October Challenge - Feedback

[The David]

Use this thread to update us on your progress, instead of the goal thread.

[The David]

So far:

4. Read five books: I have chosen them and started some.

a. 'Theology of Universalism' by Thomas Baldwin Thayer.
b. 'The Mist-Filled Path' by Frank MacEowen.
c. 'Adventures Beyond the Body' by William Buhlman.
d. 'God of the Witches' by Margaret A. Murray (Academic).
e. 'Life in a Medieval Castle' by Joseph and Frances Gies (Unfamiliar subject.)

6. Stop being a perfectionist: Well, I'm accepting that I may not get straight As this semester. The idea doesn't seem as horrible as it did before.

7. Exercise every day: Well, at least I tried today.

8. Add structure to at least four hours each day: I will be testing at noon, getting lunch and studying off and on until 5:30. That's as much structure as I can reasonably incorporate into what is going to be a very stressful day.

10. Read a banned book: I checked out 'The Age of Reason' by Thomas Paine.

[elastigirl]

goals I achieved today:

- more time with my 5 year old,one to one
- homeschooling
- dance
- stayed with my eating plan...thats the one I am most happy with,normally I would have given in as i watched my lover eat my fave food.but a bit a self talk sorted that

my big goal tomorrow

- wake at 5am



to do list has so many to do's I need to get up at 5am to make them all into ta da's!!!

goodnight beautiful people

[NotesMaeve]

Yay, Elastic! And yay, David!

1) I will eat breakfast and take my vitamins every morning.

- I nearly puked drinking a Slimfast this morning. Too much food! But I did it.

2) I will drink no more than one more soda per day.

Well, that ain't happening. Scratch that and make that two a day.

3) I'll tell the fiance how much I love him every day. I forget to tell him how great he is.

Still counts if he's asleep, kids. It still counts.

[elastigirl]

great goals there notes!! I know you will believe and achieve today

I got up at 4.40 am..yippeee!!!!!

[Livgivare]

Just a question. I had my boyfriend over for visit and the last days of his visit I didn't study so much, but spent more time with him. As I feel that this was important to do, last time we are appart before we move together (we hope), I feel like I should not fear that I failed my study plan. Because I can get most of it done this week if I add a few minutes each day or up to a 20 minutes or more of studying I will still have done the time I should on studying...

Is it ok to take in time lost afterwards and have it as a punishment? Is that too weak? I hope not...

Love Leelene

[elastigirl]

I believe love always should be put firstalways.
anyway you could see your study as something positive rather than a punishment?no one needs punishing just for being in love

[Leki]

Updates:


1. Meet 5 new people every week---Met 8 new people yesterday

2. Read a book every week----Have not started this one yet

3. Practice meditation every night before bed....Have not started it yet

4. Go to bed every night at 11pm and getup at 7am---Went to bed at 11pm and woke up at 7:30 am

5. Apply for the PhD program at school---Already submitted the application, have additional documents that I need to submit too

7. Get body weight to 185 lbs at 7% body fat, currently sitting at 190lbs with 10% body fat. ---This is going to be a weekly update since losing weight is rather a gradual process but I work out 5 days a week

8. Cut down on spending---Start this one and created a monthly budget

9. Give up the bodybuilding.com forum for the month of October---This is the third day I have not visited that site

[Honeywith4bees]

Well it is only day three, but so far I am meeting all the goals I set with the exception of practicing the piano. I had to sell my piano when I moved into my new, smaller house, but I could still practice here at work, on my lunch break. The thing that is holding me back on that is that everone here are professional musicians and I am just a beginner. I get embarressed if they here me stumbling through my simple Sonatas.

Keep up the good work everyone!

1.) Exercise every day. Shouldn't be too hard since I pretty much do this already. The challenge is in the fact that it is getting darker and colder here so it is much more comfortable to stay in bed where it is warm!

2.) Eat 7 servings of fruit and vegetables every day.

3.) Read something non-fiction everyday. (15 minutes)

4.) Play with the kids, board games or sports, at least three times each week. (This one gets difficult because I work 6 days a week, so when I get home at night I need to do housework and help them with homework etc, so there often time isn't time leftover for much else.)

5.) Spend at least half the day on Sundays just relaxing.

6.) Start practicing the piano again. (20 minutes a day?)

[madgeylou]

my goals are:

1) work on my website project every day, even if it's only 15 minutes working through tutorials or making phone calls -- every single day.

** did more than this both days so far. will be out of town this weekend so it will be challenging but i can write ideas, sketch designs, and talk to people about it!

2) continue to eat well (beans + fruit + veg + nuts and that's about it).

** going strong.

3) do something joyful every day, whether it's singing, riding my bike, writing, dancing. (note to self: "something joyful" does not involve a tv or a computer.)

** best part of my goals! yesterday i got up early and read for an hour and a half before work, watching the sun rise outside my window. yay!

4) drink alcohol no more than twice a week.

** doing well with this one, too. i don't even LOVE to drink, i'm just around people who drink a lot, a lot. last night i had a friend over and he had a few beers and i did not. i am going out with friends tomorrow night and intend to really enjoy it.

[LuckyBuffie]

Ok, so far I went to work Mon and Tues (not at 7 tho), but its still a big deal b/c mon is a slow and yuuucky night and I usually dont make much, but I did it. So only 3 more days in a row to go, and Im trying at least by Friday to get in before 7pm. Also, I have been eating healthy and sticking to my plan and so far (since Sept. 27) I have lost about 3 lbs. So yay! That's all I have worked on these few days so just thought I would post it and as a result be motivated to do all the other stuff.

You will all acomplish your goals too, I am confident of it! (thats how the intentions work right? Well I am sending the positive vibes your way.

[Kura Ookami]

My goals are:

1 - Take one hour long walk every day

So far I've done well with this though it is hard.

2 - Work for an hour on one of my projects each day

This one is turning out to be the easiest of my goals so far. Once i get started on one of my projects i can work on it for the hour without too much difficulty.

3 - Watch only an hour of TV each day

Success so far.

4 - Stay off the internet every day

This one I've failed on already. I think this was a case of setting the bar too high. I did manage one day so that's something.

[The David]

1. No coffee until October 27. (Cancelled)

-Well, I am renewing this one. The withdrawal was too much for midterm week, but the semester is slowing down and I have a three day weekend to heal.

2. Finish the PhotoReading course.

-Still on disc 2.

3. Ace all of my midterm exams. They should be fairly easy.

-I'm doing okay. I don't know if I really aced sociology, though,

4. Read five books on my free time. At least one should be academic in nature (but not for a class), and another should be an unfamiliar subject.

-I'm in the process of reading.

5. Join a new club or organization, here on campus or just somewhere in Chattanooga.

-Still working on this one.

6. Stop being a perfectionist. I'll try to make this compatible with goal #3.

-Getting much better.

7. Exercise every day. I failed this one last month, yet it is of the utmost importance.

-Almost every day so far.

8. Add structure to at least four hours of my free time every day. I tried Neil Fiore's 'Unschedule' and it didn't really work, so I tried scheduling in work along with leisure. Well, I quickly found out that I can't handle that much structure when I am by myself, so for now I'm just doing four hours a day.

-After I get some sleep today, I'm going to reconsider this one.

10. Read a banned book. My local library is celebrating Banned Book Week, and I want the most scandalous one I can find.

-I haven't started it yet.

11. Be treated for obsessive-compulsive disorder as soon as possible.

-I am in counseling, and we made a little bit of progress. What I have found to be useful is meditation, because it quiets the obsessions long enough for me to contemplate them. I could probably write a book on my experiences and recovery strategies, but for now I'll just tell you that I am making peace with things.

[Livgivare]

Still doing my stuff even if something comes up and block my head at times. And actually I feel like even if a day fail I do jump up on the horse and ride again the next day. That thing I never thought I would be able to do before I started this, so I am feeling successful!

Love Leelene

[elastigirl]

Still doing my stuff even if something comes up and block my head at times. And actually I feel like even if a day fail I do jump up on the horse and ride again the next day. That thing I never thought I would be able to do before I started this, so I am feeling successful!

Love Leelene
_____________

i know that feeling,isnt it a great one!!!
I am on day 5 of staying with my food menu,and dancing/excercising.
even though I have had a bit of a cold,the boys have been ill.
my partner just went back to work,so I am alone alott schooling the boys,I seem to be handling things well.

I started a ten day positive pdf today,realy happy about that

[Gambler]

I finished my "final exam project", and gave it to my professor. They will call me in the next 15 day. Sooo, my most important task will be finished very soon, sooner then I excepted. Yessss!

[jwz]

Progress so far..

1.) Save up enough money to pay rent when I get my apartment
Since last paycheck, I haven't spent more money than nescessary (except for cigarettes).

2.) I accidentally made out with a friend of mine. I fell a bit in love. I need to get over it.
Slowly getting over her.. Soon I will be able to see her as a plain friend again

3.) Workout at least once every day. Lifting weights, cardio. Anything counts
I've skipped two days so far, but it's going well

4.) Keeping my bedroom clutterless
Every day I spend 10-15 minutes sorting things I've left on my table/floor

5.) Practice on my guitar every day
I practice 15-30 minutes daily

6.) Eat less, more healthy foods.
It's a little hard, but I'm progressing

7.) Meditate.
I only did this 3 times so far. It's hard with my family being noisy often

8.) Wake up and stay up earlier.
Not bad, but some days I "accidentally" go to sleep again after turning off the alarm

9.) Quit procrastinating by:
Yay. I'm getting better at this

10.) Timing things I want to do. Alarm clock>1hr while cleaning the house. Alarm clock>30mins while playing the guitar, meditating or doing workout.
Going well so far

[The David]

I need to stop setting goals. I have exhausted all mental and emotional reserves and I just need to focus on getting through the semester alive. I have a counseling appointment in two weeks and will try to get on some sort of medication, but until then, expecting myself to do anything at all is just overwhelming. And I can't read more than one line in a book without my brain shutting down.

[The David]

Originally Posted by The David

I need to stop setting goals. I have exhausted all mental and emotional reserves and I just need to focus on getting through the semester alive. I have a counseling appointment in two weeks and will try to get on some sort of medication, but until then, expecting myself to do anything at all is just overwhelming. And I can't read more than one line in a book without my brain shutting down.

Shut up, David. You're doing great.

[NotesMaeve]

David - Hang in there, baby.

1) I will eat breakfast and take my vitamins every morning.

Oh God. After you have suffered humiliation and nursed it with tequila shots, freaking Slimfast is an awful breakfast. This morning was a struggle.

2) I will drink no more than two sodas per day.

I'm doing it.

3) I'll tell the fiance how much I love him every day. I forget to tell him how great he is.

Easiest goal ever.

[The David]

I will elaborate more later when I have more time, but for now I'll say this much: Unhooking my computer was the best thing I've ever done for myself. Not avoiding it, not turning it off, but unhooking it.

(I'm at the library computer lab, btw).

[The David]

Originally Posted by The David

I will elaborate more later when I have more time, but for now I'll say this much: Unhooking my computer was the best thing I've ever done for myself. Not avoiding it, not turning it off, but unhooking it.

(I'm at the library computer lab, btw).

Alright...basically, I have this completely latent computer addiction. I have always known how insidious the internet is, especially forums like this one (i.e, I can procrastinate in the name of Personal Development), but because I moderated the amount of time I spent online, I didn't realize it was a problem. I could resist the computer when I felt it was necessary.

That wasn't enough. Turning it off wasn't even enough. For whatever reason, knowing it was available made it hard to stop thinking about it. My little OCD brain is wired not to let go of thoughts like that, and I felt I needed to use the computer even when I didn't want to. I needed some way of getting the damned machine out of my life. So I unhooked it and vowed never to let it take over my life again.

Magic. Suddenly, there was this incredible peace in the room. It was more than just the absence of that dreadful humming, it was the knowledge that I had made an enormous leap in achieving my goals. It was freedom from a prison I did not even realize I was in mere hours ago. My concentration skyrocketed.

I actually picked up a book randomly and decided to flip through it. Suddenly I was engrossed in it. Not because it was especially interesting (that usually isn't enough, anyway), but because there was nothing else to distract me. Ironically, it was a book about curing ADD.

So yeah, there's a positive note. It's my thread this time so I feel somewhat obligated to be a leader in the project.

[Livgivare]

Please read this: A few things came up now I am failing!

And tell me at that thread what I shall do, I really feel bad about what I do. And I also feel sad that I fail at this time. Please also note that I really really need suport and a little bit of friendship now...

Love Leelene

[The David]

Well, I am achieving my goals. They aren't necessarily the goals I originally posted, but the goals I originally posted aren't necessarily the ones I should be thinking about. Over the past two weeks, I have:

1. Developed a healthier relationship with caffeine.
2. Admitted to myself that my obsession with achievement is ego-based.
3. Realized that I am not an introvert.
4. Taken a jog or two.
5. Entered the vibrational state multiple times.
6. Overcome my fears about the future.
7. Learned to enjoy life more.
8. Learned that in order to do that, I need to spend a lot of time around other people.

I am really feeling a lot of stability right now. It started when I dealt with the future, and now I'm dealing with the present. Maybe later I'll deal with the past.

[EnduranceNinja]

Well not all going as planned but it is never over.


*Do all the workouts I have planned for this month.(Unless I have a realistic excuse to miss a workout)
(Well I missed 5 workouts but still jumped back on the saddle.)
*Drink more water
(I have done ok on this need to record how much water I drink. I make an efort to hit the drinking fountain many times at work)
*Read,read,read!
(doing very awful on this one need better time management skills to fit this in.)
*Along with reading get more studying in trying to become a personal trainer study 6x week.
(Same results as the reading goal.)
*Keep up to date on fitness more reading.
(Same results as the reading goal.)
*Get two blog enteries a week.(more the better)
(After the first day I reduce the goal to one and this is working I know I need to do more)

Need more work on finding time. I am so surprised how much time I don't have to do all this. But I am working on it.

[madgeylou]

my goals are:

1) work on my website project every day, even if it's only 15 minutes working through tutorials or making phone calls -- every single day.

** i've still been going strong with this. it's very easy to keep it going once i get started -- the momentum carries me along and energizes me.

2) continue to eat well (beans + fruit + veg + nuts and that's about it).

** doing pretty well here. i have had some bread and potatoes but not much.

3) do something joyful every day, whether it's singing, riding my bike, writing, dancing. (note to self: "something joyful" does not involve a tv or a computer.)

** doing great with this. i have been getting up early enough to read/think/drink tea in the morning, and it makes a huge difference in my day.

4) drink alcohol no more than twice a week.

** blew it on this. last week, i went out to see friends almost every night of the week and i ended up drinking like 5 nights out of 7. but i did not drink very much -- only 1 or 2 drinks for the most part. the exception was friday, but that was a party, and expected. i will do better this week since i don't have so many social outings planned.

[Livgivare]

I fell off the horse due to a minior caugh. And Still struggling with getting back on top fo the horse. But I've started using the cell phone for making myself have an alarm when I need to study and take a walk, still off abit on the mornings, but I guess that it is due to the lack of sun some days as the world spins off from the sun where I live and nights gets longer and longer each day...but I still try and try and making progress on getting back. The caugh is still there but it is so minor that if I let it rule the whole life right now, I would get back to depression yet one more time...which I don't want to happen...

So Next 25th I will make a new 30-days with all of my four trials and add one more thing or two...just to let myself know that I can't fail even if I fell off...so next 25th will be a new beginning for me on ticking off days, in the meantime I will just try as hard as I can each day to get myself back on track...

Love Leelene

[Gambler]

1. The most important thing. Finish my final exam, and get the "computer engineer" degree. Learn at least 20 hours for the final exam, no matter what!

Done! I am now a COMPUTER ENGINEER!

2. Don't eat sugar, except 2 times a day in a coffee. Eat only musli biscuit.
Next month I will go back to eat candies, this is just a test.

Done!

3. Sleep for 8 hours and 45 minutes every night. Mostly! Try not to sleep afternoon. Get up at 10:40, and gradually move it to 10:00 until the end of the month.

Done! For now. I feel very tired in the "morning lately", I must keep on...

4. Copy all my cd-s on DVD-s. I got probably 100-150 cds. This is going to be boooring!

Done! I finished it 5 minutes ago! Yeaaa!

5. Send a catalog to my customers and arrange my front page with special offers. Do it decently.

Not done yet! It will take about 10 more hours to prepare my catalog and front page

6. Play guitar at least 4 hours daly. One hour of improvisation, at least. One hour of practicing my tunes for the site(or recording it with a camera), at least. Two hours preparing tunes for the gigs, at least. Only exceptions can be made due to my final exam.
In that case, I will make it up until the end of the month.

Well, haven't done it. In the beginning I was doing fine, but then I started procrastinating because my final exam. I got really nervous! Now I will try to play 5 hours daily or 6, to make it up! Not sure if I can do it!

7. Exercise two days a week for 25 minutes.

Done! This was a piece of cake! Viva la "baby steps"!

8. Do not make big brakes during a work. Only exceptions are girls. And if I have to help my grandma. Or something big. Fun, and surfing the internet couldn't be the excuse.

Not done! I still surf and watch movies when I get up!

9. Write down transcriptions for my site.

One more to go! There are 20 songs!

10. Do not waste money. Don't buy any magazine except "Svet Kompjutera" and "Yellow Cab". Try to keep it organized.

Done!

11. Try to prepare food my self, instead of buying it. Especially the fish and soya. I say "try" because I am lazy about this stuff, although I LOVE to eat.

Done!

12. Find THE girlfriend!

Not done! Yet

[NotesMaeve]

1) I will eat breakfast and take my vitamins every morning.

Been doing it. I don't like doing it, but I'll manage.

2) I will drink no more than one more soda per day.

Sick this week. Blew it big time. Oh well.

3) I'll tell the fiance how much I love him every day. I forget to tell him how great he is.

Easy. Very easy.

[madgeylou]

my goals are:

1) work on my website project every day, even if it's only 15 minutes working through tutorials or making phone calls -- every single day.

** still doing well with this one. we got our domain and put up the under construction page with the mission statement. it's a small step, but exciting nonetheless.

2) continue to eat well (beans + fruit + veg + nuts and that's about it).

** doing pretty well here. have dropped another few pounds this month.

3) do something joyful every day, whether it's singing, riding my bike, writing, dancing. (note to self: "something joyful" does not involve a tv or a computer.)

** very easy and fulfilling goal.

4) drink alcohol no more than twice a week.

** very difficult goal! but i'm doing okay with it this week. had a few last night and won't again till the weekend when my brother gets married.