Keep It In Shape
“Sonuva! I have to pay $1,100?!”, was the thought that came into my head.
It was for my car maintenance. Apparently, it had some critical issues that need to be fixed. I was given the option to either get them done by them or not.
They’ve already done the diagnostics for me so I’m free to take it someplace else that would charge me for a cheaper price. Some people take that route – but I didn’t.
I find it very inconvenient to find another shop or get someone you know to fix it. The inconvenience has more to do with planning and finding a schedule that works for both parties.
This could delay maintenance which could also further the damage.
That being said, is finding a “cheaper” shop really cheaper?
Painful to the pocket as it is – it needs to be done.
Now, this also applies to other things that need to be maintained in life.
Things that cannot be quantified by money but with time and energy such as physical health, mental health, wealth, happiness, and well-being.
All of those “things” require maintenance to keep your life in order. However, we do not put much importance on them. Why not? The results don’t come immediately.
With cars or any physical product, you can tell right away when it’s fixed.
But with health and well being – it takes a long time.
And because we cannot see the result right away, it doesn’t hold a lot of weight of convincing us to do something about it today.
Quick Check: Is your mental health in good shape?
How we do our day-to-day tasks and the way we organize our place is a good indicator of our mental state.
I was once given a “zero” on my performance review because I couldn’t keep my desk neat and tidy.
During this period, my room was also a mess – laundry scattered all over my room – because I’m “super busy” that I don’t have time to put them in the laundry basket. I got good at making excuses to avoid facing the responsibility of “getting my shit together”.
I was at that phase in my life when I thought things were ok when actually they were not.
Years later, I decided to take responsibility which made me less messy than I once was. I still make a mess – but it significantly reduced from how I was back then.
This is why I bought Marie Kondo‘s book.
I’m aware that it’s about tidying up but it’s really to help me get my shit together.
So Sharp It Cuts Glass
That’s how a friend describe what happens to your nipples due to cold temperature LOL.
The apartment’s hot water supply was broken for a day. That meant, cold shower only (obviously).
Instead of getting irritated about it, I gave in to the pain and to a shower anyway.
The words of wisdom from a podcast I listened to replayed in my head:
“Don’t be a bitch about it”.
See I take a shower twice a day – before going to work and before going to bed. It’s a habit I’ve been practicing for a long long long time now.
And because it’s a firm habit, I find it super hard to deviate.
If let’s say I didn’t do it, then things wouldn’t feel “right” which could make my day worse than it already is. But that option was not acceptable to me so I just did it – I took that ice cold shower like a badass motherfcker.
It wasn’t as bad as I thought.
I’ve been taking 1-minute of ice cold shower to add to my warm shower in the morning every day. That being said, I had the training to face the cold. I realized that…
training helps you address unforeseen setbacks
What happened that day was a setback to the normal way of things. Such setbacks come in surprise.
But because I was prepared for it, it didn’t bother me much.
In fact, I learned that I can take longer ice cold showers which is beneficial to your health.
Which brings me to my second Life Lesson:
setbacks are Life’s gift to make you realize your true strength
[Note To Self]
Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance
The writer of Sam Fisher’s character in Splinter Cell taught me that.
Because if you don’t have a plan, you’re most likely to be pulled into many directions you didn’t intend to go.
I’ve been dismissing this lesson for a while. I keep telling myself, “I know what I want” – which in the grand scheme of things is true but the actions I take to get there are not efficient.
I’m not saying I’m doing things that lead me away from what I want. But I feel like there is a much more efficient way to get there.
One tactic I wanted to leverage is scheduling.
I’m talking about planning my month then split them to weeks and then split them further into days.
Not sure how I’m going to pull that off yet but I wanna start getting into it – just get started, fail, learn from the process then start again.
This week was a good break for me from feeling overwhelmed.
A month before, I felt scattered – not knowing which goal I need to prioritize.
Now, the second quarter is about to end. *tick tock*
Did I do enough?
Or am I expecting too much?
Perhaps I need to pause and recognize all the stuff I accomplished in the last 3 months.
Self-reflection is a tool to help you get your shit together – USE IT!
In the next few days, I need to…
***
take an inventory of things I want to accomplish.
gain clarity as to why I want to accomplish them.
plan how to accomplish them.
then put them into my schedule.
***
A Year Ago This Week
I…
- (interestingly) also talked about recovery
[Read more about it here]
Goal Update
Personal Projects
I took an inventory of things I wanted to accomplish by logging them into a notebook.
For the following weeks, I will dig deep into the reasons why I want to do them in the first place.
This will help me prioritize, add more or delete some of them.
Clarity is key.
Health
Sleeping habits and eating habits will be the focus next quarter.
However, I needed to carve some time to work out – my current health struggle.
Finance
I listen to Wealth Triggers almost every day. I will do so until I have them tattooed in my brain.