Taxing Time

BATTLE STATIONS

Just like this time a year ago, I'm having to gather my energies for a pending battle against the larger, bullying forces that are trying to wear me down. 

Last year was a struggle fighting the corporation where I worked - News International. This year, it's Thanet Council, the DVLA and in the courts and this week, it's been the tax man - HMRC. That's very big battles and up against some very powerful organisations. Having these battles of mine coming through all at once is making the task in hand all the more difficult. It's no wonder that I've been suffering the symptoms of burnout. 

The no drinking rule, early to bed and 5am starts - plus the daily yoga, Qi gong and fitness routine, are going to be crucial if I'm going to survive the next few months without sinking under the weight of it all.

Stepping It Up

As from next week, the Paleo diet and a return to boxing, tougher conditioning combined with an increase in the intensity of regular workouts, will all help me to stay strong over coming months. I'm getting myself in a peak mental/physical shape so I can better face the months ahead.

I can't believe we're through January already! This has been a good month in many ways - but it's passed far too quickly. However, taking the learnings through to February and into March, should help cement some positive lifestyle changes for carrying through the rest of the year and for reaching my goals.

Sticking to the Jan Plan

KEEPING TO THE PATH

It's been two weeks now since starting the new routine. The plans have worked out well so far. We've tweaked our agreed daily routine to better enable us to both benefit from this productive time. 

Fitness

Making the decision to only do 10 minutes of Qi Gong in the morning every week day means we can use the 10 minutes saved at weekends to do a strength and cardio workout on Saturday/Sunday morning instead. Plus it means we don't get bored of the weekday routine. The 10-15 minutes of daily yoga can be a bit repetitive, but there are many factors to focus on in this routine that means it always gives back. The poses also have a multitude of health/focus benefits. 

Walking and cycling are free and can help get us back into nature if we opt to go through the woods/park or out on the common. This could also feature part of our need to get away a bit more - and replace the pubs and bars on any planned trips away. 

Diet

Starting every morning with a fresh cold-pressed juice, has kept the mind sharp and I'm seeing the weight steadily drop off. Eating less, no/minimal snacking and taking in only freshly prepared food every day also seems to be replenishing the body's depleted reserves and restoring vitality. 

Selecting reduced price items in the supermarket has also ensured the budget is being adhered to and we're much being more mindful of what we eat based on availability, flexibility (lifespan/compatibility with other ingredients to make different meal combinations) and value for money - rather than purely focusing on taste.

Education

Reading more and having a wider variety of different topics to study means there's a greater scope of knowledge available on hand. Having the breadth of mind to absorb all the information seems to be the crux here. While it would likely be optimum to stick to just one topic, this variety means I have greater scope to learn from and I select exactly what is right at the moment it comes to me. This approach to learning can still work well, but I may need to go back and re-read some of the pages to really absorb the new information. The notes options in both Kindle and iBooks apps are handy for keeping reminders of the key learning points. I'll use my page posts within the blog to write up what I'm learning about.

These last two weeks, I've been reading and writing mainly about stress. Understanding the symptoms, causes, affects and methods for coping/fixing this beast will be comprehensively written up soon. This newly learned information has been instrumental to my development over the last 12 months and invaluable to everyone for better understanding themselves and the factors affecting health.

Another study has been on the understood benefits of being 'introverted' for greater creative advancement. This field of study will again be written about in greater depth for better describing why the modern working environment is hampering creative thought and potentially contributing towards higher stress levels in certain individuals and an increase in stress-related health issues in organisations.

Creativity

Poetry has been present in some of my recent thoughts on creativity and I'll be looking at using this art form to invoke the creative parts of my brain more. Some thought provoking films (Lobster this past weekend), have really opened up my mind for allowing inspiration to flow. I'll look for more though-provoking films to watch over coming weeks. 

I've managed to get the graphics tablet working again - so potentially I could investigate digital drawing. I still have the conventional pencil to pick up and master as well as the paint brush. This is likely something I will get on to once I've secured a regular income.

Entertainment

Apart from the odd documentary, there are quite a few TV shows/series, comedies and dramas we can watch. Some will be inspiring but essentially, this part of the routine fulfils necessary relaxation time and will feature more in the week, only later in the day and on Saturday evening. Having a good book to get lost in that isn't purely educational, should be high on the agenda for coming weeks too. 

Spiritual development

Focusing on the improvements within oneself in order to benefit others - or being wisely selfish as the Dalai Lama wisely likes to phrase it. This will be the ongoing daily practise required for reaching a higher consciousness. My meditation will be taken daily.

Non attachment - This is key for beating stress. Taking on challenges rather than feeling the weight of attachment to anything tricky that life throws at us, will help to stay removed from all negative impacts. 

Vision Board - The vision board will help bring the goals to fruition as positive thoughts are channelled towards attaining the outcomes we desire for the future. 

Fortune Guidance

Not usually one for listening to the psychic messages given by oracles, soothsayers and prophets, I do however recognise that there is something strange concerning my own subtle clairvoyant abilities. There have just been too many coincidences to discredit psychic powers.

And when there's positive messages to align with from The Secret or pointers from rune stones, fairy cards or any other tool used for 'seeing' into the future or connecting to the universe, we should use these messages to give us some purpose-driven focus. We need to take action for bringing about change rather than merely sitting around and waiting for miracles to happen.

So, using the Mandala card readings from this week as a guide, I will take their meanings to help cement a positive thoughts foundation to work from:

Good luck - I am lucky and need to remember that. I have to pay attention to any negative beliefs I harbour regarding luck and money and what I deserve in life - I needn't focus on what's lacking.

Meditation - Do this daily to still my mind away from all the chatter going on. Focus on good breathing! Use these techniques for better communication and understanding of others. 

Balance Flowing - Stop giving attention to the idea of balance as it can make me unnecessarily anxious. Understand that the actions I take have positive results in my life and go with the flow. 

Work

I will continue coming at this quest for meaningful employment from a perspective where money/status is of secondary concern. Keep planting the seeds and look at ways to make some extra cash through Elance, teaching, Streetbank, impossible and doing other simple jobs like DIY or driving (deliveroo).

Déjà Vue

STRENGTH FORMED FROM EXPERIENCE

While the events of last year relating to my work situation and consequential battles, have in some way scarred me, they have also given me strength, tactical knowledge for debate and honed my writing skills. 

Watching a gripping documentary on Netflix this weekend, entitled, Making a Murderer, I have been reminded of my pending two court cases in early 2016. 

Having watched this true life documentary, I've witnessed how the legal system is flawed in many ways - just as our brains are unreliable at recording facts and susceptible to being primed through clever use of words/imagery, to present a certain viewpoint. 

Just as it was gripping to watch the court proceedings, it was also astounding to observe the different characters of the police/governing bodies and the defendants/family members as the two sides of the story are played out for us to see. 

Getting Organised

Another focus point this week, is on the reading of 20 pages per day. I'm finally getting around to taking in learnings from Organized Mind. From just reading the first few pages, I've now gained a better understanding of the brain's system for categorising information into memory and how easily our memories can be altered through suggestive language. If only the jury had read this book in the Steven Avery trial. 

Staying Tough

Although last year was tough in many respects, the results in the end, were mostly positive. I've found a lawyer I can ask for advice and I have better writing skills, knowledge, patience and ability to treat these two pending court cases as challenges. The learnings taken from better understanding how to deal with these matters can in turn enrich me rather than just allowing the emotional attachments to affect me. If the main character in this documentary, Mr Avery - someone of a humble standing and with a low IQ, can survive 18 years in jail for a crime he did not commit, only to face battle once again shortly after his release, fighting a corrupt government and police force on a planted murder charge that could potentially ruin his life and destroy his family. I can certainly do my best to fight these two cases, utilise my intellect, research and writing ability, to find a favourable solution to this otherwise potentially stressful situation.

January Recap

JANUARY REVIEW

Around this time last year, I made the decision to write a daily blog of my thoughts in order to discover some home truths about myself which I could then analyse to help bring about some positive changes in my life. A year and one week has passed since I embarked on this journey of discovery.

There have been some marked improvements on my path to success and through my daily regular research, I've discovered some great tools plus had my mind opened to many more ideas on how to achieve even greater successes. The plan for 2016 is to gather all these findings together so I can clearly pinpoint where further improvements can be made and also to collate everything into a more concise format so these findings, both good and bad, can all be shared with the world in the form of a book.

Reading through my diary posts from January 2015, I can see early my signs of excitement from taking the initial steps to actually make the changes to my life. There's evidently an eagerness there for me to discover new information. Every enthusiastic post that's written talks positively of my achievements and goals. The mere fact that I'd stuck to my resolve and commitment to get up early in the mornings at this cold and dark time of the year, plus kept on doing this for the entire month, became a strong enough motivation to carry me forward.

The whole of January was really positive with some great breakthroughs in beating stress and fixing some long-term ailments through diet and exercise. I also started to touch type which I've now got pretty good at doing. I also took steps towards learning another language, which will only continue to improve in 2016.

My goal this week has been to re-read the previous blog posts, adding tags to them so I can identify which ones go together. I've also gone back over some of the teachings from Geoff Thompson and I'm now reading his book The Elephant and the Twig, which is again helping me to move forward.

Some of the most inspirational moments came from getting up early in the mornings. Having this time to myself has allowed time to address the issues I've been facing and most importantly, given me a window to be creative on something I care about - ie. improving myself to be better equipped for helping others. The creative writing practise alone will help me achieve more success in the future as I'll be much more confident at communicating through the written word.

Compassion seems to come up a lot in the posts and there are early signs of my getting some success in this area through being in a better place myself. A lot of this would have been through eating and sleeping well, allowing a more considerate frame of mind, but giving up alcohol was clearly a major contributing factor, I'm sure. I will continue to abstain from the booze for the rest of January now and see if that was indeed the case.

All in all, the January posts are of a very uplifting nature and I can see why it was a constructive month. This time around, I am out of work and therefore have even more time to look at how to make improvements. The key thing to sort out now is finding meaningful employment. This will be my ultimate focus. Not wanting to go back to the same role working in a corporate world is going to be a challenge, because getting a job that pays the bills while also allowing an acceptable level of comfort in an expensive city like London, will be tricky. I'll just have to be a lot better with my money while I work on this new life. Having a life role that brings me both satisfaction and decent money, may be a while off yet. I have to keep that fact in the back of my mind if I'm going to feel confident in what I'm doing and to keep any negative thoughts at bay.

Reconnaissance Review

THE LAY OF THE LAND

Merely a reconnaissance mission - not a battle. How is this all looking?

The first 3 days have really been a continuation from Christmas - but the 5am starts and exercise routine has been started successfully. I've read through a few of the previous posts and I can see where there's going to be a lot of work to fully understand what I've learned from 2015 and where it can be consolidated and put to good use.

So today marks the last day of the old routine and tomorrow - Monday - will be a first step out into the unknown terrain ahead, with my senses primed and wits fully about me.

Keeping the Journal Alive
I'm going to start a personal one paragraph diary where I'll keep track of the daily progress, make milestones on what I've been up to and achieved. There'll also be some notes taken on my mood diary, with gratitude and affirmations, plus visualisation board at home and on Pinterest.

FFC2016 - The Next Chapter

PLEDGE FOR THE NEW YEAR

I've made it! I have reached my goal of writing a blog post every day for 365 consecutive days. It's been a challenge and I've accomplished what I set out to do. But life is a series of challenges that are constantly changing and evolving. So today marks the end of a life chapter but also the beginning of another.

Today marks the start of the next quest
It's just after 5am and I'm sitting at my computer typing this blog from a fresh mind. Currently, I have a few key objectives for this year that I will aim to complete and these are outlined below. I also have a few immediate take out learnings from 2015 that I wish to adhere to. These are the following:

Less battles. I wore myself out in 2015 standing my ground, fighting for the things I believed in and this has taken a lot out of me physically and mentally. This maxim stands true: If I get angry, I am the the loser. My mind has been filled with the planning, advancement, completion of and reflection on my battles fought. Consequently I've been consumed by these thoughts and they've impacted me in negative ways. Hence, I need to focus much more on the positive emotions if I'm to populate my mind with the creative thoughts and body with the necessary energy to encourage further development and success.

Be Happier. I tend to get caught up in concerns about the sad realities of life and focus too much on matters of the human condition - which makes me cynical. The facts of life will always be there as a reminder of the challenges we all face but we can still be appreciative of our good fortunes and approach each day in a positive and playful manner. Bringing attention to those things beyond our control, will only deter thinking away from what is there in front of our face. There's fun and happiness to be had right now in the moment if we allow it. So I intend to practise a daily mantra of gratitude to help promote happy & positive thoughts from the moment I wake until the last moments before falling to sleep. The teachings of the Dalai Lama can show us all how to train our minds to be better individuals for attaining true happiness:

“Today I am fortunate to have woken up, I am alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others, to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings, I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others, I am going to benefit others as much as I can.”

More compassion. I need to start thinking more of others and treat myself more kindly too. The judgement I bestow upon others is wounding me spiritually. This area of my being is where the greatest work is required and therefore I must practise compassion daily to get better at following the golden rule - being considerate to another's needs, just as I wish to be considered in return.

January pledge
- Up early every day at 5am
- Read 20 pages of a book daily
- Lean languages daily with Duolingo
- Qi gong daily
- Yoga daily
- Eat less to lose 'winter coat' and always make fresh meals with more vegetarian options
- Spend less, budget and save money
- Make up some meals from food left in the cupboards to save money
- Buy reduced items from grocers late in the day
- Research blog pages for developing my book
- Find a project I can develop into a new career
- Create an exercise programme outside of the gym
- Create a healthy and nutritious food plan

Statement
I pledge to be more understanding of others, loving & compassionate, more positive and less cynical. The illusion of life, it's shortness and inevitable end, needn't mean I have to believe everything is pointless. I need to concentrate on my key positive character traits which serve me best - namely my: steely determination, spirit of adventure and efficient focus on doing something well until completion. I simply have to keep in mind my central beliefs for what I'm capable of. If I continue to strive towards achieving goals, just as I always have done, life's purpose will reveal itself and those things I excel in, will in turn, become my loved, rewarding life's work.

I will create my morning ritual and stick to it. This will incorporate daily affirmations, research, good nutrition, exercise and greater awareness of being more attentive to the needs of those around me.

Blogging
My morning's work will be to research the blog posts of 2015 and collate my findings for seeing where I've made gains, where more work needs to be focused and this information will be written up into a book. I will post my findings once per week every Sunday without fail. They won't have to be long or have any new insightful messages or meaning as I want to focus the time on the book but they will still show any new learnings and the monthly posts will be a gauge on my progress.

This blog post is a repeat post from the last entry of 2015 marking a year of living mindfully. To see what has happened in a year, and measure against where my mind was at from the very start of this quest, my post from the 1st of January 2015 can be found here.