It's official: I am married to the love that I've been searching for my entire life, Lorena.

Lorena is incredible. She's intelligent, loving, supportive, and deeply committed to those that she cares about. Every day I pinch myself wondering how I got so lucky.

As I reflect on my happiness, I am keenly aware that my life didn't go according to the traditional plan, and what a blessing that has been.

My path was a little more winding. There were deadends and detours. But in the end I arrived to where I am today. A little wiser, and far more grounded.

I have learned to live life rather than life living me.

And now I am ready to live life with my beautiful wife.

#personal

In one week, Lorena and I get married!

All the tasks have been completed (minus one or two minor things) so the focus is entirely on preparing for family to come into town. I have excited nerves now, whereas before I was focused on just getting things done.

The enormity of this life event is not lost on me, and I plan to embrace every little second of it.

#personal

I have been to Vegas a few times in my life. It's not for me. I always say that the city feels like one giant ocean cruise ship – and well – I don't like cruises.

But other people like Vegas, so I find myself in the city regardless of how I feel about it. 🙂

This weekend Lorena and I are going to Vegas to attend the wedding of her brother-in-law's brother. It was nice of them to invite us (we've only briefly met once on Zoom). It worked out on the calendar so away we go!

I am excited to have a “normal” event again. You know, the pre-COVID things that people used to do. This is a new thing for me and Lorena as a couple. We had all kinds of plans to go to different concerts and other activities in our early dating days, and obviously those were put on hold due to the pandemic. Now that we are vaccinated and the country is slowly opening up, we get the chance to do these activities as a couple.

Lorena's family will be in attendance, so it will be nice to see them as usual. While the trip is a quick one, we will see everyone again for our own wedding at the end of the month!

#personal

I am becoming too productive, and it’s giving me anxiety.

In business, making lists is a good way to keep you accountable. They can help you be more productive. They assist in making sure you have your priorities straight and are working towards the right things. Overall, you’ll reach your targets with a well thought-out list.

Using lists is also how we can see positive movement in a business. This is especially true when you are just starting out, before any revenue is earned. That movement feels good. It keeps us fueled and moving forward, and we all love to check tasks off a big list.

I think lists are great for business, but when it comes to my personal life, it’s a little different. I have found that living from one to-do list to the other is a sure way to miss the moment.

Look, I am not one to write self-help advice and I promise that I am not going to start now.

I have just found myself reflecting on my current life (something I like to do) and evaluating whether I am living my life or if my life is living me. And lately it has felt like the latter.

A lot has been going on for me personally, and when professional aspirations and personal goals get overwhelming, I create lists to stay organized.

I have been living in my lists for about eight months straight now. Completing one and moving onto the other. At this point, it’s not even satisifying to finish a list, it’s just part of my standard routine.

I am becoming too productive, and it’s giving me anxiety.

Weird thing to say, right?

But it’s true, at least for me.

Over the past eight months I have been crushing tasks. Getting things done and Moving onto the next. Knocking that out. Rinse and repeat. I have been a machine marching forward.

And you know what? All this productivity is resulting in some pretty great outcomes. Business is more profitable than ever. Personal relationships are getting stronger. Life is becoming more colorful.

So I know what you’re thinking… all this sounds pretty great!

It is. It is great.

But I cannot deny that this pace of life is taking its toll on me. This outcome oriented outlook is causing me to miss the moment. This “get it done and move onto the next thing” approach is too mechanical for me. I can’t sustain it.

That is what causes me anxiety. I am in the habit of productivity and that’s not a good thing.

Anytime you have a habit, it means that you do something automatically. You don’t have to think. You don’t have to be present. It just happens because you’re used to making it happen. You’re able to switch onto autopilot. This is good for a little while, but I don’t want to be on autopilot throughout my life.

I have a few more lists to go, then I’m stopping.

The reality is that I have a few lists still on my plate, but they are getting close to being completed. As I finish them out, I am refusing to add more lists wherever possible.

I am not grasping the moment like I normally do. That gives me pause. Time is the most valuable asset that we have and I am not appreciating it nor experiencing it fully – and I blame these lists!

So, once I knock out these remaining items then I plan to just “be” for a little bit. For me, that means:

• Removing self-imposed sense of urgency on non-urgent tasks.
• Not planning a bunch of near-future events.
• Exploring my home city and surrounding area.
• Studying Spanish.
• Exercising daily.

I have a habit of making everything feel urgent – like it needs to get done as soon as possible or it will never be “as good” as it possibly can be. I suspect that’s how I am able to get anything done. By removing that self-imposed urgency (or, dialing it down), I will remove that tendancy to always be looking towards “the next thing” to do.

Avoiding any near-future event planning will help with removing that sense of urgency too. For me, when I plan an event that is 30-45 days out, it weighs on my mind and I start to go through that list process all over again. Be it for filing taxes or planning travel, it will occupy headspace until it’s done and dusted.

I think it’s best to not be traveling during this time so that I’ll have time to explore my new city with my fiancé Lorena. I like that. I need to get a better sense of where I live so I can appreciate the people and places.

But not everything will be about exploring the local area. I do have personal, self-improvement goals that I will dedicate some time to as well. Things like studying Spanish and exercising. I do these activities anyway, but lately it feels like I “make time for them” and that prevents me from fully enjoying the time spent.

A solid month or more of following this strict approach is enough to get me centered and to calm my mind before jumping into the next major projects of life and business.

If you got this far, here is what it all means…

I am not going to recommend you do exactly what I am doing. That feels a little egotistical. You are a unique person with your own life outlook. What works for me might not work for you.

But there is one key takeaway from this self-reflection that I wish to share.

My prescription may not be for you, but the underlying motivator is applicable for anyone. To be happy, you need to live the time you are given.

To do this you need to be present in the moment. Check-in with yourself. Analyze how you are feeling as you are feeling it. If life feels like it has been a bit of a blur lately, then you need to make a change – even if temporary – to gain a little control & perspective.

Trust me, you will feel more fulfilled.

#personal

I have never been to Dallas, but that's about to change!

This weekend I'll be heading to Dallas to visit Lorena's cousin to celebrate the birthday of their son.

This also marks the first time that I'll be meeting Lorena's extended family. During COVID this has not been possible. We've been able to get together with our parents and siblings, but that's about it. Around the holidays I was able to meet some of them on Zoom, but I think we all can agree that Zoom can be a little impersonal.

Lorena's extended family is HUGE (especially compared to mine). I really look forward to meeting all of them over the coming years. In some ways it feels like I am being “initiated” into the family, and I like it! 😄

#personal

My paintbrush is different, but I still create art.

For years, I never considered myself an artist, at least not in the traditional sense.

I don't have a paintbrush. I don't know how to draw. I don't produce original works of music or sculpt anything with my hands.

The world would agree that I am by no means a traditional artist.

But if art is considered the expression of creativity... well, that changes things.

Creativity fuels my ideas, and for over a decade these ideas have been put onto a canvas. Tech tools, processes, and communication bring these ideas to life. Every day I am creatively positioning, researching, marketing, increasing revenues, and forming new connections.

And thanks to the internet, my art is experienced on a global scale.

I am an artist.

#personal

Visiting family hasn't been easy for anyone in the past year or so due to COVID. So, when family visits do come about, we really value them.

This recent trip we have taken to Michigan and Connecticut has a different feel to it than the same trips we made at the end of last year. We are now vaccinated, so the worry of traveling isn’t there (at least not on the same level). We could also do a bit more than before because of being vaccinated, but overall it was much of the same.

I think 2021 will be a year of unraveling and “testing the waters” globally. It won’t be life as before quite yet, probably not for a couple more years assuming all goes to plan with global vaccination efforts.

Lorena and I plan to make family trips the priority this year, followed by a few personal travel destinations. Places like MI, CT, CA, Mexico, and Germany. I am beyond excited to add these trips into our routine.

#personal

Hey Justin,

it's April Justin.

You're reading this again (hopefully), and it's October now. Wow, a LOT of great things have happened!

I want to remind you to take a moment, look back, and think about all that you have done so far this year.

Better yet: think about all that you have to look forward to!

Keep going, and continue to laugh along the way – as you always do.

#personal

It took some time, but it finally happened. Lorena and I have received the vaccine. What a year has been, amiright?

Remember the beginning of COVID? Back when it was this mysterious illness from overseas? Back when we could actually count the number of people total that had it in the U.S.?

Over the past year Lorena and I were both fortunate that no one in our family died from the illness. Her uncle got it, and my grandma did in her nursing home. Both of them got through it. In fact, my grandma didn't even show any symptoms.

There was so much we didn't know, but over time it became evident that the danger was very real.

I rememember chuckling when Lorena insisted that I wear gloves when in public. Yet not too long after that I was wearing both gloves and a mask whenever going outside. It was the new normal.

Truth be told, we have gotten used to living during the pandemic. We have a routine. But we also were being vigilant about how we could get the vaccine. At a certain point survival instincts couldn't be ignored anymore.

We are now vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine. I personally feel the same as before. I plan on still being cautious (wearing masks... the gloves have long been a thing of the past).

It will be interesting to see the world slowly unravel from all of this. As far as I can tell, COVID vaccines will probably be a regular thing for the foreseeable future. But not all bad has come from this on a personal level. Something I plan on reflecting on in the near future.

For now, Lorena and I rest a little easier knowing that we have made it through the toughest part.

#personal

Something new and excited has happened the past couple weeks: Lorena and I are starting to make travel plans!

A couple of weeks ago, we got our first shot for the COVID vaccine. It's a weird feeling in many ways because while we are still living life as we always have for the past year, we can actually start to make plans for traveling.

To be fair, we did travel during the holidays last year to visit family. While the experience wasn't bad on the airplanes, it was a bit stressful at times. Well, that will no longer be the case. Of course, we still plan to do all the proper COVID things like wearing masks, sanitizing our seats and hands, and keeping our distance. But it will be from a place of confidence.

Initially our travel plans will be confined to the United States. But as soon as we can we'll be heading off to Mexico to visit her family. I have yet to go with her, and I can't wait!

#personal