Journal

Just about everything will work properly if you unplug it for a few minutes.

Even you.

I think this quote sums me up quite nicely.

I’ve been thinking and rethinking a few of my behaviors and attitudes. What makes me a good person and what can make me a better person? Every now and then I find I could use help in areas I thought were fine but were revealed to be otherwise. This self-evaluation of core beliefs, what we are taught or what we have learned should be nurtured and constant.

Sleep early, wake early

I can better organize my day with some sort of routine or ritual when I am more energized.

Get more than 7 hours sleep

I’ve only recently discovered this the past few years. I wish I had learned it sooner.

Pray or meditate

Clarity or focus? Why not both? It is difficult to plan if your head is scrambled with multiple thoughts and distractions. I need to take some time to get my mind write. Prayer and meditation allows this better than anything else.

Do something different

Why be boring? Or bored? I need new stories and new adventures. I want to try things I’ve never done before. Take some risks. Have more fun.

Stop depending on stimulants

“We love the things that destroy us, because in that destruction we truly feel alive.””
I never understood this fascination with coffee. Or drug abuse. Although people think they perform better with these, the truth is, they really don’t. We’ve become so dependent on these things that we feel like we are incapable to perform without it. The problem isn’t the caffeine. It is the dependence to do daily tasks that don’t need it. It is possible. I know because I do without the coffee. But I do rely sometimes on sodas. Internal motivation, sleep, and some form of exercise can produce better energy than any other stimulant.

Stop consuming processed sugar

I enjoy sugary foods. I enjoy sugary foods knowing it hurts my gut but also my head. There is nothing of value to refined sugar that is depleted of vitamins or minerals. It makes me stupid, makes me fat, gets me cranky without it. How much more enjoyment can there be in my life without it? I don’t know. I’m hooked. I don’t know what to eat without it.

Write a short note

I enjoy leaving little notes behind in the most creative way to people I care about. I do need to have something else besides the drab yellow sticky note, though.

Write in your journal

Improve your writing skills, gain clarity, become your own therapist, detail curate your own history, plan your goals.

Read 1 book per week

Want to see the world differently? Try reading more. Try reading more than one genre. Change it up. You’ll be knowledgable on multiple topics and then realize you are able to connect these topics intelligently. Extraordinary people seek continued education and are always learning.

Podcasts on 1.5x speed

Listening and learning to faster audio helps cut your time in half. You learn faster. I use the Overcast app that uses Smart Speed. It automagically removes dead air, long pauses and even longer intros.

Make a bucket list and check some things off

Wether you have thirty days to live or thirty years, how would you organize your life for quality and enjoyment? Just like writing, try to have the end clearly in mind. And then plan around that. Focus on the priorities of life first and you’ll find time to rest and enjoy and play. Doing good work supports the lifestyle you choose based on these values and priorities.
No one lives forever and if you plan for this in mind, you can tick off some of those items. Take care of your personal planning needs and also your wants.

Try fasting

I’ve heard a few people try doing without food and drink, except water from anywhere between 12-24 hours at least once a week. While the idea sounds great, the practice is elusive to me. The idea that the digestive system can take a little break and that the other organs can have time to heal themselves is appealing. Supposedly a frequent practice of fasting can improve digestion, remove toxins, focus on mental clarity and improve mental/physical vigor. It is mentioned frequently in the Bible and other spiritual practices.

Fast from the internet

Reconnect with yourself and others as opposed to staying connected to the world. I’ve mentioned stimulants, sugar and other media. The internet counts. Reconnect with loved one instead. How much more attention and love can you give them? How much attention can be used towards your life goals, reading, writing, enjoyable activities?

Fast from the mainstream media

I’ve weaned off of this crap since right after the 2016 presidential election. No one is reporting the news, just stating their opinions. Everything is cyclical. The same stories, ideas, and agendas were discussed twenty years ago. Just change the names involved. I don’t care. Neither should anyone else.

Drink water frequently

This really does not need commentary

“I love you”

Saying and meaning this phrase not only changes them but it changes you. Not saying it has the same effects.
“The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.”

“Thank you”

Genuine gratitude is refreshing and rare.

“No”

“No more yes. It’s either HELL YEAH! or no.”
It is an easy word to say. “No” is a one syllable word but it is often the most difficult to say. I’ve found it easier and easier to say “no” recently.

Apologize

I messed up. Or, I messed up again. Now’s the time to apologize sincerely. Now is the time to make amends and let it go.

Remove all non-essentials from your life

Minimalism, essentialism; whatever you want to call it. Most of the possessions we have we don’t use frequently enough to justify having them around. I am frequently looking around for things to dismiss and saying “your services are no longer required.” It may be true that in 8 months after that I will need it but it will get replaced. Or I find I can make do without it after all.

Relax, guilt free

Ever see someone stop working only so they can ingest stimulants and get right back to working even longer? This is bad for creativity and productivity. It isn’t sustainable or healthy. Every hour I stand, stretch, walk around, refill the water and breathe deeply (so grateful for the apps on my watch that act as reminders)

Take a walk

The easiest, and most beneficial exercise we can do is walk.

“Where do you see yourself in five years?”

The dreaded question every supervisor asks. Mine just did recently during my annual review. Five years is too long. I prefer to cut that in half. I personally do this by not having such long term goals but to have frequent projects or experiments. How can I shave it down from five years to two and a half?

Save a minimum of 10%

I am at a point in my life where I am content. Finally. I am also at a point in my life where I am restoring my good name and credit due to some mistakes. Once this is finally addressed I can put even more money into savings. I can boost my retirement savings as well. I want to pay myself first and then pay the rest.

Give 10%

Or more. The world gives to the givers and takes from the takers. Find somewhere that will benefit and invest both your time and your money. Invest those things in your home that are no longer needed because you decided to pare down.

Faith or trust in something else

Believe in something greater than yourself, whatever that looks like. Or, whatever the mind can believe, the mind can achieve. Trust in yourself. Trust in others.

Practice daily kindness

One of the benefits of meditation for me has been appreciation and gratitude. This helps me become more sympathetic and empathetic towards others. I’ve complimented more. Listened more. Offered to assist if possible. Become nicer and more patient. Compliment others more. You’ll barely remember you did it, but the other person may never forget that you did. Kindness has unlimited upside.

Count your blessings daily

Thankfulness and gratitude is one of the best ways I can appreciate my life and those in it.

“The place to improve the world is first in one’s own heart and head and hands, and then work outward from there.”
– Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

This is not a know-it-all post. I’m learning as I go but I do want to share with what is working for me so far. I won’t go into the why. Everyone has their own reasons why and I’ve shared mine.

This website/journal is a great vehicle, for example. I can write down my thoughts and return to them later. It doesn’t have to make sense to anyone else. It doesn’t have to have all the answers. But the process of writing is therapeutic. It is a stream of consciousness.

After that I try to find my own space. Not just physical space but time as well. 30-60 minutes a day is do-able. In your room, in the car, on a meal break at work. Wherever and whenever it takes to practice self-care, meditation.

Go for a walk, sit on the porch, spend some time in solitude and focus on your breathing. Your quiet. I’ve shared my desire with those around me and most are supportive. I’ve shared my thoughts and feelings and what is desirable to me. The act of sharing this mindfulness, like I am doing now, can be powerful.

Last month on 2/2 I began my year long journey to create life long habits for myself and throw in some fun intentions as well. The plan is to check in every month to monitor my progress.

Nutrition & Training

Still no concentrated effort to change my diet and this breaks my heart (literally?). I am, however, seeing the scale go towards the right direction. I’ve lost five pounds these past four weeks. Thirty-five pounds more to go.

Walking and yoga have been my focus when it comes to training my body. How much better would it be if I added gym time? Coming soon, cycling, thanks to a recently acquired bicycle.

Yoga & Meditation

Hard to believe but I am actually looking forward to practicing both of these. The discipline to being consistent is still elusive but the desire is still there.
Smile. Breathe. Focus.

Photography & Writing

Slow progress in organizing the decades worth of photos in the archives. The Vault is setup and the images now need to be culled. After that, I can begin the process of further organizing and printing.

On writing, the saying goes: if you want to be a writer, you have to be a reader. So let’s chalk this past up to a lot of reading and zero writing.

4/4

This is a year long journey and I feel like I am off to a slow start. When I check in next month I want to detail better results.

Being new to the state of mindfulness it’s easy to get the wrong idea from all the jargon I can find online. The internet will show me images of people at complete peace with the world and themselves by sitting still and meditating for a few minutes but that isn’t my reality. I think being mindful can be powerful and I look forward to practicing it as often as I can but I want to do so in a way that will benefit me, not a guru wannabe.

Practicing mindfulness is difficult. I can meditate and then I will get antsy, want to get up, want to go do something else, plan my day, go to work, or anything else but focus on what I really want to do. It is difficult but I think it is worth overcoming that.

I will start with meditation and feel good about myself. Then miss a few days. Start again. Miss a day and feel bad about it. But this same lack of discipline and practice is EXACTLY why I need to do this to begin with.

Mindfulness can be uncomfortable. There are times when I need to be alone with nothing but my thoughts and there are times when I do not need to be alone with those thoughts. No one wants to face their personal demons when all they are wanting is to relax their brain, right? Or sometimes there is an itch that must be scratched right now. And now. And now the other side needs scratching instead of focusing my brain. Or the low growl of a hunger pain is overriding meditative thoughts. Am I doing this right?

That’s another thing. I can practice a certain way only to be told that there is a better way and try that instead. Even though I have found personal success. Tune that out.

When I do manage to practice mindfulness I realize it isn’t a cure-all. It won’t magically solve problems. It does require you to open your heart and be vulnerable. To be compassionate towards yourself and others. It forces me to except things as they are not what I wish them to be. Mindfulness requires me to let go and to unlearn some of the wrong things that I have learned. And mindfulness requires that I be curious, persistent.

I will never ever have this figured out. But this is why they call it practice.

Just experimenting with digital paint. I’ll explore more soon.