Search the Community

Hello friends, new and old! A new year has arrived, and it's time to have a fresh start keep working harder on the things that worked last year, and drop things that didn't In hindsight, 2016 was challenging. I accomplished a lot, but there were many brain bugs that kept me down. I got help for my issues in September, and things started to get considerably better. Taking care of one's mental health is never going to be over, and this year, I'm going to embrace the journey. 2016 was hard, but I believe it made me a stronger person. I know myself better, and I am now going towards accepting myself as I am THE ROAD MAP OF 2017 All the destinations (this is a map, right?) are written in "I am" etc. form, because it's part of my positive affirmations strategy. Health I'm at 68 kg / 150 lbs I see food as fuel, nothing more, nothing less I see difficult times as challenges that are given to me to make me stronger I feel physically good and calm because I avoid excess grains, dairy and sugar I work towards my goals with both my mind and my body I understand that health and fitness are only a part of who I am. Success / failure don't determine my value, but I can be proud of my achievements I am proud of myself, because I practice what I preach I set a healthy example for my other family members Studies & Work I finish my master's degree I complete the remaining courses for my degree I GRADUATE I find a summer job I land a job in the autumn in my home town I make a plan to pay back student loan I create a website and an online portfolio Adventure I swim in a lake, a river, and a sea I visit a town I've never been to I travel to Sweden Personal development I read a book that I've avoided for being "too long and boring" I read and translate one text in Swedish, Russian and French every week I watch one movie in Swedish, Russian and French every month I ask for help, when I need it I write and draw a short comic book I go try bouldering ** That's it, for now! I will probably fill in a few more destinations My accountability group has inspired me greatly. The Doodlies have introduced me to Road Map, and also Bullet Journal, which I'm going to keep for this year. I've felt a bit overwhelmed by everything that's been happening in my life, and I am not as active in my group as I'd like to be. I'm gonna be more active this year, and I'd also like to have accountability buddies for some quests every now and then I believe that extra accountability helps you to get things done. So, if you feel like you need extra accountability with something, hit me up! I will have goals for every month. This goes well with my Bullet Journal, in which I track everything. Starting stats Age: 25 Height: 170 cm /5'7" Weight: 74,5 kg / 164 lbs Here we come, 2017!!

As the title suggests, this challenge is all about acquiring as much money as possible. Most of my mental breakdowns have been triggered by money-related things, and my fear of getting evicted and living in poverty. Student loan repayments are also approaching soon, and more bills are coming in, and my work hours are getting cut, and fuck everything I HATE LIFE AND EVERYTHING IS HOPELESS I need to have as much money as possible so that I can keep doing the things that I still enjoy: going to the gym and cosplaying. Since making money will involve selling some of my old things, this challenge will also fit with my recent efforts to de-clutter my living space. I'm not being a greedy asshole, I'm striving toward a minimalist lifestyle 1. SELL SHIT. By the end of the challenge, I want to be rid of the following: - My old GT SnoRacers - Set of Riddick knives. They look badass - Piles of Undertaker and Kane action figures - Kane/See No Evil stuff (okay, so I used to be a big WWE fan. Don't judge me.) - Xbox 360 that's still in the box - Second Xbox 360 that's been collecting dust since like 2008 - Old BMX bike - Old scooter, the ones that kids use - Waterworld stuff collection (I used to love that movie when I was younger, and nobody else did, so at least these items will have some kind of rarity?) - Clothes that I no longer wear The items written in black will go on eBay, and the ones written in blue will go locally on Kijiji. Clothes will be a mix of both. 2. START A BUSINESS. Or two. I mentioned a coffee reselling business in the previous challenge, but then depression happened, and I had the blahs for like 3 weeks over the holidays and never did the thing. More on this later. I've also considered starting a cat-sitting business, or a cosplay props business, but that requires some kind of an investment. The cat-sitting one might be okay in this city since it's full of rich government workers that might not mind paying for things like cat-sitting. 3. DO A VISUALIZATION EXERCISE EVERY DAY. It's from this book. I put it under a cut because it's sort of long. Also, THIS IS WHERE I NEED THE AFFIRMATION. I was thinking of using "I am calm", but does anyone have other suggestions for good affirmations? There are a few other ones from the same book I've been meaning to try also, will write them in later. 4. EAT MORE VEGETABLES. Or eat less granola and peanut butter by replacing it with vegetables. I've done this before, usually poorly. The challenge: 5 or more servings of vegetables: 5 points 4 servings of vegetables: 4 points 3 servings of vegetables: 3 points 2 servings of vegetables: 2 points 1 serving of vegetables: 1 point 0 servings of vegetables: 0 points The maximum amount of points will be 210. Am I a bad enough dude to get 210 points? Also, what's a high-protein option for breakfast that isn't eggs? I love eggs, but about half my diet right now is eggs, which probably isn't good :\ Also, this has to be something that's easy to make/cook. LIFE QUEST 1: Personal thing that I'll elaborate on once it's done. If I pass, all will be well, and my quality of life will increase dramatically. If I fail, I'll probably be homeless and kill myself shortly after. No pressure LIFE QUEST 2: Continue chopping heads off the To-Do-List Hydra. Self-explanatory (Low quality picture of to-do-list Hyrda will go here) Finish trollface mask E-mail (someone doing a coat for me) Finish new Loki coat diagrams (DO THIS ONE ASAP) Write OG letter! Call (insurance company) to ask about a thing E-mail (guy from psych training) Call (local forestry products company) and ask if hiring. Cosplay: scales Cosplay: get cardboard pattern of shoulder piece to send request to (tumblr friend who has access to 3D printer) Cosplay: buy more craft foam Cosplay: re-do chest plate Cosplay: craft mouth piece Buy brown paper roll for pattern drafting Order shit from Tandy Order smooth-on (ASK FRIEND WHICH KIND I NEED TO GET) Build stand for cosplays so my cat stops fucking sleeping on my Loki clothes Make a list of sci-fi and fantasy books that I have and no longer read, or won't have time to read THESIS: corrections (reader 1) THESIS: re-do all spectra Set up cosplay page on FB Sewing machine maintenance Clear out top drawer Buy underwear (fuuuuuuck) Buy pants (fuuuuuuck, but less so than underwear) Box with class notes: put the notes in binders Write to T.H. Take pics of clothes to sell/give away Bring leftover clothes to ValueVillage

Hopefully, this won't be tl;dr. I've had this idea percolating for a while, because I haven't read it thusfar on the NF blog or forums, and a conversation with Sytherz the Spartan (Ha-ROO!) last night caused the whole thing to kind of "come together", so to speak. I have two tools to offer, that will help with life decisions in general, and your motivations for PT/diet, etc specifically, the 2nd to help with actual performance and confidence, in life in general, and specifically PTs as well. 1. "What Does This 'Buy' Me?" Our Modern Lives of Convenience are just that: designed to divorce us from critical thought about ourselves, our actions, our surroundings -- the Modern First World is pretty much specifically tailored to allow us to spend our day to day existences on mental autopilot. There are just certain things that "we do", without questioning much, if at all. I've been doing a lot of reading on Stoicism (you may recognize the name Marcus Aurelius, he was one of the last Great Rulers of the Roman Empire, and perhaps best-known of the Stoics), and Cynicism (the philosophical doctrine is NOT how we use the word today), and a common theme for both is: "Who cares what the mass populace does unthinkingly? Think, and do, what is right and good." (see also: the latter half of my 2nd signature quote, Ezio Auditore's explanation of the Assassin's motto) Most here, already do that to a degree, we've stepped away from the Masses and formed the Rebellion. But take it a step further: next time you're tempted to have that sweet, soda, etc, or skip a workout, ask yourself: "What does this buy me? What gain will I receive from this, what benefit will I derive? And what consequences will come of it?" Well, other than the temporal enjoyment of a sweet tasty drink, that soda/mocha/etc "buys" you nothing, and comes with the consequences of sugar, empty calories, etc. Maybe skipping your workout "buys" you some extra time for a nap, or playing a game, etc -- and maybe that's worth it to you. It also brings the consequence of not improving your health, and possibly starting you down the slippery slope to NOT PTing at all, losing your shape, and having to work all the way back up from Level 0 again. So next time your friends ask you to skip a workout and go hit the bar for a bender, or your family wants to have hot dogs and beans, or fast food for dinner every night, or you just want to sit and veg playing GTA V or AC IV all night -- remember, other people and influences can distract you from your goals and direction, but you are the one who solely must live with the consequences. "'Everything is permitted', is to understand that we are the architects of our actions, and that we must live with their consequences, whether glorious or tragic." 2. Reach out with your mind, young Jedi Visualization is an extremely powerful tool, highly recommended by various religious and even scientific communities (from Wiccans to Buddhists, from Taoists to Therapists, even a powerfully imagined and specific prayer can fit the category). Why do it? Positive visualization has been proven, by both anecdata, and new peer-reviewed articles, to increase one's ability and confidence at performing things which have been positively visualized for a period of time. What it is: sorta like meditation or prayer, the first step is to calm and direct your conscious mind, then imagine yourself doing a task -- whatever it may be, successfully. Visualize it as richly as you can: the sight, smell, feel, anything that would help "immerse" you in the visualization. Whether it's doing a Kong Vault over a picnic table, or saying hi to that hawt girl in your Bio class, doing the Perfect Pullup, or even getting an A on a hard test you know is coming up, it'll help. Why's it work? Turns out, life really IS a question of "mind over matter" -- the latest psychological gobbledeygook articles reveal that your mind cannot easily distinguish vividly visualized events from real memories, and internalizes the visualizations almost as well as if the events really happened. So that's why I bombed talking to the hawt girl in Bio class, cuz I was thinking about how flustered I'd be and how awkward I'd sound!!! Yep, pretty much. If you'd focused your mind on being cool, having a good, positive conversation, with positive feedback from her, you probably would've made a much better impression. What about workouts? I think I sabotage myself sometimes.... If you're thinking about how much it's going to hurt, or how you really "don't wanna today", or any other negative-vibe sorta stuff, yeah, you probably did screw yourself before you even started. Worse yet, your mind/body will do its best to meet your "lowered expectations", which just reinforces that "Man, I suck," vibe, which causes you to feel down about your next workout, which creates what's known as a "feedback loop". True story, bro -- Google it up. Generally, feedback loops are bad: they'll lead you to depression or mania, one of the two, and neither state is really helpful in living a healthy, balanced life. So how do I cure that?!?! Simple. First, take realistic stock of where you're at. What your strengths and weaknesses are. Make a plan for how to support and continue your strengths, and a plan for how you're going to address and mitigate your weaknesses. Next, take a break in a nice, quiet, calm place. You're going to do something that's basically meditation, though a little more "focused" than the "clear your mind, be still as a pond"-type stuff. You're going to create a "holo-deck" in your mind... Imagine yourself in a place where you feel safe and powerful -- the gym, a dojo, the forest, wherever. Put some thought into it: what does the ground feel like, what's the air smell like, what ambient sounds are present? Add yourself, the "yourself" you (realistically) want to be. See yourself as strong, lean, fast, agile, a martial-arts badass, whatever your goal is -- MAKE SURE it is a vision of you that you can relate to! If you subconsciously reject the version of you in your mind as 'incompatible', this will not work! Now, step into that version of you. Become that "you". And start doing what you want to accomplish for the session. Kong Vaults, pull-ups, fighting off bad-guys without taking a hit, whatever. Feel yourself doing the action with perfect form, and feeling good about it. Do this "mental work-out" for 5-10 mins, then relax and mentally "cool-down" before stepping "out" to the real world again. But this sounds like a bunch of New Age namby-pamby mumbo-jumbo, Hong, wtf? It is a bunch of New Age mumbo-jumbo.... but it's New Age mumbo-jumbo that works. Try it seriously, and you'll see. Bonus credit: apply the "What's This Buy Me?" test to it: well, it might buy you increased confidence in something you feel less-than-confident about, it may help you increase your ability, coordination, and strength (there's actually a peer-reviewed study out that says those who just imagined working out hard for 15-20 mins a day showed gains in strength and endurance). What's the consequence? 10-15 mins of your time, and you can count it as "meditation" time, if you have that as a daily goal. So, it might buy you something, in fact probably will, and if not, then you're out 15-20 mins and can call it "meditation" time. Sounds to me like something you should at least try. ;-)

Deleted....