30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Where only the shiniest threads are preserved for all to see.
Locked
!saak
User avatar
🎜 joie de vivre 🎜
Semper Pie
Posts: 97
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 3:50 am

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by !saak (?) » Wed May 08, 2013 5:18 pm

Post #400 indahouse :party:

Image

Day 23: A Random Act of Kindness

Yesterday was a day of new habits. Some of you worked on your bad habits, or maybe you cultivated new positive ones.

What habit did you choose to cultivate? How well did you get to follow your plan? What have you learned about your habit and about yourself? How do you plan on moving forward?

Cultivating a new habit doesn't stop after only one day. You might have worked really hard on your new habit yesterday, but there's more to be done!
The first few days of cultivating a habit are either easy thanks to your motivation. Or it might be hard because it's out of your comfort zone.

If you're highly motivated sticking with it becomes tricky as other things start screaming for attention, usually away from your habit.
This is why having a good plan is really great. If you find yourself slipping, remember the steps you wrote down yesterday and act on them.

If your habit lies out of your comfort zone, getting momentum on it might seem difficult after that initial high of your goal setting awesomeness. But the way to handle it is the same. Instead of thinking about why the new habit seems hard, think about the steps you wrote down and act on them. Keep doing this and in time you'll have completely overcome it.

How long it takes for a new habit to take hold depends on the person. I can't tell you how long it takes, but as a little mindhack: write down in your notebook whether you focused on your new habit every day.

Remember that it's perfectly okay if you miss a beat, no one can perfectly learn a new habit right away. That's what learning is! Just make sure you get back to it :)
Now let's do something fun today! :party:

Spontaneous Combustion!

How much do you give to the people around you? Your friends, your family, the people in the street? What kind of impact do you think you have? What kind of impact would you like to have?

A lot of us go through our lives minding our own thoughts and worries most of the time. Our attention is focused inwards and we don't notice the world around us and the people in it as much. There seems to be an unspoken rule that demands you minimize interaction with the people on the train, the bus, the tube, the supermarket.

People rarely talk, immerse themselves in their phones, their music, their newspaper and go home not really aware of what their commute or workday was like.
With your friends and family there might be a situation where everyone's content, but you feel you could liven things up.

That's where a healthy dab of spontaneity comes in! You can make a tiny, little happy explosion happen in their midst: something a stranger might remember over dinner and bring a smile to their face. Or something that could bring you closer to your friends and family.

That's what today is all about!

Task: Do a Random Act of Kindness

Turn to a new page in your notebook, title it. Next write down what you can do to make someone's, anyone's day better. Be sure they'resmall enough for you to make them happen quick.
It doesn't matter if it's a collection of small things or one big thing. Give your friend a gift, cook something for your parents, wish everyone you meet a nice day with a smile.

It could be for someone you've known for years, or someone you will only meet today.
It could be something you plan in advance, or something spontaneous.

Something in advance
If you want to plan something in advance, write down what you want to do today in your notebook. Do you want to cook for your parents? Take notes like "get a recipe", a grocery list, when to get the groceries etcetera, etcetera.

Something Spontaneous
If you want to do something spontaneous, look for opportunities where you can act. Meet someone who needs a pen and you always carry one in your pocket? The person sitting across from you in the train who has forgotten their eyeglasses wipe? A mom who accidentally drops her groceries? How about a suspended coffee?

Or you could do something smaller: wish the people at the places where you always buy things a good day.

Go and spread kindness for the day!

Reflect on Today's Task

How was today's task? What did you learn?

Day 23 of Your Action Planny Thing

Whatch gonna do when the plan comes for you? Bet it's something cool!

Aracat

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by Aracat » Thu May 09, 2013 12:47 am

Progress on decluttering!

Day 22:
Several of my goals involve either setting new habits or getting rid of old ones. My plans aren't very complex for the most part, though back on day 6, I started to plan out more cooking.

I don't have a plan for getting to sleep on time which might explain why I've been so bad at keeping up with my goal.
Day 23:
I've done a couple things in the past week or two that, at least in my head, count for this. I find myself repeatedly doing one of those things at random intervals - it comes out of the blue and is usually appreciated. Isaak's last point puts a little grin on my face because I specifically try to be nice to people working at stores.

Venusy
User avatar
Stare Masters
Patreon supporter
Posts: 251
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 2:02 am
Gender: Genderqueer
Location: Yorkshire, England
Contact:

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by Venusy (?) » Thu May 09, 2013 2:58 pm

I decided to wish as many people as I could "good morning/afternoon/evening" while walking past them. The problem with this idea was that the weather seems to have had an impact on the number of people wandering the streets, and most of the ones I did pass were on the other side of the road, leading to very awkward yellings of "good afternoon". :cheese: About to spend a bit of time trying to wrangle a borked DVR for Mum though.

!saak
User avatar
🎜 joie de vivre 🎜
Semper Pie
Posts: 97
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 3:50 am

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by !saak (?) » Thu May 09, 2013 5:05 pm

Venusy wrote: ↑
Thu May 09, 2013 2:58 pm
I decided to wish as many people as I could "good morning/afternoon/evening" while walking past them. The problem with this idea was that the weather seems to have had an impact on the number of people wandering the streets, and most of the ones I did pass were on the other side of the road, leading to very awkward yellings of "good afternoon". :cheese: About to spend a bit of time trying to wrangle a borked DVR for Mum though.
Haha! Yeah there's the issue of spacing :-P
As a modifier, try saying hello to people using their phones and see how long it takes them to respond :gotcha:

Image

Day 24: Beyond the Rainbow: Expand your Comfort Zone

Did you have fun yesterday? What did you do? What kind of spontaneous little happiness bomb did you make explode? Or did you have a grand scheme up your sleeve and completely surprise someone?
How did they react? How did you react to people's reactions?

I believe we can always add something good in the world, be it something big or something small. It doesn't matter what size!

Having said that, let's get to today's challenge.

Beyond the Rainbow

What's your comfort zone like?

Everyone has a comfort zone that makes one feel safe and comfortable. A little fluffy home in which everything makes sense and you know what to expect.
The size of the zone varies from person to person. The CEO of a big company will have a different comfort zone than an actor. A teen's zone will be very different than that of a father.
Someone who always challenges their boundaries will have a very different zone than someone who prefers to stay sheltered.

A comfort zone is a great thing. Living within it creates a life with little anxiety. It brings (a dab) of predictability and stability. But while it may be great to have little to worry about, you might inadvertently also be creating a life of boredom: you might be standing completely still, not challenging yourself at all with new and different things.

Your life could become a never-ending routine rather than the adventure it could be!

If you want to grow as a person (which you do since you're challenging yourself right now :-P ) staying forever within your comfort zone is out of the question.
So today you're going to identify your comfort zone, and expand it!

Task: Expand Your Comfort Zone

Turn to Day 24 of your Notebook, title it something snazzy and fitting.

Do (at least) 3 things outside your Comfort Zone today

A) Your challenge today is to do at least three things you normally will not do. Things outside your comfort zone. These 3 things must be done today.

Here are some examples:

Take a different route to work/school

Order something different when getting something to drink/eat

Publish a piece of writing

Tell the person you've had a crush on how you feel

Sign up for a sport you've never tried before

Hug your parents

Listen to music you don't normally listen to

Come out of the closet

Find a way to talk to your boss(wo)man at work for a few minutes

A random act of kindness

--

Go and conquer some new lands!

B) For each task, rate the difficulty level on a scale of 1-10
I dare you to have at least 1 item that's between 8-10 :party: I triple dare you to have all three be between 8-10 :chillin:

C) At the end of the day, update your progress on each item.

Were you able to complete the item? Why or why not?
What did you feel like while doing it?

Reflect on Today's Task

How was today's task?
What have you learned? What insights have you gained?

Day 24 of your 30 day planny wanny

What do you want to do today? Something cool right? Go and do it!

Kiith Soban
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Jan 02, 2018 9:13 am

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by Kiith Soban (?) » Thu May 09, 2013 7:36 pm

Okay, I'm really late here, but I'd just like to say I'm giving up, Isaak. I just haven't had enough time to do everything in this challenge since the first few days and it's too late to do everything now. I will probably try it again in the future, but for now, it's just not feasible to do everything on time.

As for everyone else participating in the challenge: good luck. Don't do what I did and you'll be fine.

Lhet
User avatar
Posts: 14
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 12:38 pm

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by Lhet (?) » Thu May 09, 2013 8:04 pm

Isaak wrote: ↑
Thu May 09, 2013 5:05 pm
Day 24: Beyond the Rainbow: Expand your Comfort Zone
This is a lot of what this month has been so far for me. But even with the rest of the month as a precedent, the timing still makes this interesting, since I'll be at EQLA.

Ponder

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by Ponder » Thu May 09, 2013 10:59 pm

Day 20:
Image

Image
I had a difficult time with this one, since I am a champion hermit. I have very little contact with the world. I don't really talk to people much online, I rarely hop into IRC (and even then I don't say a lot), I make and receive maybe a total of ten phone calls a month. The infrequent posts I make here is about as social as I get. If being around people makes you an average of their traits, does being alone all the time sap your sanity?
:speakest:

doodlesplat

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by doodlesplat » Thu May 09, 2013 11:24 pm


Aracat

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by Aracat » Fri May 10, 2013 2:55 am

Day 24: Ride out of .. THE COMFORT ZOOONE!

Yeah, that was awful, I'm sorry. :fluttersmith:
Normal and comfort zone don't go hand in hand for me. Not-normal stuff is new and thus usually interesting. I'm not sure what the point of this challenge is - do something new or do something out of my comfort zone? Both?

New things are fun so I'm going to assume comfort zone. The examples that come to mind for really pushing it are beyond lines I will not cross and don't like getting near. I can't think of anything that I'd be willing to actually do, aside talking to random people in a public setting but that isn't going to happen today. I ended up having to settle with more mundane things for this challenge.

A selection of things on my list:
  • A work related thing. 3/10
  • Decluttering (which I'm still doing, slowly). Messing up my current system and making a mess otherwise. 3/10
  • Shopping for nice clothes. I don't "get" fashion. 2/10[/list:u]

    I'm cheesing this challenge more than I would like. Partial raincheck?

Hi.
User avatar
Posts: 0
Joined: Wed Nov 01, 2017 10:37 am

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by Hi. (?) » Fri May 10, 2013 8:50 am

Triple Whammy!

Day 21
Day 23
Day 24


All in the same update. Also in the same day. This is super long. If you like barely legible words, oh boy, have I got some barely legible words for you!
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
BONUS
So I used to draw cartoony stuff as a little kid (7 or 8 years old). I was pretty good at it for my age, I stopped when I was hospitalized for a while, and the depression hit. So, other than a couple years of 3d modelling I did in my late teens (which I was also pretty good at, and quit due to depression), and miscellaneous writing I've done here and there, I haven't really seriously attempted to improve my artistic skills in over 20 years. But I have this stupid tablet, so I drew pinkie. And as a huge step out of my comfort zone, I'll post it.

Image

I know the hair looks like shit, but other than that I actually don't completely hate it. Yes I know the nose is wrong for G4. I was a child of G1, so :pinkieshrug:

Hi.
User avatar
Posts: 0
Joined: Wed Nov 01, 2017 10:37 am

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by Hi. (?) » Fri May 10, 2013 9:05 am

Oops I forgot to rate my comfort zone bits.
Uh, I guess:
1) 3/10
2) 2/10
3) 4/10

BONUS:
8/10

This is all pretty subjective. I can think of a couple easy ways I could have stepped *way* out of my comfort zone, especially on #3, but we'll save that for another day.

The bonus was a pretty big deal to me, though.

Nightsong

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by Nightsong » Fri May 10, 2013 12:09 pm

Hi! wrote: ↑
Fri May 10, 2013 8:50 am
BONUS
So I used to draw cartoony stuff as a little kid (7 or 8 years old). I was pretty good at it for my age, I stopped when I was hospitalized for a while, and the depression hit. So, other than a couple years of 3d modelling I did in my late teens (which I was also pretty good at, and quit due to depression), and miscellaneous writing I've done here and there, I haven't really seriously attempted to improve my artistic skills in over 20 years. But I have this stupid tablet, so I drew pinkie. And as a huge step out of my comfort zone, I'll post it.

Image

I know the hair looks like shit, but other than that I actually don't completely hate it. Yes I know the nose is wrong for G4. I was a child of G1, so :pinkieshrug:
I love it. I am always so jealous of people who can draw. Today is my decluttering day, so I'm going to go home and tidy my room. It's mostly pretty tidy anyway. I'm pretty minimalistic when it comes to stuff. Still, I will hopefully feel better after I have done it.

!saak
User avatar
🎜 joie de vivre 🎜
Semper Pie
Posts: 97
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 3:50 am

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by !saak (?) » Fri May 10, 2013 5:49 pm

I'll get to a megareply tomorrow :)



Day 25: Level Up!

Yesterday you worked on identifying and expanding your comfort zone. You identified 3 things that were not things you would not normally do, and did them.
What was your experience like? Did you feel any discomfort? Were they as scary as they seemed before you did them? Did you learn anything new?

Growth in life is correlated with the growth of your comfort zone. If you push against the boundaries of your comfort zone you'll gain lots of new and interesting experiences. Putting yourself in an unfamiliar situation is when you really get to know yourself.

Life is meant to be experienced, and the experience starts at the end of your comfort zone! A snug little zone is great to fall back to, but don't make it a routine. You'll not come in contact with the things life has to offer.
Be on the lookout to try new things, challenge yourself to venture into new horizons: past beautiful forests, over misty mountains and through dark caves.

The "fear" commonly associated with the unknown is rarely nothing more than a mental barrier: something that doesn't fit your routine.

I've been shedding my old skin during this challenge, identifying behaviours I learned along the way after being bullied. Behaviours I could never really place and actively went against them.
The experience for me was feeling like my old self again :allears:

I really talked to my dad, someone I didn't quite know how to approach and I opened up to two of my closest friends.
I wouldn't say they were way out there for me, but they were important steps to take still :)

With that, let's move to today's task!

Plus One

I'm going to go out on a limb and assume you've played a role playing game. Or at the very, very, very, very least you know what it is.
In an RPG you go on epic quests to save the world, battling monsters, evil wizard lizards and meeting interesting characters on your journey. But, to overcome the odds you must level up your character and the friends they travel with.

You may come across baddies who are just too powerful and who completely wipe you out.

In order to defeat these particularly wicked foes you need to boost your level. You get more HP, MP, strength, defense, agility, luck, charm and get awesome new gear which further enhance you. How do you boost your level? From gaining experience!

Battling weaker monsters for a few hours will make you level up like nobody's business and will help you vanquish that dreaded Ursa Major!
With your RPG glasses on, let's take a look at your own skills and +1 the hay out of them.

Level Up!

Open to a new page in your workbook, title it something fitting.

Quest 1: Pick 2 skills you want to level up!

What are 2 skills you want to get better in? These 2 skills, when developed & hones, should help you overcome big challenges achieve what you want to achieve in life. These skills can be hard skills (more technical) or soft skills (interpersonal-y ones). Try picking one of each :)

Examples

Public Speaking
Graphic Design
Team building
Time management
Language
Writing
Communication
Composing music
Drawing
Programming
Photography
Empathy
Supportiveness

Quest 2: Define your current level in each skill

For each of the 2 skills, which level do you think you're at now. Are you level 0, just starting your quest? Or are you close to being the biggest OP megamage around (level 9)?
After you're done rating, define what a 10/10 skill would like for you.

Quest 3: Define what you need to level up

What do you need to level up? Write down what you need to reach the next level.

For instance: If you want to learn how to be a photographer:
a) Read up on photography theory, articles and tips for a period of a week
b) Go around town and take pictures for the same period
c) Join Flickr and get involved in the discussions
d) For doing portrait shots: ask family whether they want to pose

Quest 4: Get going!

Get started on the prerequisites you laid out in Step 3! Monitor your progress accordingly in your weekly reviews!

Reflect on Today's Task

How was today's task? Whatcha learn?

Day 25 of Your Action 30 Plan Day

Whatchu got planned for t'day? Go and do them and be awesome.

Venusy
User avatar
Stare Masters
Patreon supporter
Posts: 251
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 2:02 am
Gender: Genderqueer
Location: Yorkshire, England
Contact:

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by Venusy (?) » Fri May 10, 2013 7:19 pm

Days 23 and 24:
Image
To fulfil the second part of that final comfort zone challenge:
PokΓ©-Mondays Intro 1. Don't be surprised if some of the blurb can't be heard, I had to amplify the sound. I don't know if that was the mask alone or if the built-in webcam app sucks as much as the built-in webcam. Either way, adding in a small wireless mic would help.
Kettlefucker.mp3

Ponder

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by Ponder » Fri May 10, 2013 9:27 pm

Who needs friends? I've been chewing through books like nobody's business! I thought I would be able to track down the next book in the series by the time I got up to that point, but was mistaken. Ended up having to take a break from the Callahan books and started Snuff again in the meantime. I've only read it twice so far, so it's still practically new! :twonk:

Day 21:

Image

Okay, I guess friends could be nice to have. I should try not to be such a shut-in. :-I

Tomorrow I will see about catching up a bit, do two challenges, possibly three depending on what they are. I've been trying not to peek ahead. :flutterdear:
I'm afraid if I know about a challenge that has to do with a prior one I've not done yet, it'll affect how I do it. I don't trust myself not to try to make a future task easier by not doing the one in front of me to the extent I should. Unfortunately, since I'm trying to avoid spoilers it makes it difficult for me to talk to you guys about your entries. That's another incentive for me to catch back up, even if there will only be a few days left at that point. I want to be able to discuss things.

edit: Wanted to make it known that I love the picture used for Day 21. It's just fantastic.
Last edited by Ponder on Sat May 11, 2013 2:03 am, edited 1 time in total.

Aracat

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by Aracat » Sat May 11, 2013 1:21 am

Day 25
Choose two skills to improve
-Picking up social cues
-Drawing

Define current skill level
Cues: 2/10. One has to beat me over the head before I pick others' moods up.
Drawing: 4/10. I can do it, but I have a lot of bad habits and have practically no knowledge of the fundamentals.

10/10 cues: picking up mood and reactions to my statements subconsciously, being able to address them on the fly.
10/10 drawing: able to capture stuff accurately without references, getting form and line strokes right on the first try most of the time.

Advancement plan
Cues: I have a book on EQ that I should read/read again. It has a lot of little suggestions that I can do while interacting with people to help this out.
Drawing: Practice! It's even listed as a possible thing I could do for one of my goals. I should find some books to help learn the fundamentals.

Get to it
Not tonight I don't :applejargh:

Venusy
User avatar
Stare Masters
Patreon supporter
Posts: 251
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 2:02 am
Gender: Genderqueer
Location: Yorkshire, England
Contact:

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by Venusy (?) » Sat May 11, 2013 11:15 am

Image

!saak
User avatar
🎜 joie de vivre 🎜
Semper Pie
Posts: 97
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 3:50 am

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by !saak (?) » Sat May 11, 2013 6:09 pm

Isaak wrote: ↑
Fri May 10, 2013 5:49 pm
I'll get to a megareply tomorrow :)
Not today I'm afraid :v:

Image

Day 26: Pitstop Part Two

Yesterday you chose two skills and started levelling them up. What two skills did ya pick? What level would you rate those levels curently?
Levelling up means you'll have to defeat lotsa evil bossmonsters: sweat and hard work in other words. Sometimes you may feel frustrated working on the skill.

When that happens, take a break. Take a step back and get some air, then return to what you were doing when you're refreshed. You'll find you're now better at your craft than yesterday. That's because the point at which you start pushing yourself is the same point where you start getting better.
After you level up, celebrate your victory over the evil bossmonsters!

At the same time, recognize there's always a new level to reach. In games there's an upper limit, but in life there's no such thing. Human potential is limitless. You can be level 9, 72356, 8563962173656918590 and you can still level!up. There's no competition, only yourself.

I did ask you to rate your skills on a scale of 1 to 10, but know that it doesn't stop at 10. Always push yourself to the next level.
With that said though, let's do the opposite today :allears:

Downtime best time

We've been at this for 25(ish) days now and boy what a journey it's been, no. Congrats on getting so far!

You may not feel like you put in as much effort as you would like, but the fact that you're reading this means you're doing it regardless, and you're learning things about yourself you didn't know before.
It's easy to get pumped up about things and focus on what we want to achieve. But at the same time it's also easy to forget about taking care of ourselves. But, and this is a funny thing, for us to be able to fully experience life, getting rest is really important!

For me doing nothing and putting distance between myself and what I'm doing is a great way to allow my mind to process all the experiences I had. When I come back I feel charged and ready to take on the day again!

If a car doesn't have fuel, it can't really go anywhere. Likewise if you don't have any energy you can't really get anything done. You might be a little bouncing ball of pure excitement, but at some point you too will get tired.
So after 25(ish) days of reflection and conscious action, let's take a break today. Let's celebrate and reward ourselves for everything we've done and accomplished this month.

"Task"

Relax and have fun. Take the day off, get some ice cream, watch a film, go and hang out with friends, take a walk in the park, listen to that new album you've been hyped about, be free!
Anything that makes you happy and relax.

Ponder

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by Ponder » Sun May 12, 2013 12:30 am

Day 22:
Image
Day 23:
Image
Getting closer. :chillin:

Nightsong

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by Nightsong » Sun May 12, 2013 5:59 am

I am really stuck on how to improve my room. It's rented, so I'm not allowed to put up a noticeboard or anything else that makes holes in the walls. I'm limited to what I can put up using bluetack. There's also not a lot of surfaces to put things on, which is what I usually rely on. I don't have a decent camera, so I can't take pictures, but here's a quick explanaton of what I have.

Desk: Currently has a TV on it (not plugged in but I have nowhere else to put it since we got a new one for the living room), a lighthouse doorstop and two lighthouse bookends (I love lighthouses) and a vase with a rainbow pinwheel in it.

Wardrobe: Contains clothes. Has a suitcase on top and pages from my 'happy notes' calender bluetacked to the door.

Bedside table: Contains books, notebooks, pens/pencils, a bedside light and an alarm clock.

I also have, on the floor but relatively neatly positioned: one box for stationary and one for makeup, a bag for my scrap-booking, a bag for my knitting/sewing, one set of dumbbells.

I don't really have any space for any other furniture and I just don't know what else I can do... Any ideas?

!saak
User avatar
🎜 joie de vivre 🎜
Semper Pie
Posts: 97
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 3:50 am

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by !saak (?) » Sun May 12, 2013 3:10 pm

Nightsong wrote: ↑
Wed May 08, 2013 4:44 am
Day Five (Vision Board) - I made a pinterest board
Making it a Pinterest board is fantastic, that way you can share it super easily with people who wanna help you out too!

[quote="Kiith post_id=21780 time=1368142607 user_id=266]Okay, I'm really late here, but I'd just like to say I'm giving up, Isaak. I just haven't had enough time to do everything in this challenge since the first few days and it's too late to do everything now. I will probably try it again in the future, but for now, it's just not feasible to do everything on time.

As for everyone else participating in the challenge: good luck. Don't do what I did and you'll be fine.[/quote]
S'okay! :)

From what I know the thread will be always be here.
Aracat wrote: ↑
Fri May 10, 2013 2:55 am
Normal and comfort zone don't go hand in hand for me. Not-normal stuff is new and thus usually interesting. I'm not sure what the point of this challenge is - do something new or do something out of my comfort zone? Both?
The point is/was getting to know what your comfort zone is and seeing what you can do to expand it. Doing "completely new things" is definitely part of that, or a different way of describing it. But doing the opposite of things you'd do normally is also falls under it.
The examples that come to mind for really pushing it are beyond lines I will not cross and don't like getting near.
Now I'm kinda curious, what kinda lines are these? You don't need to answer if you don't want to.
Hi! wrote: ↑
Fri May 10, 2013 8:50 am
Triple Whammy!

Day 21
Day 23
Day 24


All in the same update. Also in the same day. This is super long. If you like barely legible words, oh boy, have I got some barely legible words for you!
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
BONUS
So I used to draw cartoony stuff as a little kid (7 or 8 years old). I was pretty good at it for my age, I stopped when I was hospitalized for a while, and the depression hit. So, other than a couple years of 3d modelling I did in my late teens (which I was also pretty good at, and quit due to depression), and miscellaneous writing I've done here and there, I haven't really seriously attempted to improve my artistic skills in over 20 years. But I have this stupid tablet, so I drew pinkie. And as a huge step out of my comfort zone, I'll post it.

Image

I know the hair looks like shit, but other than that I actually don't completely hate it. Yes I know the nose is wrong for G4. I was a child of G1, so :pinkieshrug:
Nice crossplaying action here good sir :chillin: Combining challenges is a great way of doing them, they can really enhance each other.
Venusy wrote: ↑
Fri May 10, 2013 7:19 pm
PokΓ©-Mondays Intro 1. Don't be surprised if some of the blurb can't be heard, I had to amplify the sound. I don't know if that was the mask alone or if the built-in webcam app sucks as much as the built-in webcam. Either way, adding in a small wireless mic would help.
Kettlefucker.mp3
:starity: Oh dear what are you up to?
... What have I done?! :gonkity:

If you wanna know about recording audio and video shoot me a message.
PonderSketch wrote: ↑
Fri May 10, 2013 9:27 pm
Tomorrow I will see about catching up a bit, do two challenges, possibly three depending on what they are. I've been trying not to peek ahead. :flutterdear:
I'm afraid if I know about a challenge that has to do with a prior one I've not done yet, it'll affect how I do it. I don't trust myself not to try to make a future task easier by not doing the one in front of me to the extent I should. Unfortunately, since I'm trying to avoid spoilers it makes it difficult for me to talk to you guys about your entries. That's another incentive for me to catch back up, even if there will only be a few days left at that point. I want to be able to discuss things.

edit: Wanted to make it known that I love the picture used for Day 21. It's just fantastic.
You don't have to be afraid about cutting corners here, it's not a race and you're not being scored :)

What Hi's done for instance is pretty darn great and it worked really well for him. So don't think you're cheesing it if you're peeking ahead. It might even help you feel your away around the challenge you're currently doing.
Nightsong wrote: ↑
Sun May 12, 2013 5:59 am
Desk: Currently has a TV on it (not plugged in but I have nowhere else to put it since we got a new one for the living room), a lighthouse doorstop and two lighthouse bookends (I love lighthouses) and a vase with a rainbow pinwheel in it.
Do you need the television? You could get rid of it if you're not using it. Maybe sell it and use the cash to buy something nice.
Wardrobe: Contains clothes. Has a suitcase on top and pages from my 'happy notes' calender bluetacked to the door.
If you have room, get a mirror you can stick on the door of your closet?
Bedside table: Contains books, notebooks, pens/pencils, a bedside light and an alarm clock.
Extra pillows for the bed, or maybe some new bedding?
I also have, on the floor but relatively neatly positioned: one box for stationary and one for makeup, a bag for my scrap-booking, a bag for my knitting/sewing, one set of dumbbells.
You could replace the boxes with a nice little table.
I don't really have any space for any other furniture and I just don't know what else I can do... Any ideas?
Hope these help! :party:

Venusy
User avatar
Stare Masters
Patreon supporter
Posts: 251
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 2:02 am
Gender: Genderqueer
Location: Yorkshire, England
Contact:

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by Venusy (?) » Sun May 12, 2013 4:43 pm

Day 25: Day Off

Had long lie-in.

Did exercises as normal.

Created the video to go along with Kettlefucker.mp3. Finally figured out how to get AviSynth working properly with H264 AVCs, along with doing a decently accurate logo recreation in GIMP (better than I thought I could do). The actual splicing together didn't take too long after sorting those things out. Some part of my brain is aware that it has created Johnny Test "fan" content. Despite being ironic and for a good cause, still a little :gonkity: over that.

Went down to grandmother's house. Helped her to get videos off iPad (she had the right idea in using the Windows import pictures and videos wizard, she just needed iTunes installing for driver support) and burning those to video DVDs (the in-built software, at least on Vista, does not support .MOV files. Had to go looking, eventually found DVD Styler. Not the most intuitive, but it does the job).

Probably going to try and finish off the A+ chapter on printers before going to bed.

@Isaak: My primary problem when it comes to decent quality equipment is... I'm cheap. Really, really cheap. :v: Saying that, someone did get me to purchase a whiteboard and a new desk recently... :squintyjack:

!saak
User avatar
🎜 joie de vivre 🎜
Semper Pie
Posts: 97
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 3:50 am

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by !saak (?) » Sun May 12, 2013 5:24 pm

Venusy wrote: ↑
Sun May 12, 2013 4:43 pm
@Isaak: My primary problem when it comes to decent quality equipment is... I'm cheap. Really, really cheap. :v: Saying that, someone did get me to purchase a whiteboard and a new desk recently... :squintyjack:
:-P

Look into USB microphones like the Samson CO1u.

Image

Day 27: 99 Buckets of Lists on The Wall

Yesterday you took a day off! How was your day off? What didcha do? Did you have a good rest?

Some people might find taking a break silly, because it feels they're wasting precious time that could otherwise be put to good use. But that's not really the case. In fact, the opposite is true! When you get a proper rest you charge yourself up and get ready to kick some grass.

You can't get much work done if you're constantly tired and worn out.

Also having some downtime allows your mind to rest and reorganize itself. You know when you're taking a shower and you get that sudden burst of inspiration? That's because you're not doing anything and allowing your mind to wander free.

If there's anything I'm not that good at it's taking a break every now and then, but I've made it a point this challenge to get some rest going in my life. So far it's been making me feel a lot better and fresher.

We're now at the tail end of our 30 Day Journey Extraordinaire, let's start thinking ahead!

Bucket of Lists

What would you do if today was the last day you were alive? Would you have any regrets? Anything you wish you had done, witnessed or accomplished?

A bucket list is a list of things you want to do before you die. It's kinda like a list of goals, but at the same time so much more than that. The goals we set ourselves this challenge had 1 year, 3 year or even 5 year timeframes. Your bucket list consists of everything you want to do, all the goals you want to achieve, all the dreams you want to fulfill and experiences you want to have in your life time before you die.
It's like your ultimate goals list in life!

Why have a bucket list? Writing it makes you think about the importance of things you do every day versus the larger context of life. By knowing the things you treasure most you can immediately act on them.

Secondly goals are typically tied to a certain context like career, health and so forth. A bucket list needs no such ties! It makes you think about anything and everything you've ever wanted to do: big things, small things, random things, silly things!

All the highlights you want to have in your life.

Today you'll be writing down those highlights.

Create your Bucket List

If you already have a bucket list, take this opportunity to review it. See if there's anything new you'd like to it. If there is, add them! If you find there's things listed which are no longer relevant, remove them :)

Step 1: Create Your Bucket List

Think about the following question:

What do I want to do before I die?

Start writing down what comes to mind!

What do you want to see in person? What are your biggest goals and dreams? What have you always wanted to do but haven't done yet? What do you want to be good at?
What are the most important things you can ever do? What would you like to say to the people yo love? Anyone you want to meet in person?

Come up with as many items as you can. If you find yourself blocked, break through your constraints. This is a list of everything you want to achieve, do, see, feel and experience in life!

Step 2: Put Your List in your Life Handbook

Make a copy of your bucket list and put it in your life handbook so you can refer to it every day.

Step 3: Take action on 3 items!

Select 3 items on the list which you want to achieve most and ask yourself:
What can I do to start making them happen?

Spend some time writing out the steps you need to take, and do them!
Schedule them in your calendar so you'll remember!

Reflect on Today's Task

How was today's task? What did you learn?

Day 27 Of Your Day Action 30 Plan

Which planned tasks you have today? Do them you will with awesome!

Aracat

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by Aracat » Sun May 12, 2013 7:00 pm

Isaak wrote: ↑
Sun May 12, 2013 3:10 pm

Now I'm kinda curious, what kinda lines are these? You don't need to answer if you don't want to.
Animal cruelty would be a big one. In the same vein, personally causing pain to other people. Explicit pony art. Deliberate destruction of useful things to a lesser degree.

Day 26:
Hug A Pinkie

Day 27:
Make your list
Go to space
Fly a plane
Skydive
Go somewhere volcanic and feel the heat. Maybe Hawaii or Iceland...
Get a robot body and take over the world. Buwahaha experience the distant future

Get moving
Space and robot body are hilariously out of the question (at the moment anyway). The others, well, :smirk:

Venusy
User avatar
Stare Masters
Patreon supporter
Posts: 251
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 2:02 am
Gender: Genderqueer
Location: Yorkshire, England
Contact:

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by Venusy (?) » Mon May 13, 2013 3:55 am

Image
I really wasn't prepared for this one striking a nerve in the way it did. :nnngh:

Nightsong

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by Nightsong » Mon May 13, 2013 10:53 am

Isaak wrote: ↑
Sun May 12, 2013 3:10 pm
Do you need the television? You could get rid of it if you're not using it. Maybe sell it and use the cash to buy something nice.

If you have room, get a mirror you can stick on the door of your closet?

Extra pillows for the bed, or maybe some new bedding?

You could replace the boxes with a nice little table.
Well, I got rid of the TV, I already have pillows and I like my bedding and I wouldn't be able to keep all my stationary / makeup in a table.

I think the problem is that I want my room to be an expression of my identity, except I don't really have much of an identity. If I were a pony, I would be a blank flank. I was originally drawn to the new series of MLP because of the cutie mark crusaders - that is totally how I feel about life. Like I'm drifting through without direction, without passion, without knowing what makes me special or talented.

I don't remember ever not feeling this way. So since I don't know what my identity is, it's really hard to make my room express it. I could have my room express my Depression, but that would not be helpful. I guess for the time being the best I can do is having my room express my struggle to get out of Depression - and it's doing about as well as it can at that what with all the colourful notes and the rainbow pinwheel.

Hmm. That's actually given me a lot to think about! Back to writing in my book I go.

!saak
User avatar
🎜 joie de vivre 🎜
Semper Pie
Posts: 97
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 3:50 am

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by !saak (?) » Mon May 13, 2013 6:02 pm

It's tomorrow here already and I have yet to post the new challenge :flutterdear:

It'll be up some time tomorrow though! Sit tight.
Aracat wrote: ↑
Sun May 12, 2013 7:00 pm
Animal cruelty would be a big one. In the same vein, personally causing pain to other people. Explicit pony art. Deliberate destruction of useful things to a lesser degree.
Oh dear, getting out of your comfort zone certainly isn't anything you find morally and ethically wrong :nnngh:
Just things you're hesitant to do.
Venusy wrote: ↑
Mon May 13, 2013 3:55 am
I really wasn't prepared for this one striking a nerve in the way it did. :nnngh:
You struck a nerve, but why was the nerve there in the first place? Dig deeper in that and see what you find :)
Nightsong wrote: ↑
Mon May 13, 2013 10:53 am
I don't remember ever not feeling this way. So since I don't know what my identity is, it's really hard to make my room express it. I could have my room express my Depression, but that would not be helpful. I guess for the time being the best I can do is having my room express my struggle to get out of Depression - and it's doing about as well as it can at that what with all the colourful notes and the rainbow pinwheel.

Hmm. That's actually given me a lot to think about! Back to writing in my book I go.

You already got a great start! I'm happy this is giving you things to think about :)

Hi.
User avatar
Posts: 0
Joined: Wed Nov 01, 2017 10:37 am

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by Hi. (?) » Mon May 13, 2013 7:04 pm

Day 25

Whoops. I did this yesterday, but forgot to post it.
I just noticed I started getting lazy with the handwriting again after a paragraph. Oh well.
Image

Also, a couple very quick sketches I did on my nexus 7 at work just to prove I drew *something*. I'm mostly using the notebook, but I'm too lazy to scan it. Also they're still like 99% garbage.
Image
Perspective. Whee.

Lhet
User avatar
Posts: 14
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 12:38 pm

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by Lhet (?) » Mon May 13, 2013 8:33 pm

Partial update. I'm actually farther and much more detailed than this in the notebook but it takes time to type things up. Also these are super poorly formatted because they are mostly just rough notes I made before writing in the physical book.

Day 14: Create Your _______ Room
I'm still working on this one, I'm not fully done with decluttering yet, but I gotta say that my room feels a lot 'lighter' now, for want of a better word.
A big thing was that I realized I had nothing with drawers, and fixed that. Will finish at some point and post pictures
Day 15: Mirror, Mirror: a Day of Reflection
Step 1: Your proudest moments
-MTG successes
-PMV successes (high view counts, positive comments)
-Completing rbd sign
-Each newly acquired job
-Completing some task excellently
-Explaining things well

Step 2/3: In the physical notebook...
Day 16: A Day of Gratitude
Good music - fills the audio space
Good headphones - for listening to good music.
A well paying job - glad I don't have serious financial concerns
Ponies - for being ponies
Creativity - Enabling me to make things if I can find the motivation
Video editing - This is a lot of fun
Friends - for social fulfillment.
Good health - not needing to worry about certain things.
Exercise - for being fun and providing health
Family - for always being there
My dogs - for being loving and fun
My car - for providing all the transportation I need
Ponygoons - my online community 'home'
30 day challenge - for really helping me
Sour ales - for being awesome
Jon - being a great friend
Adam - always being up for games
Aaron - for really being interesting
Day 17: Values
Steps 1 and 2: Brainstorm some values, then make a hierarchy! (combining because I'm using a text editor here)
Also whatever I'm making a tier list instead

Tier 0:
-Perseverance
-Growth
-Creativity
-Passion
-Intelligence

Tier 1:
-Drive
-Humor
-Innovation
-Improvisation
-Uniqueness

Tier 2:
-Minimalism
-Skill
-Open-mindedness
-Confidence
-Originality

Conveniently, it's three sets of 5! There's certainly a lot of overlap (e.g. Creativity, innovation, originality)

Step 3 - select the top 5 and define them:
Growth - A quote I once heard somewhere: "It's literally impossible to ever remain still. You're always either getting better or worse. Make sure you lean towards the former."
Perseverance - There's some overlap with drive/confidence, but those don't help when I'm feeling tired/lazy. It's impossible to always be productive and creative, but it is possible to keep on improving until the next time I'm feeling productive and creative.
Creativity - Because of this, I can do things and not be wasting time repeating somebody else's work.
Passion - Without this I wouldn't love the things I do, so it's clearly necessary.
Intelligence - This isn't really a value when defined literally, but here I'm using it more as 'thinking about what I'm doing' or 'doing things intelligently'. Perhaps thoughtfulness/mindfulness/productivity is a better term, but eh.

Step 4: Assess your values
Growth - Currently 8/10
-Due partially to this 30 day project I'm actually really doing a lot. This is the busiest I've been in quite a while
Perseverance - Currently 7/10
-I'm keeping my goal of 30 minutes of creativity. I haven't been able to climb as much as normal; while it's due to schedule issues, it's still something I could have kept up with.
Creativity - Currently 5/10
-This one is very swingy, but I've been exceedingly busy this week and haven't had as much time to work on creative projects.
Passion - Currently 4/10
-Not especially happy with my work, which is why this is somewhat low. Also tied a bit to the creativity.
Intelligence - Currently 8/10
-I've been super busy this last week, but I've also gotten a ton done by managing time well.

Step 5: Live your life aligned to your values
-I'm on it!
Day 18: Discover Your Purpose
Step 1: What is my purpose? (list things)
-I am here to make amazing things.
-I am here to be awesome
-I am here to provide insight
-I am here to be different
-I am here to improve things
-I am here to teach
-I am here to be creative
-I am here to be interesting
-I am here to love things


Step 2: Create Your Mission Statement
-I am here to make some awesome things.
Day 19: (Elsewhere)

Day 20: Relationship Is Magic
Step 1/2: Identify then assess each relationship for 5 people I spend the most time with.
Jon:
Description: Intelligent, Accomplished, Trustworthy, Religious, Reliable, Follower (less creative/spontaneous than most in his position maybe)
-Really somebody I can talk to about anything. (+)

Adam:
Description: Funny, Competitive, Good at games, Not always reliable
-Great gaming buddy. He's very good at all the games we play. Not exactly somebody I can really confide in, but a good friend. (=)

Greg:
Description: Responsible, Helpful, Hardworking, Reliable, Truthful, Strong pun skills
-Have surprisingly little in common other than Magic. Very reliable, (almost) always there to provide a transportation or a deck. We get along very well. (+)

Other Jon:
Description: Reliable, Creative, Intelligent, Generous, Not a great listener
-Very interesting, extraordinarily generous. He has a bit of a tendency to take over the flow of conversations ("Oh that reminds me," or "Speaking of X,"). Still always helpful, and never any awkward silences. (=)

My brother:
Description: I actually cannot describe this
I can't really say anything about my brother, we get along great, but I know him too well to describe I guess. (+)

Ponder

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by Ponder » Tue May 14, 2013 12:24 am

Day 24:

Image

Going to aim for two tomorrow, but if it doesn't happen I won't get too upset with myself.

Venusy
User avatar
Stare Masters
Patreon supporter
Posts: 251
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 2:02 am
Gender: Genderqueer
Location: Yorkshire, England
Contact:

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by Venusy (?) » Tue May 14, 2013 2:48 pm

Isaak wrote: ↑
Mon May 13, 2013 6:02 pm
You struck a nerve, but why was the nerve there in the first place? Dig deeper in that and see what you find :)
Day Bonus: Why did this strike a nerve?

It struck a nerve because I am not happy. I know there are various things I want to do in life, but I could not point to anything that would be a 100% absolutely must do before I die. Does this indicate a lack of creativity? A lack of conviction? A lack of direction? Am I actually content? Or just stuck in a rut?

It does not indicate a lack of creativity. I can think of things that it would be nice to do, but I would not feel that my life was unfulfilled if they were not accomplished. More experiences are always great, and they can make me happy during them and for a long time afterwards, but they're not what drives my overall sense of fulfilment.

I think I've likely identified the problem on previous days - the lack of job (and thus, the lack of contribution) is probably the source of the lack of fulfilment - Mum's side of the family has always been more "live to work" than "work to live", and I'd suspect I've picked that up. There's also somewhat of a lack of motivation - I wait for opportunities to come along rather than going out there and finding them. That probably needs to change.

To get the most out of this task, I think I probably need to list the things that would be nice to try once to know what they feel like - at least the ones I can think of right now. (TMI WARNING)
Realistic:
Moving out (job, money)
Travelling more - particularly to America (money. Also would need identifying a part of America to see)
Skydiving (I could probably do this for charity)
Sex - I want to know what it feels like, and to prove to myself that I really am not interested. (No idea where to start. I wouldn't want to pay for it, nor would I want a casual hookup, but I'm aromantic).
- Maybe a toy would be a good place to start? It wouldn’t be β€œreal”, but I've never used one before, and it might give me a better idea of whether I actually would want the real thing (I’d probably want to move out first).
Massage, maybe a waxing? (these probably aren’t things I’d go for alone)
Drugs (would only do so in a safe, legal environment)
Socially drinking/getting drunk (I thought my greatest fear was what was holding me back from this, but I don’t like the taste of alcohol and so wouldn’t spend money on doing it. Not alone, anyway)
Making a game (partially identified as goal, but this would be taking that further)

Unrealistic without lottery win (and as I don’t play the lottery)…:
International Ponygoons private plane (or boat. Or island) party :crack:
Going into space
The ideal life described on the earlier page
There's again a theme of either needing external encouragement and/or external factors being a blocker. :ponder:

!saak
User avatar
🎜 joie de vivre 🎜
Semper Pie
Posts: 97
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 3:50 am

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by !saak (?) » Tue May 14, 2013 3:07 pm

Image

Day 28: Let Go

Yesterday you worked on your bucket list. How many items do you have on your list? What did you add to it? What did you learn? Any insightful realizations?

Everyone's bucket list will be different, because our bucket lists reflects the things we want to do most. So the goal isn't to get a bucket list that's the same as his or hers, but to create a bucket list that's true to yourself.
Remember that your bucket list is a way to guide yourself. Don't get super hung up with accomplishing your list that you miss out on life itself. It's about the journey, not the destination.

Your bucket list is therefore never "finished" in the true sense of the word. You'll do things at some point in life, but you'll also add new things you discover along the way. There's no reason why your bucket list should eventually be empty.

There are so many incredible things, events and experiences in life, both really big and super small, that it's impossible to ever be done.

We're at day 28, close to 30, and we've put tons of work in our personal growth. We've reflected on how we're doing in our lives today and made big plans for the future.
We're moving forward! But gaining momentum can be hard if we have things slowing us down, things in the back of our head or looking over our shoulder.

Today we're shedding all that weight!

Renewal

As our lives continue we change. Small changes like getting a new telephone, or big changes like moving out your parents' place to live on your own, getting married and so on.
We weave in and out of different situations all the time, meet new people and shed away those we outgrow.
We let go of limiting thoughts and take on new perspectives. We discard projects that box us in and take on new projects.

Once all that's done the whole cycle continues again and again. It never stops.
Growth is a journey, not an endpoint. It's a neverending process that's happening all the time, even right now.

To grow is to be conscious of what we're holding on to and deciding whether it's something worth holding on to. Holding on to something that limits us means we're enclosing ourselves in little cocoons. But if we want to blossom and flourish we need to release ourselves from them.

If your routine has been unproductive, perhaps it's time to adopt a new one. If you find someone in your social circle has been having a bad influence on you, maybe it's time to cut ties with them. If your mindset is not helping you in any way, perhaps it's time to change it up to a different one.

Today is a day of letting go and releasing the things that are holding you back, so you can move forward and become a better you.

Task: Let Go

Open to Day 28 (oh look at that Day 28 everyone!) of your workbook, title it something cool.

Step 1: Envision the future version of you

Refer to your life map and look at all your goals in 5 years. Imagine the kind of person who achieves these goals (this means you :party:)

What kind of person are they like? Smart, witty, positive, upbeat, confident? Or cynical, unhappy, pushy, inconsiderate? Describe his/her characteristics.
What will his/her friends be like? Who will she/he spend time with?
What kind of place will (s)he be living in? What places will he/she go to?
What will his/her daily routine be like? What will be a regular day in their life? What habits will he/she have?

Step 2: Assess your Current Self and...

Now take at you currently in the same areas.

Step 3: ... Compare with your Current Self

And compare your current self with your future self.

On a scale of 1-10, how close are you to that person? Why did you give yourself this score?

Step 4: Moving to the new you

What do you need to let go to become the person you envisioned?

Do you need to let go of...

Your job (at some point)?
Bad business partners?
Some social ties that aren't helping you?
Your partner?
Habits?
Bad living environment?
Thought patterns?

How can you start doing that? Write down the steps you need to undertake and get to work on them!

Reflect on Today's Task

Review what you've done for today. How was today's task? What have you learned?

Day 28(!) of Your 30 Day Plan of Actiony Things!

Whatchu gonna do today? You know what I'm about to say (and you should totes do it :yay:! )
Last edited by !saak on Wed May 15, 2013 2:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Ponder

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by Ponder » Tue May 14, 2013 10:04 pm

Day 25:

Image

Since Day 26 was a rest day, tomorrow I get to work on Day 27! I'm excited that I'm almost caught up, but kind of sad that the challenge is almost over. It's added some structure to my day.

Aracat

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by Aracat » Wed May 15, 2013 1:51 am

Almost missed a day there :-P

Day 28
I find it easier to just go for the throat here and jump straight to task 3.

Compare
Calmer, more focused. Chose to specialize skills, mostly work related ones. Knows some people both from and outside of work. Some other fairly major things.

What to dump?
Stuff related to "other fairly major things"; some of these are a more or less natural progression. I need to ditch some of my antisocial behaviors.

!saak
User avatar
🎜 joie de vivre 🎜
Semper Pie
Posts: 97
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 3:50 am

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by !saak (?) » Wed May 15, 2013 5:04 am

Aracat wrote: ↑
Wed May 15, 2013 1:51 am
Almost missed a day there :-P
Ssssssshhh :-P

Image

Day 29: Dear Princess Me...

The last challenge was all about letting go. Letting go of anything holding you back from being the best you can be.
What did you let go yesterday? Habits, your past, your detachments, your attachments, your environment, your thought patterns?

Whatever you chose to consciously let go, I've found this is really only the first step in a long term process. While we really want to drop something heavy off our shoulders and at first succeed, keeping it off requires practice.
For me letting go is learning to feel what it's like to live without being constrained, without that something in the back of my mind. :)

I'll sometimes feel the weight again, but then I remember what it felt like when I first let go (this is usually coupled with a smile), and it gets easier the more I do it.

Change is the only constant n life. So rather than attaching yourself to things or allowing experiences to control you, cherish what you have today. Live in the moment, be thankful that something happened, rather than regretting the fact it'll be gone day.

Today is the 2nd to last day of this challenge. You feeling good? How about a year from now?

... today I learned...

Today you're going to write your own personal time capsule to your future self: a letter you'll write, seal and open at a certain point in the future.

This exercise can be a really insightful experience. Imagine writing a letter to your future self, and opening it exactly 6 months, 12 months, 10 years or even 20 years later.

What will that person be like? What experiences will he or she have had? How much will the letter resonate with them then?
It's a very useful tool you can use to augment your personal growth, because when you write the letter to your future self, it helps you to pen down your expectations of how you want to be at that specific moment.

Then when you read your letter you can see whether the vision you painted in your past matches up with who you have become, and see why that's the case. Often times our plans change because we stumble upon new obstacles, find ourselves in changing circumstances, meet new people and experience things that might change the way we look at the world and ourselves.

The letter allows you to take a step back, take a big picture, and recognize the things you should do differently moving forward.
In addition to that, when you write your letter, you capture yourself in the words you pen down right then and there. When you open your letter some time in the future you'll read how your past self felt and you get to compare how much you've changed since writing the letter. Intriguing, no? :allears:

Today you'll write a letter to your future self!

Task: Write A Letter to Your Future Self

For your letter you can either...

1. Write it in your notebook and tear the letter out/print it, make it something fancy.
2. Use FutureMe.org, an online letter time capsule service which sends your letter any time in the future

Step 1: Write Your Letter

Imagine you're writing to yourself, exactly 6 months from now. Why 6 months? Because (1) it's a good amount of time for you to make a lot of changes in your life, and (2) 6 months serves as a great review mark to check how you're doing against your 1 year goals.

Write about how you envision yourself to be. Use the 1 year goals on your life map as a reference as you write the letter. Here are some questions to help you get going:
  • What kind of person will you be?
    What goals will you have accomplished by then?
    How will you be doing in all the different areas of your life?
    What will your career be like? Will you have started your own business?
    What will your finances be then? How much will you be earning? How much savings will you have?
    What kind of lifestyle will you be leading? How will your diet be? How fit are you by then?
    How will your relationships with your family members be?
    What will your social circle be like? How will your relationships be with your friends?
    How do you want the love department of your life be?
    What will you be doing for fun? What hobbies and interests and cool things will you be doing?
    How will you be contributing to the world at large?
    How will you be pursuing your personal growth? What kind of person will you have grown into?
    How will your connection with the world, life and reality be like? What kind of higher purpose do you embody?
    What will your self-image be like?
    What items on your bucket list will you have completed?[/list:u]

    Step 2: Keep the Letter

    Once you're done, sign off with your name and today's date. :excite:

    If you've made a hard copy safekeep your letter.

    Put the letter in an envelope and seal it. On the cover, write "To [your name]. To be opened on [date]."
    Set a reminder in your calendar to open your letter six months from now
    Put this envelope in a safe place where no one but you can access it.

    If you've made a soft copy, make sure you'll still be using the same email address 6 months from now.

    Step 3: Live an amazing life!

    Live your life like you've never lived before in the next 6 months. Open the letter six months from now and relish in the nostalgia, love and joy as you read the letter from your past self.

    Reflect on Today's Task

    How was today's task? Whatcha learn?

    Day 29 of Your 30 Day Action Plan!

    Ohmygod, are we at day 29 already?! :awesomedash: Whatchu gonna do today? Do it awesomely!

Hi.
User avatar
Posts: 0
Joined: Wed Nov 01, 2017 10:37 am

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by Hi. (?) » Wed May 15, 2013 9:45 am

Day 27

I keep having to fight the urge to write with my wrist. Oh well.
Image

Nightsong

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by Nightsong » Wed May 15, 2013 11:19 am

Checking in to say that my 'turning my room into the anti-depression space' project is going pretty well. I keep coming up with new ideas and I'm feeling energised about it, which is rare for me nowadays.

Tomorrow (for me) is day seventeen and is that and day eighteen are what I am most worried about. :flail:

Also, the OP only goes up to day twenty at the moment and I know we've moved past that in the thread itself. Just thought I'd point it out in case it had slipped your mind.

!saak
User avatar
🎜 joie de vivre 🎜
Semper Pie
Posts: 97
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 3:50 am

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by !saak (?) » Wed May 15, 2013 2:11 pm

PonderSketch wrote: ↑
Tue May 14, 2013 10:04 pm
Day 25:

Image
Ooh, here's a tip I picked up maintaining eye contact. Originally it was for giving presentations, but it has lotsa uses :):

When you're out and about look the people you come across in the eye for just a little bit longer than you usually would. They won't really mind and you'll be able to 'connect' with a person for a moment.
Tangent: did you know that in Asian countries it's considered polite not to look each other in the eye when talking. Different tangent: when trying to remember something during a conversation your eyes turn towards the part of the brain where the memory is stored.
Since Day 26 was a rest day, tomorrow I get to work on Day 27! I'm excited that I'm almost caught up, but kind of sad that the challenge is almost over. It's added some structure to my day.
Yeah, it's become 'normal' for me to spend the day writing out the challenges and doing them. It's going to be weird when this is over when I'll suddenly have so much space in my day :v:
Here's something I'm playing with: Art Bootcamp Challenge for... a period of time. Yes/no? :party:
Nightsong wrote: ↑
Wed May 15, 2013 11:19 am
Checking in to say that my 'turning my room into the anti-depression space' project is going pretty well. I keep coming up with new ideas and I'm feeling energised about it, which is rare for me nowadays.
Yeeesssss :allears: Keep going, you're doing awesome!
Tomorrow (for me) is day seventeen and is that and day eighteen are what I am most worried about. :flail:
It's the big one-two yeah :) And they'll feel like the deepest and most important ones too... because they kind of are. But don't worry about it, you'll do fine! Even if you don't find yourself getting it right the first time just keep going. You're worth it.
Also, the OP only goes up to day twenty at the moment and I know we've moved past that in the thread itself. Just thought I'd point it out in case it had slipped your mind.
:modesty: Thanks.

Venusy
User avatar
Stare Masters
Patreon supporter
Posts: 251
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 2:02 am
Gender: Genderqueer
Location: Yorkshire, England
Contact:

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by Venusy (?) » Wed May 15, 2013 6:20 pm

Day 28:
Image

Day 29: I decided to take this in a bit of a different direction.
Image
For those of you reading this from after November 15th, here is that video. The horse mask was only there briefly, but YouTube thumbnails still thought it was important. For everyone else, here's the letter I based it off (sent with the video as a FutureMe email).
So here we are again (again). It's always such a pleasure.

Before we start, some music. If it hasn't been taken off YouTube, there's a high chance this will still run you through the emotional rollercoaster you felt when you first heard it.

How have you been? Likely very busy, with going to Euromeetup II, GalaCon, BUCK and with Euromeetup III likely looming on the horizon. How was Equestria Girls? Not as bad as you first thought, right? Has S4 started airing yet?

Anyway, that's not why I'm here, and you know it. You'll likely remember this, but six months ago, you did a 30 day life improvement challenge. You identified a lot of goals, challenges, and changes to make. And you did something that you don't usually ever do - you shared it all. If you haven't already, go and get that notebook now. If you can't find it, most of the pages are backed up in the Scans directory, and everything is archived in the thread.

I want to remind you of what you did during that month. You dug more deeply into yourself than any point since you acknowleged your social anxiety. You reconnected with old friends. You made some interior design improvements. You admitted things publically and privately that you severely struggled to admit to yourself before, and in doing so, faced your greatest fear.

Take a look at your one year goals. Did they help to influence the direction you're going in now? Did you get that CompTIA A+? Are you working, either for yourself or someone else? If the answer to that last one is still no, you really, really need to look into becoming self employed - even if you already tried and failed.

How's your confidence and your public speaking? It's better, right? I mean, you must have been standing in front of so many people at GalaCon. Maybe you ended up MC-ing a panel - is it on YouTube anywhere? If you're still at your voluntary position, have you moved more into a teaching role? Are you hiding behind the mask as something more than a joke - or are you unafraid of showing yourself a bit more?

How's your cash flow? You holding up all right in that area? Are you still saving up? Are you more willing to spend some on yourself now, while still being generous to others in need?

Have you kept to the diet and exercise plan? What exercise rung are you up to now? It'd be about 33 if you've kept to going up one a week, but you're meant to find somewhere comfortable on the lifetime ladder. What's your weight like, your ratio of neck circumference to waist circumference (it was 16in:36in)?

Have you kept in contact with your friends? Whether the answer is yes or no, go say hi to them now for me.

Have you got the New Xbox? Have you developed some game prototypes? If there's a new equivalent to Xbox Live Indie Games, have you considered polishing one of them up into a product people might actually want to buy?

Are you living in harmony, harmony always? :v: (Sorry.) Still, it's useful to look back at how much your life now is aligned with those core values. Was I right about your purpose being to unlock potential?

Have you done some of those things you wanted to do? Have you added new ones to your Life Handbook as you've thought of them?

How do you view me, all these months back in the past? More importantly, how do you view you? Because whatever's happened or hasn't happened, I'm proud of you.

Charles
15/05/2015

Ponder

Re: 30 Days of Life Improvement Challenge

Post by Ponder » Wed May 15, 2013 10:23 pm

Day 27:

Image
Isaak wrote: ↑
Wed May 15, 2013 2:11 pm
Ooh, here's a tip I picked up maintaining eye contact. Originally it was for giving presentations, but it has lotsa uses :):

When you're out and about look the people you come across in the eye for just a little bit longer than you usually would. They won't really mind and you'll be able to 'connect' with a person for a moment.
Tangent: did you know that in Asian countries it's considered polite not to look each other in the eye when talking. Different tangent: when trying to remember something during a conversation your eyes turn towards the part of the brain where the memory is stored.
My eyes tend to go up or up and to the left. That's where my memory's stored? Neato. Also, thanks for the eye contact advice. I imagine it'll be easier to practice with people you are just passing by, as opposed to people you're having a face to face conversation with.
Yeah, it's become 'normal' for me to spend the day writing out the challenges and doing them. It's going to be weird when this is over when I'll suddenly have so much space in my day :v:
Here's something I'm playing with: Art Bootcamp Challenge for... a period of time. Yes/no? :party:
I would certainly be game for something like that. More arting means more getting more better! :v:

Locked