Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Week of April 27, 2020.

Tags

Mental, motivation, Physical, pumped up, recharge, Social, Spiritual, vacation week

It’s Monday!!

Time for another installment of my Motivation Monday. I’m enjoying a vacation this week, but still take a bit each day to tackle my highest priorities: Reading, Writing, Learning, Exercising, Spirituality, and interacting with family and friends. Oh, and video games! I’m currently playing a game called Rage 2 and it’s quite good, if you like open world adventure games. Here we go!

Physical – eat right, drink water, follow CDC guidelines, exercise, and get plenty of rest.

Mental – Continue coding work, read, write, and learn

Social – Stay in touch with family and friends as best I can with the lockdown, post meaningful posts and informative articles on my social media channels, keep up my blog and interact with other authors and comments

Spiritual – Spiritual exercises, spiritual readings.

Nothing specific this week, folks. I’m taking my first staycation of the year. Have a great week and remember to take some vacation time too. It is great to recharge the brain and body with relaxation, mindless video games, and hanging out with the family.

Have an awesome week, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Saturday – What is the Lesson?

Tags

Attachment, backup, creativity, Problems, redundancy, Resilience, Spiritual, spirituality

I missed yesterday’s posting because of a laptop that decided to die on me. I thought we lost power in the house, but actually it was my laptop battery. HP laptops need a working battery, despite being plugged in, before the operating system will kick in (My brother is a professional techie, and helped me figure it out).

Not a big deal since I have a desktop, but my desktop has been unused for about 6 months, and now I’m dealing with all of the updates that I didn’t do. Oh, well.

What does this have to do with spirituality? It is a lesson in undue attachment. I thought I was living a pretty detached life, but then this laptop thing happened and I went into a bit of a tizzy. The lesson was clear. I am not as detached as I thought I was.

Well, I’ve got a battery on order and things are back to normal, but wait….I don’t have a webcam anymore. Oh no!!!! Not a problem I’ll go to Amazon and place an order. Webcams are out of stock on Amazon, Best Buy, Staples, and Walmart. Logitech, a manufacturer of webcams is out too. I thought for a moment. It’s the remote work that has increased one thousand fold since the lockdown.

To overcome this, I’m using a Bluetooth keyboard and my iPhone app to make today’s posting. My PC is updating and is only at 24% so it was time to get creative. It was also a keen lesson on the importance of backup systems and redundancy. Lesson learned on a few different fronts.

I missed yesterday’s posting due to this debacle, but now I’m back on track.

The moral of the story. You always have room to improve and you are never safe from unexpected issues that pop up. It’s how you handle these problems and continue to strive forward that matters.

Well, folks. That’s all I got for today as I stare at a blue screen with 24% on it. I hope each of you has a terrific Saturday!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Get Going!

Tags

Focus, Get to it, Mental, motivation, Physical, Social, Spiritual, Try something new

I’ve read a great many stories here and in other venues about planting gardens, reconnecting with family, playing board games, and all the rest. It’s interesting how a little isolation can help us focus on what’s really important. That being said, what important things are you going to be doing this week? Are they contributing toward your goals? Are you tackling some projects that you’ve been putting off? How about those books you want to read or a movie or series you always wanted to get caught up with, but never had the time?

There are two ways to look at our circumstances. One way is to think about how much this sucks. The other way (one I prefer) is to look at our circumstances as a way to pursue some things I wouldn’t normally do. I realize most of you are working remotely, but if you’re retired like me, or recently laid off and have a lot of time on your hands, why not take some online courses, pick up that instrument gathering dust, or break out a cookbook you haven’t opened. There are all kinds of things to do if you get a little creative. We are all locked down. Might as well make the best of it, right?

Here’s my week, folks:

Physical – Exercise Monday – Saturday, drink water, take vitamins, and get plenty of rest (daily)

Mental – Continue courses on NLP, Algebra, Spanish, Python programming, and writing. Continue to work on my fiction book and this blog and read 1 chapter each day (daily)

Spiritual – Read my Bible daily, do my spiritual exercises (an advanced form of meditation), Dream Journal, Spiritual Journal, and Journal (daily)

Social – Post good quotes, poetry, and helpful or informative articles. Text, call, and/or Skype/Zoom with family members outside of Michigan, and interact on WordPress and Facebook (daily)

I like following a rigorous schedule like this because I am so apt to get bored. I do it to stay busy and continue to chip away at my yearly goals. If any of you needs help with doing something like I do, feel free to reach out. Leave me a note in the comments and I’ll answer any questions you have.

Well, that’s it, folks! Have a great week!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Week of April 6, 2020.

Tags

Daily activities, Mental, Monday, motivation, Physical, rituals, Social, Spiritual

Here we go, folks! Start your engines!!

Weekly schedule:

Physical (Exercise daily)

Mental (Coursework daily, Book writing daily, Read a chapter a day)

Social (Post to this blog daily, share quotes and articles daily, and stay in touch with friends and family via social media or phone)

Spiritual (Religious Discourse work daily, Spiritual Exercise daily, and read my Bible daily)

Relaxation (Netflix, Amazon, Vudu, Curiosity Stream, and Xbox Games)

Have a great week, everybody!!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Being Motivated in Lockdown.

Tags

Excited, Lockdown, Mental, Motivated, motivation, Physical, Pumped, Social, Spiritual

Well, folks, it’s been tough for a lot of folks for quite a while. Countries all over the world are being hit by this virus and it doesn’t appear to be letting up. I continue to hope that you, my readers, are safe and doing OK.

For most of you, being stuck at home is a real change. Americans, in fact, most of us, love our freedom to head out to eat, go to the gym, go to the library, or even go to work. When something like this sticks its ugly head up, it can be hard for people to make a significant change like this.

If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you know I’m a homebody. I head out to the gym, library, or coffee shop, but I can work out at home, I have access to over 10,000 digital books in my collection, and I have a terrific little Keurig coffee machine for my caffeine intake. I’m used to this lifestyle because my Dad has dementia and cannot be home alone. So either my Mom or I am here with him, while the other heads out for errands or whatever. So, not so much of a change for the Gardner family.

Anyway, here’s my schedule:

• Physical – exercise daily, eat right daily, drink water daily, and get plenty of sleep daily.
• Mental – school work daily, journal daily, book writing daily.
• Spiritual – Meditate (spiritual exercise) daily, read Bible daily.
• Social – Blog daily, post helpful articles (non-coronavirus or political articles) daily, post good quotes daily, help the folks daily, and interact with family via text and phone daily (Brother, Wife, Niece, and Nephew are in AZ, Mom and Dad are home, Sister is 2 hours away in Michigan).
• Coronavirus – White house briefing daily, Check WHO and CDC daily, check Michigan Health Department daily, and check Local information resources daily.

***I ignore any other new source (CNN, MSNBC, NPR, FOX news, all the rest). I ignore everything on social media feeds.***

Well, folks. That’s my week. Have a great Monday!

Be safe, stay informed, and follow guidance.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Week of March 23, 2020.

Tags

Activity, Follow Guidance, Mental, motivation, Physical, Social, Spiritual, Stay Informed, Stay Safe, Weekly Schedule

I hope all of you are safe, healthy, and paying attention to the new in your area so you can remain that way. From what I’ve seen, the U.S. government is doing all it can to help those hardest hit, and my local authorities in Michigan are doing what they can.

Stay safe, stay informed, and follow local guidance.

Here’s my week, folks. Luckily, since I complete all of my work on my laptop, my productivity has been unaffected by recent events. I know some of you are dealing with some real adversity. I hope you are OK, and conditions in your home country continue to improve for you and your loved ones.

Daily activities:

• Mental – Writing (Journaling, working on my fiction book, blogging, and writing assignments for school)
• Physical – Exercise (Home workout using extension bands)
• Mental – Learning (Computer Science path (Codecademy), Algebra course, NLP course (Udemy), and Foundations in Autism course)
• Spiritual (Spiritual discourses, reading my Bible, daily meditation)
• Social (practicing social distancing, but staying in touch with Wife, Brother, Sister, and friends)

I hope all of you are safe and remain that way. If anyone is isolated or alone, and you need someone to talk with, feel free to reach out to me in the comments. We can work something out to connect with each other via phone, video chat, or some other medium.

Well, that’s all I got for now. Have a great week!

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 – Spiritual Saturday – Solving Problems

Tags

Bifurcation, Chaos, entropy, Problems, Solving Problems, Spiritual, Systems, Transformation

There is nothing wrong with asking for help, but we must remember that our purpose for being on earth is to learn how to arrive at the correct solution to our own problems. We have to write the script and—as well as we can—figure out how to untangle the plot.

Harold Klemp, ECK Wisdom on Solving Problems, p. 2.

Imagine yourself in a boat. You’re enjoying the breeze coming off of the water. You see the sun dance across the surface. Everything is sublime.

You look down and see water coming into the boat through a hole. “Oh, my.”, you say to yourself. Troubles come into our lives unexpectedly. We’re floating along without a care in the world, and then a hole appears, and the water comes flowing in.

Problems in our lives arise this way. Some we can see coming. Others are unexpected. They blindside us.

Sometimes when we solve a problem, we try to bail out the water coming into our boat, hoping we can get rid of the water more quickly than it comes in. This is an example of our “system” trying to rid itself of entropy by getting rid of the excess energy coming into a system. This will work for a while, but we soon conclude that we have put a bandaid on the problem, but not solved the underlying cause behind the problem–the hole in the boat is still there.

Another solution to our leaking boat is to block the hole. This is like blocking out the entropy coming into our system. Here, we pull off our shirt or grab some item we brought with us and block up the hole. Is the hole still there? Yep. This didn’t solve the problem either. The underlying cause is still plaguing us.

Then we finally arrive upon our answer. We let the boat sink and swim to shore. We transform the system by throwing out the faulty boat and learn to swim in the water without a boat.

In the abstract, a problem is entropy throwing our system into chaos. The boat is our system. The hole is the problem. The water is the entropy overloading the system because of the weakness (hole) in it. Subsequently, the chaos overcomes the current system, and it transforms the system to a new and stable one that can withstand the water.

This is how problems transform us. When our lives are calm, we are satisfied and ride the wave of life. When a problem arises, sometimes we can block the problem, run away from the problem, or transform. Blocking or running away are temporary solutions. Transformation is the key. We have to rewrite the code that caused the problem in the first place.

Many of our problems are a disconnect with what is and how we want things to be. It isn’t the situation that is problematic; it is the way we “see” the situation. The problem is internal. Change the way you view a problem, and the problem typically ceases to exist.

I hope each of you has a terrific Saturday!

Until next time…

Dave

 

Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Saturday – The Power of Music

Tags

Benefits, Genre, memories, Movies, Music, Nostalgia, Spiritual

Could you imagine watching one of your favorite movies without the music? It would change the experience dramatically. The music adds layers to the story by the pictures and the feelings the music brings to us.

I use music for all kinds of activities. When I am reading, instrumental music works the best, as long as it is not too heavy. I enjoy calming music while I read. Sometimes classical, most of the time sound scapes.

When I’m in a bad mood, I like to listen to upbeat music. When I’m feeling nostalgic, I like to listen to music that reminds me of something. Try listening to the music you liked when you were in high school and then tell me you didn’t see pictures of your proms, trips, and football games playing through your mind.

Then there is the music that is special to you, like a song you and your first boy or girlfriend chose to be yours. I guarantee you’ll see that person in your mind when the song kicks off, along with the things you did together.

Music is also a huge motivator for me. When I’m in the gym, music drives me from one exercise to the next. If I’m lifting weights, there’s nothing like a good heavy metal tune. If I’m doing cardio, my music genre of choice is trance.

I try to listen to music every day. I enjoy the feelings associated with the music I listen to. I don’t have a favorite music, but definitely am not a Country Music fan. I can attribute this to all the country music my grandmother tortured me with when my brother and I stayed over. To this day, I cannot stand Conway Twitty, Gene Autry, or Johnny Cash.

If you have not tried it, try listening to music when you read, write, study, or exercise. It will give you a huge boost. It does for me, at least. I’ll stop here.

I hope all of you are having a great 2020 and getting some rest and relaxation today, after returning to work.

Until next time…

Dave

 

 

Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Saturday – Selfless Service

Tags

Charity, Giving, Lending a hand, Selfless Service, Service, Serving, Spiritual, spirituality

“You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.” ― John Bunyan

Courtesy Goodreads

Have you ever done something nice for someone without saying anything or expecting anything in return? The feeling you get when you do something like this is different than the feeling you get when someone knows you did them a service. It is a more complete feeling. It’s hard to explain.

Obviously, we all like being appreciated or thanked for our efforts, but doing something selflessly provides so much more. Here are some ideas for you to think about:

• Picking up someone’s trash can that has fallen over, while they’re at work
• Paying for someone’s coffee at your local coffee shop or paying for someone’s meal at a restaurant without them knowing
• Leaving a note on a colleague’s desk telling them they are awesome, loved, or terrific (I enjoyed leaving sticky notes on someone’s computer screen before they got to work)
• Picking up trash while on a hike or when you walk down your street
• Picking up something that has fallen off a shelf at your local department store
• Leaving a sticky note on someone’s car window wishing them a great day!

These are just a few examples of some things you can do that contribute. Here are some things you can do for people that can’t pay you back:

• Volunteer to work at a homeless shelter or Food Kitchen
• Volunteer to work at your local library
• Help someone when they’ve broken down along the side of the road
• Get some food for a homeless person
• Deliver a holiday basket to a military recruiting station, police station, or fire house

These are just examples of the service you can give to other people. You’ll feel terrific when you’ve done these things and the people on the receiving end will feel good too. I prefer to do things when people don’t know that I’ve done it. The feeling you get back when you do something out of pure love for people is a great thing. It really is.

I wish each of you a terrific Saturday.

Until next time…

Dave