The Hydra of Accomplishment

Well I wasn't able to find my book to do a quick review of the sections I liked the most. So instead of talking about what I said I was going to be talking about I'm going to save that for next week and bring up what has been on my mind this week.

There are three things that when harnessed and used together are a tremendous power for getting things done and finding your greater purpose.

These three things are:
Setting Goals
Meditation
Keeping a Journal

They're also things that I fail pretty hard at on a regular basis.  It is a challenge to remember and make time to do these every day.

Let's start with setting goals.

    I am learning drums and really, really, really! want to be able to play the song "Sing Sing Sing"
So my goal is to be able to play it in two weeks.  Great! Now I have a goal.

    What do I need to do each day so that when the two weeks is up I will be able to play this great song and accomplish my goal?

    Well for starters I have to practice my fundamentals.  Working on my stroke. Strengthening the dexterity in my left hand, which is my weak hand, so I can play evenly and have greater muscle control.

    Then there is the rhythm. Practicing with a metronome while hitting the proper accents to make sure I am rock solid on every beat.

    I also need to work my independent coordination.  Each hand and leg is moving differently throughout the song and I need to train each to do it's job at the same time and still be able to focus on the music.

    I will practice an hour each day, spending 20 minutes in each area of focus.

    I also need to be flexible with this goal.  After a few days I will be feeling more confident with some of the areas than others.  So I might decide to spend 30 minutes on independent coordination, while just doing 15 on the other two.  Or I feel like I'm not making enough progress with an hour, so I need to go to an hour and a half, or two hours of practice.

    The most important part of a goal is to sticking to it.  I'm not going to let myself go to bed/out with friends/etc. until I have done this!

Taking time to Meditate is very important.  And it's not humming to yourself with your legs crossed in your lap like Rafiki from the Lion King. :)

Meditation is spending time with yourself, alone, without any distractions.  You just sit, think, ponder, and reflect.

    It helps to be in your favorite place.  Which could be your bedroom, on the swing in the backyard, or out in the woods somewhere.  Each place will give you different perspectives and insights so after you get used to the process, get creative with where.

     You need to spend at least 30 minutes meditating.  More time is always nice if you can spare it.

Think about your goals.  About your life.  Are you happy?  Are the goals you have set things that you really want?  Let your mind wander and see where it takes you.  What do you feel you could be doing better at? What do you feel like you need to be doing that you aren't?

    Daily reflection like this will open your mind to greater heights and enlightenment. Help you recognize your Destiny and how to get there.

Least favorite of mine is keeping a journal.

I should enjoy it! but it's so hard, yet so worth it as well.

    Keeping a journal is like having a review with myself of how the day went. Time to account for how well I did with my goals that I set.  Did I do all the practicing that I promised myself I would?  What about my other goals?  What did I see today that made me smile?, glad that I was alive?  What was the kindness that was shown to me and who did I treat kindly in return?

    Days where I don't do too well I REEEAAALLLYY don't like writing in my journal because I know how bad did. I still need to write down some of the things that I did right though.  Even with having had a bad day, not EVERYTHING about it was horrible. Remember those things that were good.

I struggle with all of these things.  I like setting goals but I am not specific enough nor committed as much as I need to be.  I love the time when I get to meditate and just reflect on life, but I have a hard time being alone without distractions and making the time to do it.

The three working together will help you create direction in your life, understand yourself deeply, know which direction you should be creating, and make you answer to yourself in total honesty on how you're doing. You make greater and greater strides in what you are able to do each day and feel a great sense of accomplishment.

This next week I am going to diligently apply these three tasks!  I will I will I will!!! (getting myself pumped! It will be an awesome week!)
I'll let you know how it goes. :D