I'm currently on a walking treadmill, typing this at my standing desk. I'm quite pleased with this for two reasons. One, I'm finally using the equipment, which for months was functioning as nothing more than a normal desk with an inconvenient slab beneath it making me sit several inches higher. I didn't want it to get dusty, when I wasn't using it, so I put a sheet over it, but that made it too much of a bother to take the sheet off and start using it, so it just never got used. One of the problems with things that are expensive: you worry about breaking it so much that it never gets used at all.
It's interesting how a simple thing like that can lead to the adoption or non-adoption of a much bigger habit. The simple act of reducing the resistance to flipping on the treadmill, reducing it just a tiny bit, was enough to trigger the habit of walking, often for up to an hour, while doing what would be otherwise sedentary computer related tasks.
People think little inconveniences like that are not a big deal, and ignore them, but the truth is those little resistances can make or break good (and bad) habits. I often find myself unable to explain the importance of little things I want to do or change, to other people. They think, "why can't you just use the old X thing, or way of doing things." and I know that if I I don't change it, the habit won't get adopted at all, but I can't explain it to them because they haven't paid enough attention to habit formation to understand that it actually will very possibly make or break the habit.
I sat down and thought for a little bit and wrote out a priority card for myself. I wanted an easy way to remind myself of the top few things I was focusing on these days, to try and help myself let go of other potential projects. If you try and do too many things, you don't have the time/energy to do any of them well.
Here's my current list:
Main areas of focus:
Transformation:
- Time/priority management
-Becoming an excellent, inspiring, transformation-creating teacher/guide
-Enlightenment (this one is the perineal one, always on the list, so I need sub-goals to be focusing on:)
-Sense controle/sacrifice
-Happiness
-(which together I'm calling Love and Law, a principal someone mentioned as how to deal with children and discipline, which is also part of point 2 with becoming an excellent teacher. These points are all interconnected and interrelated.)
Maintenance:
-Relationship
-Job
That's it, and that needs to be it, because I don't have time for more. "Maintenance" is just as much energy as transformation, possibly more. If something is not growing it's decaying. But I make the distinction in that with transformation, I'm trying to learn stuff that I don't feel like I've got a good grip on yet. Maintenance is stuff that, if I put the energy in, is going well. (though job is related to the teaching goal, but I'm doing a sufficiently good job at work that I'm not going to get fired or reprimanded. I'll need to be growing as a teacher for my job too, but the teaching goal goes well beyond that,. They want the kids safe and learning, and recognize that as a new-ish teacher, I still need help making sure the kids are making sufficient progress. I need to make sure they're not hurting each other or themselves, and doing their school work. I want to learn the competencies of a master teacher, how to create a thriving community of enthusiastic inspired learners, and internally motivated moral, happy, loving, service-minded, self-confident humans. Something they are certainly not expecting, though I'm sure they'd be happy if it happened.
The Love/Law, Sense-controle/happiness dichotomy is another, perhaps lesser challenge. I just need to figure out the... not sure what to call it, or what exactly it is... the way of thinking, that allows for vigorous sense-controle, and happiness. I can't just refuse myself the second dessert, I have to be happy about it too. Which means I need to practice the mindset that doing what feels right is always what is for my own best interest as well, in the long run. That way, giving up certain unhealthy pleasures doesn't feel like a contracting, embittering sacrifice, but a greatful, courageous, uplifting one.
It's interesting, happiness, my main motivation for seeking it is external at this point. I'm seeking happiness because people in my life who care about me, want me to be happy. I suppose I should be very grateful that is what they want from me, rather than, say, becoming a high-paid, long-hours doctor, or something.
OK, time to move on to some of the other tasks I wanted to do tonight. Love to you all (as I now know it really is just friends and family who read these :D )
-Isaac
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