Daily Ramblings – Wisdom Wednesday – Follow Your Gut

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Choices, Freedom, Gut, Instinct, Learning, Programming, Reading, Writing

This week I’m taking it easy. I’m still working through my tasks, but not as hard as I normally do. At the end of last year, I committed to taking a week off every quarter. I’m a little off, but this is my week. I have to say it’s pretty nice.

I just felt a little off last week and figured, why not? I can catch up on some shows on Netflix I’ve been blowing off, I can sleep in a few days, and I can get in some fiction reading. It’ll be a nice week.

Sometimes I have doubts about this or that. When I do, I follow my gut. I pay attention to what I’m doing and determine if I really want to do that. If I struggle to do something, I just stop it. There’s no sense in forcing myself to do something when I’m retired and don’t need to. I try to stick with what I’m excited about. I try to do things that even on my vacation; I have no problem doing them.

The things I really enjoy are programming, gaming, reading, writing, and learning most of all. But the topic has to be something I’m interested in. I love history, science, mathematics, writing courses, and topics that are related to these.

Obviously, there are things you can’t blow off, but anything you consider discretionary time, do what you want! Life’s too short to do something because you think you have to. You don’t. Do what you want with your time. When you do that, pay attention to how you feel about approaching that class, that writing, or anything you’ve done. If you have to drag yourself into doing it—stop. That makes no sense.

Do things during your time that inspire you, interest you, and make you happy. There’s no sense pursuing something that just isn’t your bag.

Well, that’s all I got today, folks! Have a great Wednesday!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spread Your Wings Sunday – Week of March 29, 2020.

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Hobbies, Home activities, Lockdown, Reading, Spread Your Wings, Things to do, workout

Ok, folks! Here we go!!

Since we’re all locked down in our homes, here are a few challenges for you to choose:

Challenge #1: Pick a book either online or in your home that you’ve been putting off and start reading it (1 chapter a day).

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Challenge #2: Take an inventory of the hobbies you’ve always wanted to learn or start. Pick one and spend some time learning more about it this week (spend an hour on YouTube or a Hobbie-based blog)

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Challenge #3: Find a home workout on YouTube and do it three times this week (Mon, Wed, Fri or Tue, Thu, Sun).

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If you picked one of these and did it, tell me about it in the comments.

Have a great week!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Week of March 16, 2020 – Updated

Tags

Blogging, Coronavirus, Exercise, Learning, motivation, Reading, social media, spirituality, Writing

***Both of my gyms have closed. I’ll be moving all of my workouts into the home with my exercise bands.*** 

Well, it’s another week, folks!

What are you working on? As always, I packed my week with reading, writing, educating myself, spiritual work, and exercise. It’s going to be great fun!

My schedule:

• Scene construction for my fiction book – daily.
• Blogging – daily.
• Spiritual reading – daily.
• Spiritual exercises (meditation) – daily.
• Exercise – daily (see my workout routine) – daily.
• Algebra, Spanish, Python, NLP classes – daily.
• Post articles and quotes to social media – daily.
• Read writing book, fiction book, and Bible – daily.
• Journal – daily.

With all the news about the coronavirus (COVID-19), I would be remiss if I didn’t discuss it briefly. My advice: take all measures specified by your government. If you get sick, stay home, watch your symptoms, and get yourself to a hospital if your symptoms get worse.

Take care of yourself. Eat right, drink plenty of fluids, keep social distance, and help out your friends and family if they need it. My folks are in their late 70s and early 80s, so I’ll be on hand to step in and help if they get sick. We’re in a pretty small town and have not had any cases arise yet. We’re monitoring it.

What to do? Read, catch up on your movie watching, pay attention to your new outlets, exercise at home if your gym is closed or too far away, and follow any protocols your employer has put in place. My brother, sister, wife, niece, and nephew have all been moved to remote work/school, so life will be different for a few weeks.

Most important: Do Not Panic. I know it’s hard with the 24-hour news cycle, but use your common sense and don’t go overboard. Everything will be alright.

Have a great week, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

 

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Week of March 9, 2020

Tags

Consistency, Exercise, Learning, Monday Motivation, Productivity, Reading, rituals, Social, Spiritual, Writing

I had my monthly book discussion today and fell a little behind schedule, so I’m scrambling a bit to get caught up and knock out my daily tasks. Here’s my weekly schedule:

Read daily – chapter a day

Write daily – Blog postings, any homework assignments, and work on my book.

Exercise daily – Gym, diet, sleep, meditation

Learn daily – Computer Science Path (Codecademy), Algebra course, NLP course, Course on Autism Spectrum Disorder

Spiritual daily – Read Bible daily, Journal daily, Spiritual exercises daily

Social daily – post quotes daily, share articles daily, get out into the community daily, hang out at the coffee shop on Saturday, hang out at a library on Friday

That’s all I got for today, folks. Have a great week!!

Until next time…

Dave

 

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Grateful for Reading

Tags

Adventures, Books, Expanding Your Mind, ideas, Learning, Libraries, Places, Reading, Romance

A study at the Pew Research Center posits that 27% of America did not read a single book in the last year. That’s a pretty astounding number when you take into account the amount of free books online, online resources provided by local libraries, and available for free at your local library. Enough of my lecturing.

I’m grateful for reading and my ability to read. I love books. I love learning. I love nonfiction and history more than I do fiction, but I still love a great fiction story, particularly science fiction. I love reading stories of exploring other planets, space battles, laser gun fights, you name it.

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No entertainment is so cheap as reading, nor any pleasure so lasting. Mary Wortley Montagu.

When I read a book, I’m taken away. I experience the history, the adventure, the drama. It is hard to describe the feeling you get when a great book carries you away. You lose track of time.

So, thank you, to every author that has taken me to a new place. Thanks to the historians that taught me something about a civilization, a war, that told me how we looked at our world 100 years ago, 300 years ago, 500 years ago.

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If you don’t read, give it a whirl. Find a topic or type of story you like. Do you like being scared? Pick up a thriller. Do you like to read about love? Find a romance novel. Do you like history and a good story? Pick up a historical fiction book. There are so many choices and so many books available. You don’t need any money. Go to your local library. Heck, reach out to your grandparents. If they are still alive, I bet they have a lot of books to lend you.

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If you don’t have the time to read, you don’t have the time or the tools to write. Stephen King

In closing, I love to read and grateful for the ability to read. It teaches me; it engages me; it opens my mind to other ideas, times, and places. Pick up a book and read it. You will be different when you’re done.

Until next time…

Dave

 

Daily Ramblings – Bonus Content – Book Review

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Best Seller, Bonus Content, Book Review, Denise McAllister, Goodreads, Reading, Sunday

 

My review

Click on the link above to read my review. I just finished it today and boy, is this book the right book at the right time.

Have a great Sunday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Repetition

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Daily to-dos, Exercise, Meditation, motivation, Practice, Reading, Repetition, Weekly Schedule, Writing

Like I said, repetition in practice and hard work.

Jerry Rice

Ask any sports legend, concert pianist, actor, writer, anyone with any skill and they will all tell you they got where they are by practice and repetition. They practiced, and practiced, and practiced.

When I served in the Army, we did the same thing. We practiced. We repeated. We worked on something until you could do it in your sleep. That’s the key. To transform a skill from conscious practice to subconscious execution. Then you practice more.

Repetition can be boring. It is tough to stick with something every day. But for those of you who understand the power behind repetition, you know that sometimes you dread doing something you did yesterday, and the day before. The mind loves novelty and will fight it.

Stick with it. Keep doing it. Don’t stop. Greatness and mastery are on the other side of the boredom and repetition.

Here’s my schedule for the week:

• Work on character development for my fiction book – daily
• Learn Graphs in Python – daily
• Blog daily
• Journal daily
• MS Publisher Course – daily
• Exercise – daily
• Meditate – daily
• Read a chapter – daily

Have a great Monday, folks.

Until next time…

Dave

 

 

 

 

Daily Ramblings – Wisdom Wednesday – Seek Novelty

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Experiencing, How the Brain Learns, Learning, Novelty, Reading, Sousa, Variety, wisdom

In Sousa’s (2017) book, novelty is something the brain loves. It is stimulated by new things. In fact, it is monumentally more receptive to novelty than the mundane. Why? Because the brain is wired for survival. New things could prove fatal, right?

Assuming we are pursuing novelty in our environment that is safe, it will stimulate us. So, it would be wise to seek out new things to do to attain this maximized stimulation and increased potential for retention.

Experience New Things

Remember the last time you went to a new store, restaurant, or location? You feel more alive. You are anxious to see the menu, products, or sites. You sense new smells, new color combinations, new visuals. It is an amazing experience to visit a new place and enjoy all of it.

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Do New Things

Have you ever gotten into a rut? It’s boring, time drags, and exhausting. Go places you don’t typically go to. Maybe a museum? Maybe a flea market? Maybe a farmer’s market? What about a great bookstore? How about catching a show with your local amateur acting group? A new hiking trail? Maybe you could take a new route to work?

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Learn New Things

I enjoy learning new things. I’m learning MS Publisher. I’m taking a beginning Algebra course. I’m taking a Neuro-Linguistic-Programming (NLP) course. All of these courses introduce novel information. This information can be used for all sorts of things as your brain internalizes the information and integrates it with the knowledge you already possess.

You want to learn to draw, pick up a new language, or take great pictures with your iPhone? Take a course, find a local workshop or class, or find a meetup where you can interact with new people and learn a skill at the same time.

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Read New Things

I like to read articles from numerous sources like the Atlantic, Inc, and Forbes. I enjoy articles by Scientific American. I try to read as much as I can during the week and stretch my mind by reading other’s work and understanding their point of view.

In today’s polarized climate, it is so easy to fall into an ideological bucket and lose one’s ability to really think through an issue. I try to avoid the extremes of an argument by reading articles from both sides of an issue and finding what I believe the real solution is: somewhere in the middle.

If you enjoy Science Fiction and Thrillers, read Literary Fiction, read a classic, or read a mystery or romance novel. The change is stimulating, particularly if you find a great author.

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Novel experiences make for an enjoyable life. A life lived fully. So get out there. Do something different, even if it involves trying something new at a favorite restaurant. Your brain will thank you.

If you would like to learn more about how the brain learns, read Sousa’s (2017) book below under reference. It is a fascinating and informative read.

Until next time…

Dave

Reference

Sousa, D. A. (2017). How the brain learns. (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. ISBN-13: 9781506346304

Daily Ramblings – Ted Talk Tuesday – Dune

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Dune, Dune Series, Frank Herbert, Reading, Science Fiction, Ted Talk, TedEd

I’m a huge Science Fiction fan. In fact, most of the fiction books I read (few) are Science Fiction books. Frank Herbert’s Dune series is much like Tolkien’s Middle Earth. It is a new universe and a world filled with intrigue and mystery. If you have not read Frank Herbert’s Dune, I highly recommend it. It is a real treat.

Have a great Tuesday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Wisdom Wednesday – Books

Tags

Adventure, Books, Excitement, Fiction, habits, Learning, Non-Fiction, Reading, Tomes, wisdom

For those of you that follow this blog, you know my love of reading. This week, because of my low energy (I’m still sick), I want to talk about why I love reading and why I set reading goals every year.

I have never been a big fan of fiction books.. I love a good story, but I love learning more. I’m constantly seeking new information with the hope of just finding one or more things I can do or use to make my life easier and more productive. Some books I read are philosophical, while others are more about hard science like physics, astronomy, or history. I also enjoy reading biographies. It is fascinating to see how others overcome great obstacles and win.

Whenever I get sick, I try to determine why or what I do that caused me to get sick. Colds and flus are just a nuisance. During the holidays I eat everything. I eat cakes, cookies, chocolate, junk food, you name it. When we have family visiting, you can also kick the sleep schedule, workout routine, and all the rest to the curb. Yeah, that’s why I’m sick. But there’s a silver lining. My sickness caused me to watch a few films and purchase a book about whole-food, plant-based diets. It really got me thinking, and I will make my transition to this lifestyle in February. I’m reading the Forks over Knives book now and will put that up in a review once I’m done. The book just makes great sense.

I also read a lot of books simultaneously. For example, I am reading 8 non-fiction books now and one fiction book. This is normally the ratio of non-fiction to fiction I read throughout the year. Of the 73 books I read last year, only 12 books were fiction books.

I enjoy reading books because you learn from other people. The people that take time to write a book about a particular topic are normally folks who have dedicated their lives to a specific area. They know the topic inside and out. They also know the pitfalls of trying to adopt the ideas in their book. I never try to adopt everything an author recommends. I look for one or two items that make sense regarding my life. For example, the very first thing I adopted out of the book: Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-free productivity, by David Allen was his 2-minute rule. This rule recommends that if we run across anything in our life that takes less than two minutes to complete, you do it–right now and be done with it. This was life-changing for me.

When I read The 7 habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey, I learned about the 7th habit labeled “Sharpening the Saw”. Again, this was life-changing. Sharpening the Saw is about improving those things in your life that have the greatest impact on everything else, like physical exercise, reading broadly, and planning.

Finally, when I read Mini Habits, by Stephen Guise, the one thing I grasped from my first reading was building habits by establishing extremely small thresholds for each habit I wanted to adopt. Who can’t do one push-up a day? Another huge game changer.

My life improved by reading these books. Each day I look for more of these game changers. One little tweak to my daily life that can bring huge benefits.

If you are not a huge fan of reading, I challenge you to fix that–NOW! We can all learn so much from those that have struggled with the same things we do and have found solutions to these problems. All it takes is a few bucks and your time. Start small. Dedicate 10 minutes of your day to read a few pages (say 5 or 10). It doesn’t matter the amount you read, just make it a daily habit. Before long you’ll be knocking out a lot of books and will reap the benefits of doing so. Think about it. If you could learn one thing you could add to your life that would change it dramatically, wouldn’t that 10 minutes a day be worth it? I think so.

Well, that’s it for today. I’m heading back to my herbal tea and a nap, so I can be done with this stupid cold. Have a great day folks!

Until next time…

Dave