wookieshark88

I feel like crap. Habits are good, and I'm happy. I just need to sleep. I'll make a real journal entry tomorrow.

Today was a good day. I finally got back the results of quiz 2. I got everything correct including all extra credit for 108%, haha. I have a lot to do before the midterm on Tuesday, but at least I'm off to a good start in the semester. I just need to buckle down in the next few days and make things happen! I went to the doctor today because of my continued stomach pains. It looks likely that I have gastritis. I need to eat blander foods and take it a little easier. Hopefully, I can slow down a bit after the midterm. The food thing is easy enough to take care of, and I got some medicine that will help my symptoms while I get everything else in line. It's not the first time I've had a bout with gastritis so I know I can get through this just fine. Also, I get to do blood work on Saturday to make sure it's nothing more serious. The good thing is that I'll also get to see my cholesterol levels since I started working on them. I'm thankful for: My wife sending me the cutest picture of my baby today.Not suffering even though I'm having stretches of physical pain.Doing the responsible thing by going to the doctor instead of procrastinating.Getting close to the halfway point of the semester.Having a good doctor. I've seen too many poor ones in my life.My boss not giving me crap about missing time this week.Talking to my parents on the phone.Being able to lay back in the recliner and be still for a while.Having dinner made for me.My cats for not being too rude when I forgot to feed that exactly at their meal time. They're always nicer when I don't feel well.

?7 push ups10 sit upshamstring stretchesMeditate for 20 minutes7 push ups10 sit upshamstring stretchesIf it's a work day, I try to climb 50 flights of stairs. If it's not a work day, I just keep moving throughout the day and try to take walks.

?I'm sorry to hear that. This is why being an independent adult is awesome. At least you're progressing towards adulthood.

Today was tough, but it wasn't bad. I had another stomachache that just drained me of my energy. I got though the day and did everything I had to do even if it wasn't easy. Part of it is that I feel a bit stressed about finishing all my assignments before my midterm. I have to remember that anxiety is not a good motivator. Too many years were wasted by letting anxiety spur me into action. The best thing for me to do is to get my mind and body squared away so I can take care of my responsibilities effectively. Also happiness is the key to my success. I have plenty to be happy about too. I'm thankful for: My wonderful baby for crawling for her grandma! I'm so proud!My wife for stepping up to help me when I have a tough day.Reading all the great posts here! They're always motivating!Relaxing on the couch. It's important to rest.The book on Einstein. It's really cool to learn more about an icon.Having a short work week. I'm ready to get some rest and get my studies in order!Being able to honestly say that I'm happy even when things are tough.Being able to contribute financially and socially to this site. It has changed my life.My cats. They're always doing something that makes me laugh.My exercise routine. It's simple, short, and effective.

You're winning! I hope you feel proud! My suggestion is to spend some time daydreaming. Think about some awesome thing you want to do in the future. Revisit that thought a few times a day. After a while you'll really start wanting it badly. Then start daydreaming about how to make it happen. With your newfound free time without games, you be able to start making progress towards making that awesome thing happen!

You're doing great! I'm encouraged by your words!

I think you have resolved that issue nicely! You definitely what to learn who you are and be yourself. I think that emulating the habits of successful people leaves plenty of room to be yourself. As far as meditation goes, it's not always pleasant. If you're feeling unpleasant emotions in your meditation I can give you some steps that I learned from reading Pema Chodron's book "How to Meditate". I didn't know how to resolve these feelings until I read the book. I tried these steps personally and recommend them. Feel the negative feeling, but don't identify it as your feeling. Think of it as a feeling that is with you at this time.Move your focus from your breath to your body. You will be able to physically feel that feeling. For me, I can feel anxiety in my upper spine, depression in my shoulders, and anger in my chest.Once you have the physical feeling of the emotion pinpointed, breathe with it.Keep your focus on that physical feeling. You're just observing a sensation at this point. It will pass in time.Learning to observe those tough feelings will train you deal with difficulties in life.

Your plans sound really good! That's awesome that you're open all of the things that I wanted to resist at first!

It's always good to see new people around! We all want you to succeed!

You're just starting out so don't be hard on yourself at all! You're doing awesome! It's great that you're reading books too.

?Actually, the first thing she did was crawl to the stairs and try to climb the bottom one. That stage will be coming sooner rather than later I think!

You make a very interesting observation about Carnegie's and Duhigg's advice. I haven't read Carnegie yet, but I'd love to hear the results of your thinking about it!

Today was a good day in an unusual way. I got to school a little bit late because of traffic. This was actually kind of nice because there was a pop quiz and I was able to finish it right as the time ran out. I usually have to sit still in there and wait for the quiz to end. Of course I can't read my books during this time because of possible cheating. We're doing midterm review on Thursday which is great. I'm a bit behind in my note taking so that will give me a chance to catch up. I also have to complete one more sketch to complete the three sketches due for the midterm. When I was driving to work after class I got a small stomachache. I figured I just needed to eat something so I had a piece of that awesome pumpkin bread my wife made. After that my stomach felt awful so I called out and went home to take a nap. A few hours of sleeping later, I got up and felt well enough to play with my baby. I put her on the floor, and she started crawling! It was awesome! I was there for her huge milestone! That was the best stomachache of my life! I'm thankful for: Crawling babies!Stomachaches.A rare nap.Making progress on my studies.Becoming a donor to this site. I believe in what's happening here, and I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is.Feeling better.Making sure to get all that baby proofing done this weekend.Taking pictures that will last a lifetime.Being fully present in the milestone.Taking lots of photos.

Just focus on creating small victories for yourself throughout the day. If you can do this consistently, you will surprise yourself with the progress you make!

Consider me guilty of playing games while pretending to be busy as well.

I can guarantee that it will be interesting as long as you stay honest and open with your journey!

Congrats on deleting your steam account! Try saying goodbye to your games on Tom's goodbye letters. I just did that and it felt good! As for the Bible, that question is going to elicit some very strong opinions in both directions. It's good to not think of it as 1 book but as many. They all read very differently and convey their own messages. For me, it's impossible to construct a coherent mental image of God based on the book as a whole. There are most certainly worthwhile ideas in the Bible, but you must be very careful to be critical of every part to make sure you don't end up championing the wrong parts. As a whole, it's a mixed bag. There are many other books with a higher concentration of worthwhile ideas. When read in a more anthropological context, it's very interesting view of the world. It's especially interesting to see what was included in the Bible and how it was decided.

Keep being "too polite"! There are too many jerks in the world anyways. Also, thanks for joining us! I look forward to celebrating 180 days of your success with you!

Don't forget to share your thoughts on the books you read! Eventually I'm going to read every book that is spoken highly of on these forums!

I hope you don't mind if I write a goodbye letter of my own. I feel like a public goodbye letter would be good for just letting go and feeling okay with it. Goodbye Civilization V. You were the last holdout of gaming I ever had. You offered me a quality and patient turn based game that would patiently wait for my input in order to be a responsible adult, husband, and father. You (really it was me) never let that happen. You swept my mind into a million unique worlds, each with it's own challenges, and away from my present moment and location every moment of every day. You taught me how to balance my resources and adopt general strategies to unique situations. However, my mental resources, time, and strategy in real life were wasted trying to maximize the time I played. You gave me the thrill of overcoming the odds due to a well executed plan but robbed me of the thrill of spending a month away from work getting to know my new baby. You rewarded me for aggressive strategy in the game, but left me listless and anxious in reality. I'm done with you now. Thanks for the good times in the worlds you gave me and for the misery you gave me in my own world. It's time for me to spend my days shaping victory in my own life.

Wow, this was a great weekend. We all went to the zoo and had a blast. My baby's favorite part of the zoo was the sparrows that were in most of the exhibits. For whatever reason she just got so excited whenever there were sparrows near. Elephants, giraffes, monkeys, bears... not that exciting, but sparrows were just the most miraculous things to her today. It was just a great thing to spend some quality as a family having fun today. Meditation wasn't of the best quality today, but that's okay. Just doing it the best I could is plenty for me. There will always be days where it isn't what I want it to be. I'm thankful for: Making the absolute most of this weekend. There wasn't a single moment that was wasted.A great dinner. My wife made a great pot roast with veggies.Getting some big slobbery baby kisses today.Heading into this week with no outstanding chores.Sitting with my feet up at the end of a great day.Having lots of food for lunches and dinners this week.Homemade pumpkin bread. I love the pumpkin time of year!Peace of mind.Advancing towards all my goals.Happiness.

?I have always been a shifty eyed person when in conversations. I have been practicing making eye contact and being more comfortable while doing it. It's been getting a little better, but I have to be mindful every time I have conversations because it's not natural for me yet. Today was awesome and exhausting. We did swim class, farmers market, dinner with the wife's family, installed baby gates, and cleaned a bit. Fun was had and habits have been kept. This is going to be a short entry today. I'm thankful for: So much tasty food today.Getting more done.Seeing all the beautiful fall foliage.Feeling satisfied with life.Resting before bed.Getting better at sketching.Laughing a lot today.Being ready for a mobile baby!Another weekend day to enjoy.Being very organized these days.

Today was a great day! Right now I'm drinking some coffee so I can have the energy to make dinner while banging out my journal entry. My wife and I got a lot of things done today! We wanted to make today as productive as possible so that we could spend the rest of this three day weekend just having fun! We want to go to the zoo and to Federal Hill in Providence as well as a huge farmer's market that's an hour's drive away from us. Also, tomorrow morning is swim class. As I learned from reading the Slight Edge, unfinished business keeps us in the past and prohibits us from being in the present. This is why getting things done has been the focus all day today. The only real chores left for this weekend are to install the baby proofing stuff that we bought today, and for me to just do an hour of homework both days because I'm a little bit behind in my studies. I aced the first two quizzes so I'm not overly concerned as long as I keep my efforts consistent. My baby is on the verge of crawling! It's so exciting! Getting the living room, kitchen, and stair cases safe has jumped to the top of our priority list so we got all the stuff we think we'll need to make everything safe. Of course, we'll have to be observant and see if we need to do anything else after we get this stuff installed. That should be completed tomorrow morning. My wife was her usual awesome self and took care of things at home while I spent a couple of hours at the library studying this morning. It's wonderful to have somebody so supportive of my goals. I do realize that my goals cause me to have less family time than is ideal, and I very much plan on making it worth her while in the long run. We've talked about all of this since before we got married, but seeing her be true to our plans from back then is refreshing. There's too many people who back out of a plan once it's their turn to deliver. I'm thankful for: Getting my baby's Halloween costume. She's going to be a duck!Getting a nice discount on all the baby proofing stuff.Tasty coffee from a French press.A new record low weight! 30 pounds down and 5 to go.The fun baby books I got at the library.The enchiladas I'm about to start cooking once I figure out four more things I'm thankful for.The grocery store for allowing me to exchange the diapers my baby just grew out of for bigger ones.Having fun while being productive. It's the magical formula for success.My cats for cuddling together instead of beating each other up.A comfortable couch to rest on before getting back to it!

?The numbers weren't good. 262 / 53 I eat a ton of good cholesterol raising things too!