2011 Checklist, Part 02: Personality.

If I had anything resembling resolutions for 2011, these would be it. Second in a series of comments on a checklist for the new(ish) year. This particular section has to do with ...

Personality:

• Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about. Not too hard. I don't really look at someone and check to see if I'm doing "better" or "worse" than them. I have enough to worry about on my own plate and don't need to measure my life against anyone else's.
  
  
• Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment. I've slowly been converting myself into an optimist. Back then I was definitely more of a fatalist with pessimist tendencies and it hadn't really benefited me all that much. Although nowadays I try to look on the more positive side of things, my outlook is still mixed with a healthy amount of realism. So far I think it's a good balance.
  
  
• Don't over do. Keep your limits. I'm half in agreement with this one. I'm all for not overexerting oneself, but there's no way I'm never testing the limits of my capacity. Stagnation isn't really the way to go.
  
  
• Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does. Getting better at this. Life is much more pleasant when you live with a lighter heart.
  
  
• Dream more while you are awake. Maybe I'm doing a little too much of this :)
  
  
• Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. I wouldn't call it envy, but I do catch myself admiring possessions/characteristics of other people. But I would see it more as something to aspire to be, in a positive manner.
  
  
• Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others. Done and done.
  
  
• Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present. Still an ongoing struggle with me; this is probably one of my biggest obstacles. I've found it difficult to "move on" with certain aspects of life when ghosts of my past self continue to haunt me. Therapy has helped me before and I plan on going back as soon as I can afford it.
  
  
• No one is in charge of your happiness except you. I wish this weren't "easier said than done." While I can't say I'm completely, 100% perfectly happy with where I am in life, it's comforting to know that I'm taking steps in that direction. Who knows -- I may never get there, but the thing about perfection is that it's unknowable.
  
  
• Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime. It's become easier internally for me now that I see past problems as learning points. Granted, I haven't been the brightest "student" over the past few years but I'm learning. Slow and steady is the course for me, I guess.
  
  
• Smile and laugh more. Done.
  
  
• You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. This was a big hurdle. I've been fairly successful at letting things go, and realizing that it's okay that other people have different viewpoints. I don't have to change other people's minds; there's nothing to be gained by force.

2011 Checklist, Part 01: Health.

So I get the occasional forwarded email a couple times a week from my mom. Usually they're the generic inspirational messages that have been passed around online for years, or excerpts from medical articles about vitamins and medicine, and even the rare cautionary warning about some new way that thieves get your personal info. I'll typically glance at the email and sometimes dash back a quick "thanks" to my mom (after all, her intentions are good), and clear out my inbox.

However she sent me a "2011 Checklist" a few days ago which I thought was worth saving and commenting on. The checklist was divided into a few sections so I'll cover them in individual entries.

I know we're a month in already, but I hope your 2011 is off to a great start!

good for you

Health:

• Drink plenty of water. I could probably stand to drink more water throughout the day, so I've resorted to keeping a glass in my room at all times. Usually (and I know this is probably not the best thing) I get my water in coffee form. At least I've cut down tremendously on soda.
  
  
• Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar. I started counting calories to achieve a deficit since I've been on a cut, so while I've reduced the total amount of food I've been eating, I try to space meals evenly throughout the day. Makes it easier to keep track. When I'm done with the cut I'll definitely change my eating habits though.
  
  
• Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants. I've probably eaten more spinach over the past twelve months than anyone I know (I should probably start growing my own at this rate). Along with switching to a pescatarian diet, I've been fairly successful with eating salad on a near-daily basis.
  
  
• Live with the 3 Es -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy. The first two go hand-in-hand and I could definitely use more of each. I have been feeling depressed lately given my non-existent job situation, but obviously there's no other choice but to keep going. As far as empathy ... I like to think I have plenty of that, but there's always room for improvement.
  
  
• Make time to pray. This is a tricky one. I've been going through some kind of weird crisis of faith over the past few months which has resulted in me having a lot of questions I never thought I'd be asking. Yes, I still believe in God, but not really in the way I used to. Anyway, I'll be addressing it soon in this blog.
  
  
• Play more games. I think I do plenty of this already. I need a job.
  
  
• Read more books than you did in 2010. Shouldn't be too hard since I'm done with school and I can actually read more for pleasure now.
  
  
• Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. I plan on resuming some sort of yoga schedule soon and want to learn to meditate effectively. I still live with a lot of unrest in my mind, and need to be able to clear it.
  
  
• Sleep for 7 hours. LOL.
  
  
• Take a 10- to 30-minute walk daily. And while you walk, smile.
This definitely needs to be done. While I absolutely hate running in cold weather (you wouldn't believe the amount of phlegm I can generate jogging a 5K in the wintertime), there's really no excuse to take a walk around the block even in the misty rain.