of my life that I understand that life on life’s terms sometimes means one step forward and two steps back…but it’s the consistency in which we live that allows us to continually make progress in the long game.  That’s why just six months ago for the first time in my life I was comfortably in Baby Step 3.

It’s only a matter of time before I am right back there, but in the meantime – my health and improving my skills in the kitchen are going to be my primary areas of focus.  When there’s some spare time, I’ll be doing some writing like this, or working together with my dog Toby (named after Toby Hemenway, RIP)…otherwise, it’s going to be a simple Q4 and Autumn season for me – my priority is my health.

Until next time…peace.