Tag: consistency

the change you can’t see

There is a magic to compounding that makes its effects seem unbelievable. On any given day, you won’t even be sure it exists. Like a sleight of hand, one day you will see something that’s there where it once wasn’t.

It is a feature of the wise and the patient to be able to wait for the magic to occur. The two marshmallow babies. But for the one marshmallow babies, where is the magic? How can we come to see that which we cannot see? I do not entirely know the answer to this, but I can tell you about my experiences lately.

With every salad I consume, I can visualize my internal organs healing themselves. Mmm, tomatoes. Mmm, red pepper. Greeeeeen! I can visualize that the joints that I overwork and stress when I run and place impact on them are feeling nice and lubricated when I eat a can of sardines, naturally filled with essential oils and fatty acids, allowing me to move smoothly, with ease. My skin begins to glow, imperceptibly, ever so slightly when I drink water and it begins to appreciate the hydration it experiences.

In the financial realm, I imagine my money that had once been stale, losing forces in every battle, worn down by a multi-year war with credit card debt, my consumerist habits, and my spending in disregard. The unit, now feeling relief, works hard to grow, and welcomes in new members to its army. Because it doesn’t know when, nor how, but that another war may happen in the future.

I don’t see it all happening, but it is. Every month my net worth grows ever so slightly. When I make my monthly payment for my car of $157, that liability decreases. There is less of that amount that will be subject to the 3.42% APR. Every week, when a $75 transfer to my American Express High Yield Savings Account clears, my ability to withstand an emergency expense increases. We are fortifying! When $316.10 arrives at my Vanguard Roth IRA, when $1,930 arrives at my Thrift Savings Plan, it all grows. We get stronger, more fortified, ready to hold our position.

This is the progress we cannot see, but soon I will have an entire army. Winter is coming, and we will be ready.

Net Worth as of this post: $35,859

fear before starting

Every now and then a feeling of fear resurfaces when I find myself facing a seemingly insurmountable task. My fear manifests itself by limiting my efforts in preparation. Instead of preparing myself and equipping myself with the best knowledge, I let time expire and then show up as the less presentable version of myself. 

With the PMP exam, this is almost true. Although I have spent a respectable amount of time preparing for this exam, I have spent an equal amount of time avoiding it and dreading the preparation aspect. This slip-up in preparation work applies in many other areas of my life. I am not really consistent with practice, and yet I can be so good at so many things. 

The joy for me comes in doing, not in preparing to do, and this itself is the challenge I face. Because I can probably enjoy doing more if I adequately prepare myself. 

I cannot be too hard on myself, I can only observe where I am in this moment and take steps to be better in the next moments. My first encounter with the PMP Exam will either result in a qualification, or in the revelation that I have still more to go, more to study, and with either outcome, more to learn.

Perhaps that is the reminder I need, that regardless of the outcome I can be thankful that I learned so much in the limited amount of time I have spent studying. I completed over 100 lessons in PMI Study Hall. I have answered 100s of questions in practice exams and quizzes, and while I can be doing a lot better, I could also be doing a lot worse. 

This week, I want to be intentional about drinking water and stretching only a bit more than usual. My body is stiffening up and sore much more frequently. The last month of the year will prove to be an exciting time to explore new things. More to come.

time management and early rising

I have started waking up at 0400 most days. Being up this early grants me several privileges, but the most important is that I have the time to get in a full work out before my work begins. The problem with this early start is that it requires an earlier bed time, and I am usually delaying my bed time until I pass out, exhausted, and drop into a deep slumber.

I haven’t yet figured out this trick. Time management is at the essence of all of this, and its usually what I struggle with the most. In college, we discussed that the biggest leap in efficiency comes from when you switch over from task management to time management. Rather than work until you’re done with a task, you should try to work for a certain amount of time on a task. Whether that satisfies completion of the task is irrelevent.

I’ve noticed this mental attachment in all areas of my life. I feel it even hurts my self-confidence when I set a goal to row 200 calories and I only complete 190 calories. But if instead I row for 15 minutes, that can be a consistent amount of time, allowing time for other tasks, and it won’t eat up all of my time. Aside from that, I set specific amounts of pages I want to read. If instead, I block off time for reading, then I can just do what needs to be done in that amount of time and I don’t need to worry about the rest.

So tasks won’t drag on, and I can get to bed on time. I’ll need to make some adjustments.

measurements

It struck me as I wiped the sweat from my face, what am I doing by setting these limits on myself? What I want to focus on today, and what I want to shine a light on, is that I have been harboring a deeply limiting belief about what my standards should be. In any case, I want to emphasize this – if you don’t know where you’re aiming, or why you are aiming there, you are likely to hit arbitrary targets. Yes, this may lead to a surprise of sorts, but don’t be surprised when you reflect and realize that you have completely missed all of the targets you had hoped to hit.

The Navy PRT is a physical fitness assessment that measures your ability to complete a 1.5 mile run, a 2-minute effort of maximum push-ups, and a 4-minute effort for a plank hold. The PRT Fitness Standards are posted in every fitness facility. The easiest way to break those down is that they reflect a spectrum of what a person of your gender and age, at your altitude, coincidentally, should be able to perform. The Outstanding High Score for a run for a male between the ages of 24-29 would be a time of 08:55, while the Satisfactory Medium Score for a run for a male between the ages of 24-29 would be only 13:45.

What struck me is that I strive for a time of 08:55. During every training session, I set sights on meeting that goal. I am ambitious, driven, committed to excellence, so I want to score the best. But why do I limit myself to 08:55? That’s the question that sort of struck me a bit today. In a sense, I am agreeing that that time is representative of a score that is uncommon and excellent for a person of my age and gender. But who decides these measurements, and what are they truly indicative of?

To me, these measurements are the bar. But if you want to raise the bar, then 08:55 should be your absolute slowest time for this event. 84 Push Ups in 2-minutes should be the absolute lowest score for that event. For the forearm plank, go until Failure. The excellence of others should be your floor, not your ceiling. So change that perspective and measure yourself uncommonly.

Now fear is another thing that is relative and entirely perspective-based. But the perspective is lost in the shuffle, and it is mistaken when fear sits right in front of you. A problem that you are just facing seems larger when you first encounter, but once you give it thought and break it down to its essence, it’s shadow dwindles. The deconstruction of your own fears may seem like a daunting task, but follow the trail of turtles and you will find the sea.

A particular fear that haunts me is the fear of cold water, but if I were to score this fear I would only give it a score of 3 out of 10. I am much more afraid of perhaps losing a loved one to cancer, things that I haven’t experienced but imagine would bring immeasurable pain. That nets a score of 7. So, the question to ask, when confronting fear is is it really that bad? Evaluate your response, then act as you desire.

Thank you to those who take the time to read through these posts and ideas. As I continue to build the habit of consistency, I am learning more about the importance of continuing forth and exploring the ideas that arise from my life experiences.