Thursday, December 30, 2010
Inspirational Person of the Day : Angela Jia Kim
Attractive Qualities
Confident
Positive
Nurturing
Creative
Optimistic
Intelligent
Thoughts
I happened to stumble upon this video, and I must admit I am inspired by her qualities as well as her entrepreneurial spirit. Instantly, I felt a natural attraction or gravitation to her. If you watch the video carefully, her husband, coworkers, and employees show positive body language even in the midst of "positive criticism." All in all here are the lessons learned:
Lessons Learned
1. People are naturally attracted to positive and entertaining qualities
2. It's easier to pull people with inspiration than to push with force
3. To take ownership is to define perspective (Gorgeous Chaos)
4. You can have it all and do it all without perfection
5. Find happiness in all that you do
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
New Year's Resolutions : 2011
As the year comes to an end, we all find ourselves reminiscing about the past and jotting our New Year's Resolutions (which many times utterly end in disaster) in hopes of attaining a higher level of fulfillment. Well, here's my attempt.Thanks to a close friend of mine (perhaps my only follower as of now), I've come to a realization that the written - in this case typed - expressions of the mind accomplishes several things. First, it acts to dump all the ideas, thoughts, worries, and other abstractions into a state of physical being. Although our brain is biologically wired for long-term memory, it stinks at short-term memory and processing information in large batches. The brain needs to be in a clear state of being in order for it to process anything effectively. Secondly, the act of writing manifests all abstractions into a state of being. In other words, the act of writing brings thoughts and ideas into concrete existence. This first step allows the writer to examine and evaluate as necessary for further expansion: "Do I really want to pursue this? How do I go about doing this?" Lastly, the physical record of each word, sentence, and thought is a mere snapshot of the ever dynamic and transformative gift we call life. In other words, life is merely a novelty in the works of unveiling itself.
Anyway, here are my New Year's Resolutions for 2011 which are subject to change since life after all is dynamic in itself. I broke down my resolutions into eleven categories - inspired by Celestine.
Academics
- Obtain a job as a Resident Assistant
- Obtain a research position in either in the College of Medicine or Dentistry
- Obtain a shadowing position under a Dentist
- Achieve a 4.0 GPA for the Spring Semester
- Achieve a 4.0 GPA for the Fall Semester
- Achieve a Leadership Position in Extracurriculars
- Manage my time efficiently
- Learn to study efficiently
- Join a Career Counseling Group
- Decide a career path in Dentistry, Medicine, or other
- Travel to South America for an International Service Learning trip
- Obtain my Letter of Recommendations
- Create my resume
- Create a set of business cards
- Obtain an excellent DAT score
Finance
- Create a savings account of $1,500 for emergencies
- Pay off my credit card debt
- Establish a steady budget
- Establish a weekly routine of reviewing my finances
- Establish a monthly routine of reviewing my finances
- Apply to scholarships and grants
- Look for opportunities to make side money
- Learn about different investing opportunities
- Read "I Will Teach You How To Be Rich"
- Learn to minimize student loans
- Set aside a percentage of income for donations
- Set aside a percentage of income for friends & families
Health
- Talk to a dermatologist about scarring
- Talk to a urologist about abdominal pain
- Run a 5k
- Run a 10k
- Run a 15k
- Run a marathon
- Learn to swim properly
- Complete a round of p90x
- Complete a round of p90x+
- Complete a round of p90x : mc2
- Complete a round of Insanity
- Complete a round of Insanity : Bootcamp?
- Complete a round of RushFit
- Establish a health diet
- Establish an eight hour sleep schedule
- Learn to lucid dream
Social
- Get a new wardrobe
- Build confidence in public speaking
- Learn to flatter and leave great impressions with new people
- Go clubbing for the first time
- Go bar hopping for the first time
- Do something memorable with core group of friends
- Do something randomly nice for core group of friends
- Establish a routine of expanding my network
- Build confidence and skills for networking
- Learn some bar tricks
- Score some free drinks with bar drinks
- Learn to be classy and to entertain the audience
- Learn to tell great stories
Family
- Do something memorable with each family member
- Randomly do something nice for each family member
- Catch up with distant relatives
- Keep in contact with relatives on a monthly basis
Romance
- Join and explore the dating realm
- Go on a blind date
- Go on a double date
- Go on an impromptu date
- Establish a long term relationship
Recreation
- Go skydiving
- Go bungie jumping
- Go see favorite artists at concerts
- Go site seeing
- Go ice skating in the city
- Crash an apartment party
- Crash a fraternity party
- Crash a hotel party
- Crash a wedding
- Go visit all the museums
- Go backpacking along the east coast
- Go backpacking along the west coast
Contribution
- Continue APO
- Volunteer regularly at a hospital
- Volunteer at soup kitchen
- Buy & have a meal for a person in need
Personal Growth
- Read "Getting Things Done"
- Read "Making Things Happen"
- Read "4-Hour Work Week"
- Finish Celestine's 30 Live a Better Life Challenge
Spiritual
- Learn to meditate
- Learn basics of all religion
- Explore secular spirituality
- Establish my purpose in life
Self-Image
- Establish a higher self esteem
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
New Years Resolutions: A Response
1. Get back into shape by making running a habit again
1. Set a specific time to run. If you don't like running, set it early in the morning so you don't keep postponing it until it's too late. You could also get a running buddy so you feel obligated. I set my Google Calendar to message my cell phone 15 minutes ahead of my agenda to keep me on track through out the day. To procrastinate less set a day and time (generally on the weekend) to make a list of assignments due that week. Break them down to smaller tasks (such as readings) and set a specific time to do them if you want to micromanage to that point. Basically planning ahead will increase both quality of your work as well as the productivity of your work leaving more time to play. WARNING: Planning ahead is about guiding your day not setting it in stone. REMEMBER: Perfectionism is just as dangerous as procrastination. Look up the 80/20 rule on Google.
2. Go to all of my classes and appreciate them more. To procrastinate less and finish all my work completely and well. To raise the standards for the quality of all of my work.
2. Read ahead so you can anticipate what the professor will say. Definitely beats the "I'm probably going to walk in confused and walk out even more confused" attitude. It's also nice to have a list of questions on hand to ask the professor during lecture or after.
3. Maintain and put more value on priority relationships, intentionally open up my schedule.
3. Once again, have a set time to socialize with people. Make time to catch up with old friends as well as time to meet new people. Offer to take old friends out for coffee/meal or plan an activity to do together (concert, volunteering etc...). You can meet new people through old friends, parties, and different social and volunteering clubs.
4. Read the Bible more by making QTs a habit.
4. Once again, having a set time and routine is the quickest way of establishing a habit. Anything spiritual or meditative is suggested to be done in the mornings. Being enlightened earlier in the day allows for reflection and further realization during the rest of the day through your interactions with the people you encounter and environments your find yourself in.
5. To learn, but not compromise - more. To appreciate myself more.
5. I have so much to say on self-appreciation shoot. In a nutshell, “we go beyond our limitations once we accept them." In other words, humans are limited physically (resource, time, & ability) but are limitless spiritually (curiosity, understanding, & wonder). Once we realize our mortality and limitations, we are finally free to exploit our full capacity within those boundaries. Here's an analogy, person A & B both lived 25 years. Person A lived a life without ever worrying about death. Person B at a young age was told he had a terminal disease that would kill him. In essence, both lived the same duration of life but Person B lived a more fulfilling life. Why? Because he truly understood his limited life expectancy.
6. To read the news and publications more often.
6. I suggest setting up a RSS. I use Google Reader since I'm constantly on GMail & GCal. Also, you can download apps onto your iTouch to keep you connected to your RSS Feed. If you don't know what an RSS feed is, it's basically like an email specifically for websites and blogs. Instead of wasting time by constantly checking each website and blog for updates, the RSS reader will notify you when an update has occurred. That's how I've been keeping up with your blog ;]
7. To volunteer/canvas as much as possible
7. Once again set a time and goal. Be sure to balance your time though!
8. Not to do stuff to just do them - living more intentionally. To be a more genuinely kind person, to consider others more. Try to take life more slowly, by seconds. To take a more responsible attitude to life by making an effort to recognize and change my attitude. To become more aware of the realities of life.
8. A life without reflection is without a doubt a life without correction. Planning ahead and setting goals are essential tools for personal growth since it directs the path of the future. However, it's far from completion without the process of evaluation and reflection. In other words, without reflection you may be planning incorrectly and setting the wrong goals! A wise mane learns from his mistakes and a fool makes the same mistakes, this is reflection.
9. Spend less money
9. Calculate your monthly income, fixed-mandatory expenses, and average varied-mandatory expenses. Make a budget accordingly. Here's a good rule of thumb: 20% Saving, 50% Expenses, and 30% Guilt-Free Spending. There are plenty of personal finance blogs you can read up on to start your journey to financial stability. Also check out www.mint.com - a free online finance manager.
10. To keep my friends accountable and make sure they can do the same for me.
10. Communicate honestly and explicitly with your friends about your specific goals and what you want them to do to keep you accountable. Make a game out of it! Make it into a competition and put a wager on common goals. If not, set up a reward or penalty system. "If you reach your goal, I'll take you out to a nice dinner" etc...
1. Set a specific time to run. If you don't like running, set it early in the morning so you don't keep postponing it until it's too late. You could also get a running buddy so you feel obligated. I set my Google Calendar to message my cell phone 15 minutes ahead of my agenda to keep me on track through out the day. To procrastinate less set a day and time (generally on the weekend) to make a list of assignments due that week. Break them down to smaller tasks (such as readings) and set a specific time to do them if you want to micromanage to that point. Basically planning ahead will increase both quality of your work as well as the productivity of your work leaving more time to play. WARNING: Planning ahead is about guiding your day not setting it in stone. REMEMBER: Perfectionism is just as dangerous as procrastination. Look up the 80/20 rule on Google.
2. Go to all of my classes and appreciate them more. To procrastinate less and finish all my work completely and well. To raise the standards for the quality of all of my work.
2. Read ahead so you can anticipate what the professor will say. Definitely beats the "I'm probably going to walk in confused and walk out even more confused" attitude. It's also nice to have a list of questions on hand to ask the professor during lecture or after.
3. Maintain and put more value on priority relationships, intentionally open up my schedule.
3. Once again, have a set time to socialize with people. Make time to catch up with old friends as well as time to meet new people. Offer to take old friends out for coffee/meal or plan an activity to do together (concert, volunteering etc...). You can meet new people through old friends, parties, and different social and volunteering clubs.
4. Read the Bible more by making QTs a habit.
4. Once again, having a set time and routine is the quickest way of establishing a habit. Anything spiritual or meditative is suggested to be done in the mornings. Being enlightened earlier in the day allows for reflection and further realization during the rest of the day through your interactions with the people you encounter and environments your find yourself in.
5. To learn, but not compromise - more. To appreciate myself more.
5. I have so much to say on self-appreciation shoot. In a nutshell, “we go beyond our limitations once we accept them." In other words, humans are limited physically (resource, time, & ability) but are limitless spiritually (curiosity, understanding, & wonder). Once we realize our mortality and limitations, we are finally free to exploit our full capacity within those boundaries. Here's an analogy, person A & B both lived 25 years. Person A lived a life without ever worrying about death. Person B at a young age was told he had a terminal disease that would kill him. In essence, both lived the same duration of life but Person B lived a more fulfilling life. Why? Because he truly understood his limited life expectancy.
6. To read the news and publications more often.
6. I suggest setting up a RSS. I use Google Reader since I'm constantly on GMail & GCal. Also, you can download apps onto your iTouch to keep you connected to your RSS Feed. If you don't know what an RSS feed is, it's basically like an email specifically for websites and blogs. Instead of wasting time by constantly checking each website and blog for updates, the RSS reader will notify you when an update has occurred. That's how I've been keeping up with your blog ;]
7. To volunteer/canvas as much as possible
7. Once again set a time and goal. Be sure to balance your time though!
8. Not to do stuff to just do them - living more intentionally. To be a more genuinely kind person, to consider others more. Try to take life more slowly, by seconds. To take a more responsible attitude to life by making an effort to recognize and change my attitude. To become more aware of the realities of life.
8. A life without reflection is without a doubt a life without correction. Planning ahead and setting goals are essential tools for personal growth since it directs the path of the future. However, it's far from completion without the process of evaluation and reflection. In other words, without reflection you may be planning incorrectly and setting the wrong goals! A wise mane learns from his mistakes and a fool makes the same mistakes, this is reflection.
9. Spend less money
9. Calculate your monthly income, fixed-mandatory expenses, and average varied-mandatory expenses. Make a budget accordingly. Here's a good rule of thumb: 20% Saving, 50% Expenses, and 30% Guilt-Free Spending. There are plenty of personal finance blogs you can read up on to start your journey to financial stability. Also check out www.mint.com - a free online finance manager.
10. To keep my friends accountable and make sure they can do the same for me.
10. Communicate honestly and explicitly with your friends about your specific goals and what you want them to do to keep you accountable. Make a game out of it! Make it into a competition and put a wager on common goals. If not, set up a reward or penalty system. "If you reach your goal, I'll take you out to a nice dinner" etc...
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