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Personal Journal - Day 2: The Driving Force
10 years ago
General
So: First things first... Following up. While I don't really have anything to show for my writing (I am not posting here as I do intend to publish upon completion), I can say that I have gotten my tail in gear tonight and did draft the main portion of the bodysuit I need to complete. I Also have managed to draw a bit, though none of it came out nice enough to post, I think anyway.
The Driving Force - The twin forces which directs our lives.
So; day two covered something I personally said the day before, and that's the two driving forces: Pain and Pleasure. It has been said by multiple people now. However, each has a different way of looking at this. Pain is a very strong driving force in our lives, but so is pleasure. In order for this to be applied properly, one needs to understand FOCUS and PERCEIVED REALITY. I have stated, time and again (And some of you have argued with me one this but here I'm going to say it AGAIN) that reality is nothing more than our perception and it is BECAUSE of that, that MY reality will more than likely be different from the reality of another individual.
Now, I've done my own share of research and have found some things that I don't entirely agree on. First of all; it's that ANYTHING can be changed. Yes, I believe MOST things can be changed and overcome but ONLY if there is a real drive to make that change. Trouble is, one needs to work up that drive to be able to actually get anywhere. That drive is produced by the two forces listed above, pain and pleasure, and our associations. So this is going to sound stupid but think of it this way: Say you want to...lose weight, but can't seem to make it happen. Why not? Simple answer? It is simply more pleasurable to remain where one might be instead of going through the pain to lose the weight. Think about it: the amount of effort that has to be put in to lose weight, the amount of time and energy? That's a hell of a lot of negative, isn't it? But...how about this: What happens when we get back in shape? Energy levels go up, we're more productive, we FEEL better, both physically and emotionally. That's a lot of good too, isn't it?
I'm not saying it's simple, but it's not difficult either. The SIMPLICITY comes in the application. The learning process is the difficult part, but actually applying yourself is simply, making the conscious DECISION to make it happen. Decide - from the latin roots: De (off) and Caedere (cut), literally; to cut off. That's all it takes, but you have to ALSO learn and adapt. This goes for art, music, writing, business, relationships, health and pretty much everything else. If we can't adapt, we can't grow, can't progress, and are forever stuck in the same rut we've been in for years. So; adaptation is also key. Don't try the same thing over and over and expect different results, that's insane. It's just like putting your hand in a fire.
Anyway, FOCUS, ADAPT, and utilize the driving forces to take control.
SO: Day two...Adaptation: An area which needs to evolve and/or change to allow for growth, and FOUR actions you should take today. List pains associated with these actions and have prevented follow-through. IF these actions aren't taken, what is being missed? What is lost?
Prime focus...Health (Lol, yes...I'm in pretty bad shape as of recently)
1: Schedule an appointment with the dentist
- I hate the dentist...I LOVE good food, and that taste from...well, anything? EWWWW omg I hate it. I don't mind the scraping and fussing about, but fluoride? Yuck. Same with fillings, they have the WORST flavor I can imagine. Not much triggers a gag reflex from me, but going to the dentist? That's something the stuff they use to clean your teeth and for fillings and whatnot, even that numbing gel. ALL are gag worthy >.<
- But, if I go, then I can stop fussing over my teeth quite so much. Been an area of some mild concern for a while but I haven't gone. Should, but haven't. Lets see...not going means poor oral health (Not fun) and I will have to deal with that down the road. Probably much worse than having to deal with a few hours of "EW."
2: Schedule a visit with the doctors for preventative care measures
- It's a hassle. I haven't really ever been in great health to begin with, and my major concerns people can't do anything about anyway, so it's kind of pointless to fuss over. Also; I HAVE WORK. I don't want to get up early just to go to the vet.
- Better health though, would be nice. While no, people can't fix my neck or back and chances are I'll continue to suffer from constant headaches, neck and shoulder pains, along with just upper back pain in general, at LEAST I can stop getting sick so often. That actually ties in to the next two.
3: Get back into some sort of exercise routine.
- Again, it's a hassle....really, that's all there is to it. That and I don't like being sore the following day. That also sucks.
- Not getting back in shape though? Well, those of you who know me, know my body fat has been around 3-4% for a while. Well, the other day I checked and it's now at 7.7. That's actually GOOD. BUT I am exhausted. I have been under the weather for nearly a month now, tired, and physically just...yuck. Most people are probably laughing at me right now thinking: "7.7% is nothing," but guess what, that's over TWICE what I have gotten used to. I feel a major difference by the time I hit 4% and when I have hit 5 and over, I'm just dead. Lowering that back down to "normal" for me, would probably be a good thing, as long as I don't get deathly ill...in that case, ER visits might be in order...but hell, ER visits might be in order if I can't lower that anyway.
4: Change my diet.
- That means I have to take the time to cook and PLAN and spend more money than I am now to improve the quality of my diet.
- But...high blood pressure is kind of a thing that runs in my family and I get the feeling that my blood pressure is kind of high right now. That has got to go down. Also; it'll help with my energy levels. Fast food is pretty sucky anyway and I've never been much for it, but it's convenient. Thing is; I can cook far better burgers than mcDonnalds (my opinion...their burgers taste kinda like some strange cardboard mix with some really messed up flavorings. All around, yuck.) and I can also setup the crock-pot for a chili or braised chicken when I get home. Easy. Might as well, no reason not to. Buuut...need groceries first...that, unfortunately, has to wait until next check...I can use what's left though, certain I can think of some interesting things to put together. I'll post what I come up with on day 5 xD
Also; goodness..these things are beginning to be a lot of work :s
OH deserve it factor...
Health: Still a 5. I take care of myself, but need to do better.
Wealth: I'm going to say 6. I've put forth the effort to get this commission going and it's moving along. I've also made some updates to my site which still needs to be published, but it's not quite done.
Uh relationships?: 5 I guess? I don't want a mate, but I try to be social...I'm just bad at it.
Oh, and overall: 5.33...so yeah, I'm not getting anywhere apparently XD It's not nearly as high as it needs to be for me to get those changes I want. Ah well, tomorrow I'll be doing more I guess...
The Driving Force - The twin forces which directs our lives.
So; day two covered something I personally said the day before, and that's the two driving forces: Pain and Pleasure. It has been said by multiple people now. However, each has a different way of looking at this. Pain is a very strong driving force in our lives, but so is pleasure. In order for this to be applied properly, one needs to understand FOCUS and PERCEIVED REALITY. I have stated, time and again (And some of you have argued with me one this but here I'm going to say it AGAIN) that reality is nothing more than our perception and it is BECAUSE of that, that MY reality will more than likely be different from the reality of another individual.
Now, I've done my own share of research and have found some things that I don't entirely agree on. First of all; it's that ANYTHING can be changed. Yes, I believe MOST things can be changed and overcome but ONLY if there is a real drive to make that change. Trouble is, one needs to work up that drive to be able to actually get anywhere. That drive is produced by the two forces listed above, pain and pleasure, and our associations. So this is going to sound stupid but think of it this way: Say you want to...lose weight, but can't seem to make it happen. Why not? Simple answer? It is simply more pleasurable to remain where one might be instead of going through the pain to lose the weight. Think about it: the amount of effort that has to be put in to lose weight, the amount of time and energy? That's a hell of a lot of negative, isn't it? But...how about this: What happens when we get back in shape? Energy levels go up, we're more productive, we FEEL better, both physically and emotionally. That's a lot of good too, isn't it?
I'm not saying it's simple, but it's not difficult either. The SIMPLICITY comes in the application. The learning process is the difficult part, but actually applying yourself is simply, making the conscious DECISION to make it happen. Decide - from the latin roots: De (off) and Caedere (cut), literally; to cut off. That's all it takes, but you have to ALSO learn and adapt. This goes for art, music, writing, business, relationships, health and pretty much everything else. If we can't adapt, we can't grow, can't progress, and are forever stuck in the same rut we've been in for years. So; adaptation is also key. Don't try the same thing over and over and expect different results, that's insane. It's just like putting your hand in a fire.
Anyway, FOCUS, ADAPT, and utilize the driving forces to take control.
SO: Day two...Adaptation: An area which needs to evolve and/or change to allow for growth, and FOUR actions you should take today. List pains associated with these actions and have prevented follow-through. IF these actions aren't taken, what is being missed? What is lost?
Prime focus...Health (Lol, yes...I'm in pretty bad shape as of recently)
1: Schedule an appointment with the dentist
- I hate the dentist...I LOVE good food, and that taste from...well, anything? EWWWW omg I hate it. I don't mind the scraping and fussing about, but fluoride? Yuck. Same with fillings, they have the WORST flavor I can imagine. Not much triggers a gag reflex from me, but going to the dentist? That's something the stuff they use to clean your teeth and for fillings and whatnot, even that numbing gel. ALL are gag worthy >.<
- But, if I go, then I can stop fussing over my teeth quite so much. Been an area of some mild concern for a while but I haven't gone. Should, but haven't. Lets see...not going means poor oral health (Not fun) and I will have to deal with that down the road. Probably much worse than having to deal with a few hours of "EW."
2: Schedule a visit with the doctors for preventative care measures
- It's a hassle. I haven't really ever been in great health to begin with, and my major concerns people can't do anything about anyway, so it's kind of pointless to fuss over. Also; I HAVE WORK. I don't want to get up early just to go to the vet.
- Better health though, would be nice. While no, people can't fix my neck or back and chances are I'll continue to suffer from constant headaches, neck and shoulder pains, along with just upper back pain in general, at LEAST I can stop getting sick so often. That actually ties in to the next two.
3: Get back into some sort of exercise routine.
- Again, it's a hassle....really, that's all there is to it. That and I don't like being sore the following day. That also sucks.
- Not getting back in shape though? Well, those of you who know me, know my body fat has been around 3-4% for a while. Well, the other day I checked and it's now at 7.7. That's actually GOOD. BUT I am exhausted. I have been under the weather for nearly a month now, tired, and physically just...yuck. Most people are probably laughing at me right now thinking: "7.7% is nothing," but guess what, that's over TWICE what I have gotten used to. I feel a major difference by the time I hit 4% and when I have hit 5 and over, I'm just dead. Lowering that back down to "normal" for me, would probably be a good thing, as long as I don't get deathly ill...in that case, ER visits might be in order...but hell, ER visits might be in order if I can't lower that anyway.
4: Change my diet.
- That means I have to take the time to cook and PLAN and spend more money than I am now to improve the quality of my diet.
- But...high blood pressure is kind of a thing that runs in my family and I get the feeling that my blood pressure is kind of high right now. That has got to go down. Also; it'll help with my energy levels. Fast food is pretty sucky anyway and I've never been much for it, but it's convenient. Thing is; I can cook far better burgers than mcDonnalds (my opinion...their burgers taste kinda like some strange cardboard mix with some really messed up flavorings. All around, yuck.) and I can also setup the crock-pot for a chili or braised chicken when I get home. Easy. Might as well, no reason not to. Buuut...need groceries first...that, unfortunately, has to wait until next check...I can use what's left though, certain I can think of some interesting things to put together. I'll post what I come up with on day 5 xD
Also; goodness..these things are beginning to be a lot of work :s
OH deserve it factor...
Health: Still a 5. I take care of myself, but need to do better.
Wealth: I'm going to say 6. I've put forth the effort to get this commission going and it's moving along. I've also made some updates to my site which still needs to be published, but it's not quite done.
Uh relationships?: 5 I guess? I don't want a mate, but I try to be social...I'm just bad at it.
Oh, and overall: 5.33...so yeah, I'm not getting anywhere apparently XD It's not nearly as high as it needs to be for me to get those changes I want. Ah well, tomorrow I'll be doing more I guess...
Not sure if that was directed to me, but I'm going to add to that:
Not that it's just nicer to stay home after a long day at work, exercise = physical pain. Not just a bit of discomfort, but searing, sharp pains all the way from my hips, into my lungs and ribs (making it hard to have steady breath) and up through my back and into my neck. I don't mind the soreness so much after a workout like from when I was in Karate, but trying to walk just a block when each and every step feels like I'm being jackhammered is very unappealing. I also enjoy breathing.
Okay, there's a difference in discomfort being "pain" and actual, physical pain. One of them is okay, the other is not. Physical pain is NOT okay. Just like burns and or cuts, physical pain is a sign of damage and should be avoided. Strain is different from that as well.
What you should be looking for low-impact cardio in that case. If walking a block is something that causes PHYSICAL pain, don't do it, it does more damage than good when things like that occur. Low impact cardio includes things like your Karate workouts. These are stationary, quick, and high energy (or should be) with low impact (No jumping, heavy weights, or things like that). In other words, don't walk or run if it hurts. Biking is a good, low-impact cardio. Yoga is another thing you can try, but it's more classified as aerobics. The best of low-impact exercises though, is, by far, swimming, and that is good for anyone. Weight loss and or toning along with respiratory health.