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My Journal - Alex


AlexTheGrape

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It's not like me to not post in my journal for a few days, but I have been really busy! I'm off to an Officer Selection Board for the Navy now, which will be for the next few days. I've been preparing hard, and I'm sure it'll pay off! I'm going to be pushing myself to do the best I can, so I'll update my journal when I get back (or if I'm allowed to on the days).

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It's not like me to not post in my journal for a few days, but I have been really busy! I'm off to an Officer Selection Board for the Navy now, which will be for the next few days. I've been preparing hard, and I'm sure it'll pay off! I'm going to be pushing myself to do the best I can, so I'll update my journal when I get back (or if I'm allowed to on the days).

Have fun!

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Post-Detox Day 184

So… Where to start?

The past few days I’ve been at a ‘Final Officer Selection Board’ for the Navy, which has been the culmination of 6 months of successful application steps. It involved many challenging tasks such as psychometric testing, maths testing, pattern recognition testing, the beep test, other exercise, but these are just the easy ones! The following tasks were done under close scrutiny of a board of 5 very high ranked officers: 2 minute introduction speech, a group discussion on a randomly given topic, an impossibly difficult planning exercise (and being questioned for various aspects of our plan), an improvisation in management exercise, ‘revolutions’ of the team of 4 taking turns being leader to get through a restrictive obstacle course, and three interviews. It was essentially a job interview that takes 3 days, and I’ve learned a lot about myself through it.

Unfortunately I wasn’t selected for the position, I simply didn't have enough leadership experience. I did exceptionally well with the academic and physical aspects of the exercise, but I apparently didn’t take a leadership role often enough. However since I did so well in other areas, I came across as “very intelligent” and “heavily involved in sports” (which I'd attribute to smashing my previous beep test score). I learned many things about myself, how I cope under intense pressure, my strengths and flaws in leadership and other information. The main one that stuck out was that I was observed to only take a leadership position when it was relatively 'safe' to do so and hence I didn't do the best I could due to fears of conflict with existing group plans/ideas and the team members themselves. I've already started to work on developing my leadership skills and get more proficient in dealing with social conflict, and will be a minor focus in the foreseeable future.

Only 2 out of my group of 5 people were selected for their chosen position and I was the youngest there so I’m not too worried for not getting the desired result.

From what I’ve learned, I now have a new priority to develop my leadership skills, as it would be in my interest to further this undeveloped skill of mine. However I may not be working on this in any big way immediately as my end of year exams are approaching in a month’s time so I’ll be stuck to my desk for the time being.

I’ll be back into my daily habits tomorrow, so I’ll be posting back here again. I don’t think the video journal I did has helped very much with goal setting, so I’ll just reserve it for days that I’m running short on time to write a full blown post.

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It's not like me to not post in my journal for a few days, but I have been really busy! I'm off to an Officer Selection Board for the Navy now, which will be for the next few days. I've been preparing hard, and I'm sure it'll pay off! I'm going to be pushing myself to do the best I can, so I'll update my journal when I get back (or if I'm allowed to on the days).

Have fun!

Thanks Cam! It was fun at times, but certainly a valuable experience in learning about myself.

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Post-Detox Day 185

Today I got stuck back into studying, but it wasn’t near as productive as I’d have liked. Having used my desk for resting activities over these holidays instead of work ones like I normally would may have led me to slouchy efforts (literally). I’m going to need to get back to my ‘simulated school’ method to make the most of my study time.

I had a somewhat late start due to a late night, and that ruined my morning schedule. I got some meditation done and gave the dog a run, but I didn’t do what I’d consider a ‘proper’ run/workout that involves giving it my best. I’m going to need to update my visualisation goals too as most of them are now irrelevant and they don’t focus on daily activities I can do in pursuit of a worthy goal – at the moment it’s just visualising the big picture without reminding myself of how I’m going to get there.

Gratitude journal

I am grateful for having a cat in my home.

I am grateful for having made dinner last night.

I am grateful for how much I’ve learned about myself on my officer selection board.

One amazing thing that happened/I did today

I made a trello board to keep track of what I want to do for each part of my day, which made for a little more interesting way to do my work. However I think I’ll stick with keeping it in my planner as I then don’t need to write out the tasks again.

Workout/run

Run, but not a proper one.

Meditation

Yup.

Visualisation

Nope.

Daily affirmations

Nope.

Reading + taking notes

Nope. I think I need to move on from the book I’m reading as I’m not finding 7 habits to be all that helpful.

Getting to bed before 9pm

Nope.

Daily social goal

--

Tomorrow’s daily social goal will be to acquaint myself with 10 people (yes, I will have time for that as I’ll be at a party for a few hours).

Application of self-development skills

--

My new self-development focus is on leadership. I’m going to make sure that I put myself ‘out there’ more to practice dealing with the risk of being criticised or embarrassed, as I now know that I ‘play it safe’ too often to be an effective leader in almost any situation.

Weekly Goal(s)

For the remainder of the week, I’m going to make sure to get all my daily habits done in the morning. Reward: Playing guitar for an hour (I’m going to leave it strictly as a reward so that I can enjoy it more)

I’m also going to keep myself accountable for doing 80% or more of the work I’ve set myself daily (I keep this pretty consistent).

Monthly Goal

My goal for this month will to be to follow through with any commitments I make – whether it be goals, leadership, or anything.

3 Month Goal

My three month goal is to develop my leadership skills enough to confidently coach a sports team or lead another form of community group.

What went well today:

Exercising helped get met working, however I needed to do it more consistently throughout the day (or just move around every hour or so) to keep my focus up.

What I could have done to make my day better:

I could have done more exercise, gotten up earlier, and moved out of the house to get more studying done.

What I will do differently tomorrow:

I’m going to do ‘simulated school’ at the library tomorrow to get the most out of my day.

Photo Stream

Here’s a photo I took on board the frigate Te Mana whilst in my officer selection board. Also, there’s a picture of my dog waiting for me to throw the ball.

iPhone photos and videos 005.JPG

iPhone photos and videos 004.JPG

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Super quick update for today and yesterday:

Post-Detox Day 186

Today has been a full on day that involved exercise, studying in the library, a job interview, and a party. I am pretty sure I achieved all my goals, although I don't think I exercised to my normal standard. I managed to meditate, visualise, and do my daily affirmations which I haven't been making time for recently.

Post-Detox Day 187

Today I had another job interview, and I'll now be working in a restaurant! With a part time job I can now afford to start driving places. I had a 45 minute run which was really refreshing, did all my daily habits, and got a good amount of work done.

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Post-Detox Day 186

Today was the first day of the term back at school, and it seems I’m becoming a school celebrity already! All the teachers were told of the filming that is going to occur tomorrow, and I’ve received some friendly interest in my role being filmed. I got in a small workout this morning, it wasn’t as long as I planned. I got a decent amount of work done, but it could have been better.

Post-Detox Day 187

Today has been the big day! The TV crew were filming my brother and myself in class, at morning tea, me fencing, and him with his games development club and the exhibition he’s put on. It was a unique experience having special attention today, and is something awesome to have done at school.

Gratitude journal

I am grateful for spring coming around.

I am grateful for the attention I’ve received recently and today.

I am grateful for an extension for computer science work.

One amazing thing that happened/I did today

Having a filmed chat with friends during morning tea was a unique experience, mainly because of how strange it was to be the centre of attention and how it changed the status quo. The quad that would normally be full of people got packed on the sides out of the way of the camera’s view, and people came to simply watch the filming taking place.

Workout/run

Nope.

Meditation

Yup.

Visualisation

Nope.

Daily affirmations

Nope.

Reading + taking notes

Yup.

Getting to bed before 9pm

Nope.

Daily social goal

Yesterday’s social goal was to acquaint myself with 10 people, and I did that well. I’m going to need to focus my efforts on academics now, but I’ll set the goal of making sure to talk in terms of other people’s interests if I need to convince them of something.

Application of self-development skills

My self-development focus is on leadership. I’m going to make sure that I put myself ‘out there’ more to practice dealing with the risk of being criticised or embarrassed, as I now know that I ‘play it safe’ too often to be an effective leader in almost any situation.

Weekly Goal(s)

The last goals were: “For the remainder of the week, I’m going to make sure to get all my daily habits done in the morning. Reward: Playing guitar for an hour (I’m going to leave it strictly as a reward so that I can enjoy it more)”     and     “I’m also going to keep myself accountable for doing 80% or more of the work I’ve set myself daily (I keep this pretty consistent).

I managed to get most of my daily habits done, although some of them weren’t in the morning. I have actually been able to complete 80% of the work I set for myself, which was a good accomplishment.

My goal for this week is to do at least 20 minutes of exercise both in the morning and as soon as I get home from school to help me keep focused whilst studying.

Monthly Goal

My goal for this month will to be to follow through with any commitments I make – whether it be goals, leadership, or anything.

3 Month Goal

My three month goal is to develop my leadership skills enough to confidently coach a sports team or lead another form of community group.

Photo Stream

Here's a video diary on why I like running. Enjoy!

iPhone_photos_and_videos_004.MOV

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Post-Detox Day 188

Today I’ve felt pretty tired, but I got in a morning run and did a quick workout in the afternoon. It’s been a ‘normal’ day at school, but a good one nonetheless.

Gratitude journal

I am grateful for pens.

I am grateful for the wicked dinner I had tonight.

I am grateful for having a loving family.

One amazing thing that happened/I did today

Today I learned of an interesting concept in Christian Education class, that rich people must give away their riches to become good people. I want to do the same with my money in a more helpful way, and I have a couple of plans on how I’ll go about it later on in life.

Workout/run

Yup.

Meditation

Nope.

Visualisation

Nope.

Daily affirmations

Nope.

Reading + taking notes

Yup.

Getting to bed before 9pm

Yup.

Daily social goal

“making sure to talk in terms of other people’s interests if I need to convince them of something.

I actually forgot about this goal as I forgot to write it in my notepad! I’ll give it another go, and write it down this time.

Application of self-development skills

My self-development focus is on leadership. I’m going to make sure that I put myself ‘out there’ more to practice dealing with the risk of being criticised or embarrassed, as I now know that I ‘play it safe’ too often to be an effective leader in almost any situation.

Weekly Goal(s)

My goal for this week is to do at least 20 minutes of exercise both in the morning and as soon as I get home from school to help me keep focused whilst studying.

Monthly Goal

My goal for this month will to be to follow through with any commitments I make – whether it be goals, leadership, or anything.

3 Month Goal

My three month goal is to develop my leadership skills enough to confidently coach a sports team or lead another form of community group.

 

That's it for today, I want to get to bed before 9pm again, and hopefully get back some sleep.

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I don't know much about the New Zealand military or the Navy in general, but I'm wondering if you could join the Navy Reserve as an enlisted sailor.  And then later transfer to become an officer.

Hi Ed, thanks for the suggestion. I know people who have transferred to becoming officers from other Navy roles, but joining the Reserve would be a good idea to keep in the organisation throughout university. Thanks again, I'll have a look into that!

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Post-Detox Day 189

I’ve only just realised, but on the 6th of October I reached an amazing milestone – a whole year being part of the Game Quitters community! It also represents a whole year of me standing up for what I believe in and stepping up to the challenge to become who I want to be. I have failed a few times, but I made it out of the 90 day detox on my third attempt having not touched a game for those 90 days, and my life has been all the better because of it.

Today I’ve had a massive turnaround in terms of sleep, as I have felt up to working and wasn’t sleepy. This shows that getting to bed before 9pm has worked its magic. Unfortunately I didn’t get as much work done in the afternoon as I’d have liked, and as a result I’m going to make a few changes tomorrow.

Gratitude journal

I am grateful for the USB fan on my desk.

I am grateful for chocolate.

I am grateful for having teachers who are generous with their time.

One amazing thing that happened/I did today

Today I got a decent amount of sleep, and it’s made my day all the better, especially during school time. I could genuinely enjoy a clear sky and look up more often, I wasn’t bogged down by fatigue like yesterday.

Workout/run

It was a pathetically quick one this morning, so I’ll need to step it up tomorrow.

Meditation

Yup.

Visualisation

Nope. I need to update my slides though, they’re irrelevant at the moment.

Daily affirmations

Nope.

Reading + taking notes

Yup.

Getting to bed before 9pm

Yup.

Daily social goal

“making sure to talk in terms of other people’s interests if I need to convince them of something.

This one is harder to do than it sounds, but I may just need to keep it in mind rather than making it a goal. Tomorrow I actually need to cut down on the amount I’m texting, so I’m going to make sure I only text people during my breaks between periods and study periods in the afternoon.

Application of self-development skills

My self-development focus is on leadership. I’m going to make sure that I put myself ‘out there’ more to practice dealing with the risk of being criticised or embarrassed, as I now know that I ‘play it safe’ too often to be an effective leader in almost any situation.

Weekly Goal(s)

My goal for this week is to do at least 20 minutes of exercise both in the morning and as soon as I get home from school to help me keep focused whilst studying.

Monthly Goal

My goal for this month will to be to follow through with any commitments I make – whether it be goals, leadership, or anything.

3 Month Goal

My three month goal is to develop my leadership skills enough to confidently coach a sports team or lead another form of community group.

 

Enough for tonight, I want to get a good sleep again!

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I’ve only just realised, but on the 6th of October I reached an amazing milestone – a whole year being part of the Game Quitters community! It also represents a whole year of me standing up for what I believe in and stepping up to the challenge to become who I want to be. I have failed a few times, but I made it out of the 90 day detox on my third attempt having not touched a game for those 90 days, and my life has been all the better because of it.

It's been a joy to have you as part of our community!

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Post-Detox Day 190

Today has been a pretty good day, I got quite a lot done until I got home. I’m finding it increasingly hard to exercise daily as I no longer have any pressure to do so. This was previously in the form of having a physical tests during the year for the Defence Force, but now that I don’t have that goal to work toward, and nobody else I run/workout with, it’s becoming more difficult to sum up the willpower for it.

Gratitude journal

I am grateful for having cats at my place.

I am grateful for ‘magical’ taps that dispense clean water.

I am grateful for having more than one set of clothing.

One amazing thing that happened/I did today

Today I got a lot done in class time and on the bus to/from school. It has paid off!

Workout/run

Nope. I believe I’ve failed my daily goal now.

Meditation

Yup.

Visualisation

Nope. I need to update my slides though, they’re irrelevant at the moment.

Daily affirmations

Nope.

Reading + taking notes

Yup.

Getting to bed before 9pm

Yup.

Daily social goal

“Tomorrow I actually need to cut down on the amount I’m texting, so I’m going to make sure I only text people during my breaks between periods and study periods in the afternoon.

Done! It worked wonders for getting work done on the bus.

Application of self-development skills

My self-development focus is on leadership. I’m going to make sure that I put myself ‘out there’ more to practice dealing with the risk of being criticised or embarrassed, as I now know that I ‘play it safe’ too often to be an effective leader in almost any situation.

Weekly Goal(s)

My goal for this week is to do at least 20 minutes of exercise both in the morning and as soon as I get home from school to help me keep focused whilst studying.

Monthly Goal

My goal for this month will to be to follow through with any commitments I make – whether it be goals, leadership, or anything.

3 Month Goal

My three month goal is to develop my leadership skills enough to confidently coach a sports team or lead another form of community group.

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Post-Detox Day 190

Today has been a pretty average day overall of studying at home. I managed to run 10km for my run today, but I completely skipped my morning success routine in favour of browsing the internet for half an hour and time to rest my eyes (which was not worth it at all!). I got a decent amount of work done, but not ideal.

Post-Detox Day 191

Today has been another average day. I got less work done as I was helping my brother with coding for a few hours, but I know that time has been well spent. I managed a full 40 minute workout as soon as I got up which has been great. I also managed to do all my daily habit building (meditation, visualisation, daily affirmations etc).

Post-Detox Day 192

Today hasn’t been good in comparison to the last few days. I got some work done on the bus but hardly any, and procrastinated in the afternoon for far too long. I didn’t exercise, but as long as I pick up from where I left off tomorrow then I won’t need to worry. I have been kindly reminded by my brother that you need to ‘do the thing and you shall have the power’, my favourite quote I’d say. I need to be making all the right small decisions, as they set the trend and path I’ll be heading when making ‘automatic’ decisions.

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I'm having trouble to keep reading my affirmations on a regular basis.

How many have you got?

I have a 8 long affirmations, they almost fill a whole page! No wonder I don't read them often. Perhaps just focusing on one per day could work - if you had 7 but read one to yourself each day of the week, it might work out well.

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