One-Year Tightrope » Personal

Inspirational Book List

Michael — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:00:18 +0000

If you’re looking for a good reading list, OnlineClasses.org has a list of 100 inspirational books they think everybody should read. I have read a few off the list, and the rest are highly recommended, so I believe there should be some solid finds within it.

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What I Do In Lieu of Work

Michael — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:39:22 +0000

Sometimes, I lose my motivation or decide to take a break from getting things done. In lieu of being productive, I do many things. I have decided to share some of them here, hoping to inspire all to be productive while being recreational.

Hit the Stumble button. It’s a great way to expand one’s horizons.
Browse Lifehacker.
Catch up on The Simple Dollar.
Do yoga or pilates.
Belly dance.
Brainstorm or create something new inspired by music from Pandora or GrooveShark.
Make duct tape wallets.
Learn something new through MIT’s Open Course Ware.
Browse Google for new productivity or organization applications.
Review my days, weeks, or months.
Catch up on my 101 Things in 1,001 Days list.
Daydream about where I want to be in the future.
Browse stock photos for inspiration.
Work on my scrapbook.
Look for a new book to read via reading lists or Amazon user reviews.
Search for other blogs in my niche and leave “good job” comments.

What do you do when you are bored, but do not want to actually do work?

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What Are Your Addictions?

Michael — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:28:55 +0000

I think regardless of how hard we try, in today’s society, addictions and habits are inevitable. For many, breaking habits is a new year’s goal that is rarely kept or completed successfully. So today, I want you to think about your addictions and, if you want, share them here.

Mine are smoking, caffeine, shopping for office supplies and belly dance gear, and planning. I cannot go without these things. If I do, I go crazy. The first two are terrible for me, and I am actively trying to break myself from them. Shopping is not too bad, because I rarely buy anything and it does not consume too much of my life. I consider window shopping and browsing online a recreational activity and treat it as such: I only do it when everything I need to get done is finished.

Finally, planning is a productive activity taken to the extreme. I have to-do list after to-do list and lists to show where my calendars are. I am completely obsessed with staying organized. As such, I am trying to free myself to the point where I can do things productively but not obsessively. I will let you know when that is done.

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How I Maintain Balance

Michael — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:03:48 +0000

I write a lot about how to do things, but so far, I have not really shared how successful I have been with the challenge I set forth for all of you. I realized this recently and decided to change it. What better way of doing this than to write a personal post about how I keep up with all the tips and ideas I spew out here?

Medication

I maintain my mental health in a number of ways. To be honest, this includes medication, because I am bipolar. It also includes taking fish oil and a multivitamin because I do not have the best diet ever. I have admitted to myself that, for now, I need help keeping healthy. I am okay with this and I would hope my readers would be as well. To me, it is far better to be healthy and happy with help than to be unhealthy and in denial.

Scheduled Posts

I am definitely the opposite of a morning person. Actually, I’m more of a mid-afternoon productive type. But I want to have a post first thing in the morning for my American readers. Because of this, I schedule nearly every post you read on this site.

Jewelry

Yes, even a silver pendant has something to do with my routine. Every time I leave the house, I put on an om necklace I got as a gift for a little over $20 on Amazon. It is a constant reminder throughout the day to remain balanced, polite, and in a good mood.

I Have Friends

I have made friends during my life who have similar goals to my own, who want to remain in touch with their spiritual sides and treat others kindly and respectfully, and who have some ideas for how to go about it. They have helped me immensely.

I Have a Role Model

I have a person in my life who is the epitome of how I want to act, and seeing this person interact with others never fails to inspire me to be a better person.

I also have a new mentor, who I think will provide me with direction in my college and work careers.

Whether it is a necklace or a best friend, there are little things in my life I like to keep around in order to help me stay healthy and sane. What are some of the methods you use to stay balanced?

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My 2009 End-Of-Year Review

Michael — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:36:53 +0000

Major Achievements

Got straight As in the fall semester
Defeated depression
Opened and funded a high-yield savings account
Made over $200 dollars by writing

Minor Achievements

In better shape now
Maintained the One-Year Tightrope for a month and a half without missing an article
Wrote in a journal every day for two months straight
Made an excellent, supportive new friend
May have gotten a steady job as a writer
Began eating well and exercising regularly
Implemented a productivity system that works for me
Learned to brainstorm effectively

Growth

Learned introductory accounting
Understood object-oriented PHP
Began re-learning Spanish
Meditated somewhat regularly

Failures

Did not make $1,000 online like I wanted
Did not get a job like I should have
Made a B in Biology over the summer
My GPA is still not to 3.5
Operated under a very high level of stress

Positives of Failures

Encouraged to work harder next year
Know more resources for making money online
Learned a lot about myself and how far I can be stretched

What I will do the same

Continue to work smartly
Continue to plan and review weekly
Continue to learn and grow every day
Exercise and eat healthily

What I will do differently

Be kinder to myself
Study more often for harder classes
Begin meditating more often
Work more toward my 101 in 1,001 goals

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How Will You Be Remembered?

Michael — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:43:19 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

Tomorrow, along with Black Friday, is the National Day of Listening – a time when it is proper to ask for and share stories about communities, lives, and families. For this holiday, I want to challenge you all to both ask somebody else and answer the following question yourself: how will you be remembered?

The question is not meant to be answered as either objective or subjective, nor is there a right or wrong. The idea here is what a person truly thinks about himself or herself and to analyze that, and change what is desired. As Gandhi said, be the change you want to see.

As for me, I will be remembered as a loyal, close friend who always tried to lend a hand when others were in need. I hope.

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Why Recycling Changed My Life

Michael — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 01:20:07 +0000

I only recently restarted recycling plans after a few-year hiatus. When I lived in Alabama, I was an avid recycler of aluminum cans because I was a prolific drinker of Code Red Mountain Dew. The addiction may have transformed to diet soda, but it still remains and I still consume four or more cans per day of the liquid amazing.

Have you ever heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? It’s a huge area – twice the size of Texas, in fact – filled with garbage. The world’s largest landfill. And it’s in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, which touches most continents on the Earth.

Ever thrown away a diaper? That’s where it goes. Aluminum cans? Yep. Paper and plastic and glass bottles, oh my? Absolutely. Everything gross you decide not to keep in your house ends up either in the ground or in the ocean, and chances are it lands here.

Considering how much garbage the average American family throws away in a day – usually around 1/2 to one full bag – that’s a lot of trash floating around in the world’s largest puddle.

So I started recycling. I got a conscience. Then I stopped, because I moved to a place that didn’t have any recycling program. I moved later and had a roommate who was really into it, but I stopped caring and didn’t begin again until recently, when I went outside.

You see, I had gone out for a cigarette break between classes, and I watched as a woman threw away three plastic bags (my school is beside a grocery store) and one hit a bird. I didn’t think that long about it until a few minutes later, when my business class went to watch a presentation by a woman who has been and is very dedicated to recycling – on the board of the commission in the county, nonetheless – about the act and the landfills around here, and what is and is not recyclable. She showed us her box from purchasing a Swiffer, which was stuffed with plastic and tape. It was a real wake-up call.

So today I went dumpster diving for the first time in my life. A neighbor had forgotten the dumpsters are ours and not just hers, and had stuffed it to the brim with cardboard boxes. This is a no-no for two reasons. First, it’s rude to take up the entire dumpster, especially when trash will not be collected for another few days. Second, that’s a lot of perfectly good cardboard on its way to be stuffed into the ground. So I grabbed a box cutter and went to work. I tore the boxes apart, flattened them, and stuck them into the bed of my stepfather’s truck to take to the recycling center when he goes shopping on Sunday. I did my good deed, and I feel like something has changed.

I was bored the last few days, which is why I started this blog. I now feel like I have something to do. I am going to change the world, and I want help. I assure you: once you begin recycling, you will feel different.

Do you recycle? How do you stay encouraged? Do you have any words for those who do not?

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