My personal resolution for 2010 was to pursue my passions. As wisdom begins to kick in (as you get older) you realize that you want to make the most out of your life and live it to it's fullest. Sure working in my 8-5 job in my 4 walled cube is fantastic but there must be more! That's when I decided to pursue my passions when I can and hopefully feel more fulfilled with life. I think the most ideal situation would be to get paid for doing your passion whether that's singing, reading, skiing, or playing football. If that isn't a possibility yet, whatever your passion is pursue it. Keep your day job but pursue with all your energy your passions during your free time and maybe someday they will swap places. You will make money for doing your passions and work the 8-5 job only if you want to. Does that make sense?
Chapter 9 Pursue a Passion, Books
Gretchen says to make your passion a real priority then just an "extra". Studies show this to bring a tremendous happiness boost. To find out what your passion is begin to notice what things interest you and what you enjoyed doing when you were ten years old. These are both good indicators of what your passions are.
Gretchen pursues her passions: Write a novel. Gretchen writes a romance novel in one month. She was very happy that she could accomplish such a feat. It may not be the best novel but it's the fact that she discovered that if she wanted to she could do it and she enjoyed it because it's one of her passions. This "atmosphere of growth" brought her much happiness. Make time. Enough said. Forget about results. What makes a passion so pleasureable is the fact that you don't have to worry about results. There isn't a time constraint or an outcome except to please yourself. No pressure and it's something you enjoy! Master a new technology. For her passion she learned to create hard bound picture books from shutterfly, an online photo service. She also discovered lulu.com, a do it yourself book maker where she could print her books in hardbound without a publisher. Ironically, this is my passion to. I will have to check these two places out and make some of my own books. Who needs a publisher?!? To close, Gretchen, encourages all to pursue their passions as Michel de Montaigne said, "The least strained and most natural ways of the soul are the most beautiful; the best occupations are the least forced."
Chapter 10 Pay attention, Mindfulness
Mindfulness - The cultivation of conscious, nonjudgmental awareness.
We often are consumed in our thoughts of the past and our hopes of the future instead of being mindful of the present moment. An example of not being in the present moment would be when you are introduced to a new person and you immediately forget their name. What were you thinking about instead at that moment? Scientists have researched that staying mindful helps calm the mind and elevates brain function. It also gives clarity to a present experience among many other benefits.
Meditate on koans. She begins her search in Budhism. Koans are what Zen Budhist monks meditate on as a way to abandon dependence on reason in their pursuit of enlightenment. "A koan is a question or a statement that can't be understood logically." An example would be, "Two hands clap and there is a sound. What is the sound of one hand?" Meditate on that! After all of this zen thinking she wasn't enlightened but she did feel a sense of happiness that comes with pondering difficult and intellectual questions.
Examine true rules. When I ask have you ever heard of Munich or Minden which would be your answer? Most likely Munich. Naturally you would hold Munich to be the larger German city because you are familiar with the name. This is called heuristics; mental rules of thumb or commonsense principles you apply to solve a problem or make a quick decision. But is it really true? She examines some of her own "true rules" such as "get some exercise every day," "My parents are almost always right," Try to attend any party or event to which I'm invited." She noticed that by knowing her true rules she could be mindful of them and be more in line with her values.
Stimulate the mind in new ways. Sticky notes to remind you of the frame of mind you wish to cultivate. On Gretchen's laptop reads, "Focused and observant." Change your online passwords to a goal you want to achieve, such as "IAmHappy". Listen to new music. Take an art class or dance in your house.
Keep a food diary. Experts say that just being more mindful of what you eat will make you eat more healthy. In order to be more mindful a food diary is recommended. Plus, dieters who keep a food diary are recorded to lose twice as much weight as dieters who do not keep a food diary.
The last two chapters are left for tomorrow. Then, I get to put together my own Resolution Chart and start practicing. Plus the weekend is coming up which is always exciting. I will be spending it in Vail, skiing, eating and enjoying the town with my man, Nate. Have a great weekend!
Charissa
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