Tag Archives: self improvement

I am not yesterday’s mistakes!

30 Thursday Jan 2014

Posted by in Daily Life, Finding Me

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Christina’s World by Andrew Wyeth

Christina’s World by Andrew Wyeth – I love this painting for what I see in it, while some may see despair, I see hope!

“Renew, release, let go. Yesterday’s gone. There’s nothing you can do to bring it back. You can’t “should’ve” done something. You can only DO something. Renew yourself. Release that attachment. Today is a new day!” –Steve Maraboli

I am not my mistakes of yesterday!

I am today! I am now!  I can be a whole new person and not let yesterday define my tomorrow.  Yesterday was a lesson that I needed to learn!

So I had too much chocolate cake yesterday.  So I wasted time talking to a guy that I know is not good for me!  So I watched too much bad TV.  So I didn’t exercise!  So what?

None of that is a death sentence! None of that has to be forever! All of that is me, parts of me that I struggle with. I own it, I face it, I struggle with it, I defy it, I make promises, I repeat it and then I try again the next day.  It sounds like a vicious cycle, but it doesn’t have to be.  I can change it with every new day, with each new second.

“It is important that we forgive ourselves for making mistakes. We need to learn from our errors and move on.” –Steve Maraboli

Not everything is under my control, but a lot is, and what I choose to do with my life is.  I have free-will!

I finally realized that I am not as nice to myself as I think I am.  I still beat myself up for indiscretions that I, time and time again, promise not to repeat and I realize I am making matters worse.  It is important for me is to be less judgmental and more accepting of my flaws.   Trying so hard to be so perfect is making me weaker and more susceptible to continue the cycle.  Acceptance is key!

I can spend today regretting yesterday and admonishing myself.  Or I can face it, and understand the fact that I am weak when faced with certain things. I can come up with strategies and ways to make sure I change that which needs changing.  I can tell myself to move on.

 “The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize that the situation is over, you cannot move forward.”     –Steve Maraboli

I am not changing over night, and expecting instant results is the fastest way to fail.  I am not swearing off sugar and throwing my TV out of the window.  Moderation, moderation – That is the route that I think it will work for me.  Baby steps!

I can (and should) ask for help, from God (the Universe/the Light), from writings, from people. I don’t want the challenges removed.  I want strength to deal with the challenges. And with each new challenge I grow stronger.

I can pay attention and learn to identify the trigger situations and get better at dealing with them.  Planning is a great defense to make sure that the cycle gets broken.  The Boys Scouts are right, “Be Prepared “is a great motto to have!

“Renew, release, let go. Yesterday’s gone. There’s nothing you can do to bring it back. You can’t “should’ve” done something. You can only DO something. Renew yourself. Release that attachment. Today is a new day!” –Steve Maraboli

I love myself and because I love myself I am going to be even nicer to myself, my body, mind and soul.

I am who I want to be! I am not who I was yesterday or one minute ago.  I am going to start acting like the person I want to be, fake till I make it.

I am my words, thoughts, feelings, and more important; I am my actions!  Words and thoughts alone without action are meaningless, still that is where it all starts.   Thoughts become words, which then get translated into actions. I have to act my thoughts and feelings!

It is important that I continue to populate my mind with positive things, that I read the right things, that I watch the right things, that I have the right friends.  By right I mean, that which will help me continue on this path that I am choosing for my life:  a simpler and yet more purposeful and rewarding life to me and those around me.

Moral of my story:  forgiving myself, learning the lesson and moving forward always!   Inching towards my goals is better than being stationary or moving backwards!

 “If people refuse to look at you in a new light and they can only see you for what you were, only see you for the mistakes you’ve made, if they don’t realize that you are not your mistakes, then they have to go.” –Steve Maraboli

 

What seeds am I planting?

20 Friday Dec 2013

Posted by in Daily Life, Finding Me

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Whistler, BC, Canada

Whistler, BC, Canada – where I would love to be at this moment!

I was thinking of 2014 and I realized how important what I am doing at this very moment contributes to my future – no earth shattering news there but sometimes I catch myself going through the motions and not really living or paying attention to what I am doing.

I decided, to quote my favorite movie “Shaswhank Redemption”, get “busy living” instead of get “busy dying”.  I decided to take a look at my present behavior to see if I am conducting myself in a way that benefits my future.  What seeds am I planting?

Here are the questions I am asking myself, and in a way here is my self improvement list:

1)    Am I getting enough sleep and drinking enough water?

2)    Am I learning to accept, love and take care of my body the way it deserves?

3)    Am I watching what I eat and drink?  Am I getting enough protein and less sugar?

4)    Am I making sure I am not overindulging in anything, and letting any one thing control me? Chocolate, TV, even a good thing such as exercise can become an addiction if I let it control me.

5)    Am I reading more and watching less?  Books are food for my mind and soul, TV can sometimes desensitize us and make us life observers and not participants.  (of course there are bad books and good TV shows too!)

6)    Am I making sure I am not wasting my time online with useless distractions?  Online life can be addictive and unreal.

7)    Am I simplifying my life?  Getting rid of the excess, old and unused? Donate, trade, re-purpose!

8)    Am I recycling and not wasting resources?

9)    Am I keeping clean surroundings?  A clean desk, house, mind means more efficiency.

10)  Am I respecting my parents and my elders? Am respecting their opinions, their limitations?

Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death. ~Anaïs Nin

11)  Am I being kind to strangers?  Am I being kind to all, especially when it is most difficult to do?

12)  Am I surrounding myself with quality people, good energy people? Am staying away from negativity?

13)  Am I getting myself out in the world and networking and cultivating good relationships?

14)  Am I updating my resume and qualifications? Am I being ready and prepared should I come to need it?

15)  Am I giving back to the community, to the world? Am I volunteering my time and energy to worthwhile causes?  Am I donating money?

16)  Am I obeying the laws, written and unwritten?

He who knows others is learned;
He who knows himself is wise.
~Lao-tzu

17)  Am I being moral and ethical? Am I making sure that I am not taking shortcuts?

18)  Am I replacing old bad habits with new good ones? For example, taking a walk after dinner instead of sitting in front of the TV.

19)  Am I facing my fears and getting out of my comfort zone? This is the where and when my soul shines and my self esteem rises!

20)  Am I smiling often? Am I smiling when things are good and smiling even more when things are bad?

21)  Am I making sure I am not settling for less than what I deserve for fear (of something, the unknown, of being alone, etc)?

“It takes courage…to endure the sharp pains of self discovery rather than choose to take the dull pain of unconsciousness that would last the rest of our lives.” 
― Marianne Williamson

22)  Am I talking less and listening more? Am I using my words for the good?

23)  Am I using my skills and talents to the best of my abilities?

24)  Am I always learning something new?  (to me this is the key to staying young)

25)  Am I praying and having positive thoughts throughout my day? Am I trusting the God/Universe/Light within me?

26)  Am I being in the moment?  Am I being conscious of my actions and not going through life as a robot?

27)  Am I forgiving and forgetting? Am I forgiving others for wronging me?

28)  Am forgiving myself for past mistakes? Am I taking corrective measures to right and wrong but not dwelling in it?

29)  Am I learning to ask for help and accept help when I need it?  Am I offering help?

30)  Am I creating goals and working towards achieving them?

All men should strive to learn before they die
what they are running from, and to, and why.
~James Thurber

31)  Am I keeping stress at bay, by learning to relax, breathing and hitting pause when necessary?

32)  Am I being non-reactive? Am I making sure that I am not being impulsive with my actions?

33)  Am I being financially responsible and living within my means?  Am I cutting out unnecessary expenses? Am I having respect for my money and the hard work I put in to get it?

34)  Am I accepting people as they are, and not imposing my will on them? Am I being non-judgmental?

35)  Am I welcoming pain, problems, obstacles, challenges, etc, as a growth opportunity?  Am I looking at the situation and learning from it?

36) Am I loving when hating would be easier?

37) Am I being grateful for all I have been blessed with?  I am honoring my blessings and not taking anything for granted?

This is an on-going list as I am a work-in-progress!

“It is necessary … for a man to go away by himself … to sit on a rock … and ask, ‘Who am I, where have I been, and where am I going?” 
― Carl Sandburg

My favorite flowers: daisies

My favorite flowers: daisies!

My first Pilates session

29 Sunday Apr 2012

Posted by in Daily Life, Finding Me, Reviews

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As I tackle items on my “To do list of self improvement”, that I mentioned in a list on my other blog “http://listuniverse.wordpress.com/”, I will be reporting my progress on working on that list right here.

So today I had my first Pilates session.  I feel great.  First for having tackled one item on my list and second for the overall benefit of doing something for my body.

Some of the positions and exercises were a little hard and at times even painful, but it was a good type of pain. The pain of my body being challenged.

G., the instructor is a woman originally from the Dominican Republic that has been teaching for 10 years.  She was great.  Her English was somewhat limited, but it didn’t seem important at all.

I think that she rents space in a house, because I met her at a house that it was clearly she didn’t live there.  You could hear the kids and the other sounds of a household going about on a Sunday morning.

I guess if I were to have one complain it would be that: the noises around us.  But I am not complaining.

The first step on anything is really the hardest, but I also believe that the next phase maintaining and keeping up with some project is probably even harder.

So I bought 10 sessions of Pilates because it will force me to continue with it at least for another 9 sessions.

I realize it is a monetary investment as well because it is not cheap, so I plan on being fully present for each sessions (not let my mind wonder), as well as stretching and attempting some exercises at home also.

What about you, did you ever take a Pilates session?

How about improving yourself, what steps are you taking?