Post: #1

Hello, PErs!
Ever since Celes posted the last article regarding April’s Challenge I’ve been really excited because I feel that, if I state my goals to the world –the PE forums in this case, I will be even more motivated to stick to them. Constantly updating my journal will help me keep the momentum alive. I’ve named my thread “My Journey Begins” although it began as 2012 came – I decided to make this year the year of my rebirth, when I would change myself in a better version, walking away from habits which only harm me (like emotional eating or playing RPG games for hours every day) and replacing them with new ones (meditating, eating more veggies&fruits, exercising, etc.). I even started a blog as part of my journey towards a better me (it's called Life Mosaïque).

During the past 2 days I’ve worked on a goals list and also on trying to figure out ways to achieve them. For now here is the list; it’s divided based on life areas and on time periods (short, medium and long term goals).

A. 2013 Goals (<-This section was added on -04.01.2013 .)
-have a healthier lifestyle: eat healthy, exercise and lose some weight
-find a job
-improve self-esteem
-learn Japanese and sit a N5 exam on the 1st of December (<-This goal was added on 09.02.2013 .)

B.Long term goals
1. School/Study/Career:
-become an English teacher

2.Hobbies/Leisure activity:
-become really good at graphite drawing
-travel in as many countries as possible
-learn other foreign languages, especially Finnish, Old English, Japanese, German
-learn to ride a horse }
-learn to swim }(<-These goals marked with "}" were
-learn archery }added on 22.08.2012 after refreshing my goals list.)
-learn to play an instrument }
-learn to knit complexstuff (like sweaters)
-learn to sew my own clothing from scratch
-learn to ride a bicycle

4.Family/Friends/Relationships:
-keep in touch with my friends
-keep in touch with my former English teacher
-keep in touch with my parents
-find a life partner (however, this is more like a wish, or something which I expect to come long, rather than a goal per say)


I’ll try and keep this journal updated based on when I achieve the goals I’ve set.

Wish you all a nice day!

"You were born an original, don't die a copy." ~ John Mason | You can check my blog here

Post: #2

Hi Lina, welcome to the forums.
You'll find a lot of encouragement and people with similar goals here
Wish you all the best in this new journey

Lina Wrote:If you’re interested you can find it here.

I could not launch the link to your blog - can you post it again

Post: #3

Hi, Lina. Do you know what goals you will be focusing on first? We have several college students in the forums already. Also Squiggle and Stacey Dream each have their own language study journals in the habits forum. They can offer support if that is your main focus with school at the moment.

Post: #4

Lina, welcome aboard! Your long term goal of becoming a teacher deserves respect! I'm an ESL teacher too and I'm crazy about my work! I believe you'll do well!

"Everything you can imagine is real." - Pablo Picasso
Welcome to Stacey Dream's World | Follow Stacey Dream on twitter!

Post: #5

(04-03-2012 03:02 AM)Ish Wrote:  Hi Lina, welcome to the forums.

I could not launch the link to your blog - can you post it again

Thank you very much, Ish!
I've tried several times and the hyperlink doesn't get created. This is why I overlooked it the first time I posted the thread - I thought the link was inserted. Anyway, here is the blog's address: lifemosaique.wordpress.com

Matt: "Do you know what goals you will be focusing on first?"
The study-related goals are on the top of my priority list right now because I really need good results in my final exams in order to enter the college of my choice.

Stacey_dream: "Your long term goal of becoming a teacher deserves respect! I'm an ESL teacher too and I'm crazy about my work! I believe you'll do well!"
Thank you, Stacey! In my opinion, that's the key to success and a happy life - doing something out of passion So we're both on good tracks

Sorry for addressing my replies like this, but I don't know how to create multiple quotes in one single reply...Dummy me.

"You were born an original, don't die a copy." ~ John Mason | You can check my blog here

Post: #6

First update!

Today I made my studying plan for the following weeks. I can cross this off my Short term goals list. Here is the plan:


First week of Easter holiday: biology
Second week of Easter holiday: literature – long prose (meaning novels)
Last week of April (first week of school after Easter holiday): literature – short prose (all the short stories and theatre pieces)
First two weeks of May: literature – poetry and poems
* Mathematics will be studied as often as possible, preferably daily, the entire period of time preceding the final exams.
** After completing studying and learning each section assigned for each period of time, I will revise the respective material every now and then so that it keeps my memory fresh on the subject.

Another thing I can cross off the Short term goals list is the making of a couple graphite drawings. I've made two of them and I'm planning to draw more. Unfortunately, I do not own a scanner so I can't show you the results. Hopefully, I'll find a friend with a scanner in the neat future.

Another thing I've managed to do today is to create my vision board The "virtual" version, let's say.
http://s1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee51...nboard.jpg

Before you begin to look strangely at it, the reason why Dita von Teese is there it's because she's so, so feminine and delicate all the time, nice and shy, but without looking like she's forcing herself or as if she wouldn't be an intelligent woman. I just like her elegance and vintage style. Some people jump fast to conclusions when I say I admire Dita von Teese (because she's a Burlesque dancer and has a style of her own). So this is just to clear up any misunderstandings or misinterpretations.
The rest of the pics I've chosen represent some of my other goals and life values: friends, eating healthily,exercising, learning French, acting like a well-mannered young lady and taking care of myself as such, being happy, etc.

Since I've decided to get rid of emotional eating, and therefore of overeating, I chose to go the "21 Days ____ Challenge"-way. I've been using this method ever since I've read about it on PE, in one of Celes's articles. It's really efficient because it's one thing to say to yourself "Oh, I'll do this from tomorrow" and it's another thing when you actually write it down and keep track of how you do whatever you've decided to do. So I've created a table for a 21 Days Stop Overeating Challenge. What this is all about is to stop eating when I've satisfied my hunger. For some it might seem stupid, like "Hey, everybody does that...". Not when you've been overeating for years and got "connected" to the emotional eating "system" - it's difficult to unplug, trust me, lol.
Here's the table: http://s1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee51...21dsoc.jpg
So this is it for today and for this update Have a nice day, PErs!

"You were born an original, don't die a copy." ~ John Mason | You can check my blog here

Post: #7

Would you be able to take photos of your drawings? (all my oil pastel ones are photos because small scanner)

What country do you live in? Just curious because you want to travel a lot in the long-run.
Have you been to many places yet?

I wish you luck and look forward to reading your progress

Post: #8

(04-04-2012 07:23 PM)kfenato Wrote:  Would you be able to take photos of your drawings? (all my oil pastel ones are photos because small scanner)

What country do you live in? Just curious because you want to travel a lot in the long-run.
Have you been to many places yet?

I wish you luck and look forward to reading your progress

The only type of camera which I own is the old one (with the film-roll in it) not a digital camera so this isn't an option unfortunately.

I live in Romania So far I haven't been able to travel because there was always something in the way (be it a financial matter, my parents not approving or some unexpected event occurring), this is partly why I really want to travel - I've never done it before. But the main catalyst for my wish to see the world and get to know other cultures and languages is because I love new things, I'm amazed of how much variety exists on our planet. But this is already going off topic from your question, haha.

Thank you!

"You were born an original, don't die a copy." ~ John Mason | You can check my blog here

Post: #9

Hey, Lina. It's good that your no longer overeating but don't fall into the trap of under eating. I have done that a few times and I always get so hungry that I binge on junk food for a few days. Tracking your calories can be useful. I use LoseIt.com for that and it has helped me to make healthier choices.

Are their particular foods you overeat a lot of? Maybe you could replace them with a healthier alternative. For example in the past I have drank 2 to 5 sodas a day! I know this is unhealthy so I have decided to only drink water for the next 30 days. You can do this with other things like replacing potato chips with unsalted peanuts or replacing chocolate with an apple/pear/etc.

Post: #10

(04-05-2012 10:49 AM)Matt Wrote:  Hey, Lina. It's good that your no longer overeating but don't fall into the trap of under eating. I have done that a few times and I always get so hungry that I binge on junk food for a few days. Tracking your calories can be useful. I use LoseIt.com for that and it has helped me to make healthier choices.

Are their particular foods you overeat a lot of? Maybe you could replace them with a healthier alternative. For example in the past I have drank 2 to 5 sodas a day! I know this is unhealthy so I have decided to only drink water for the next 30 days. You can do this with other things like replacing potato chips with unsalted peanuts or replacing chocolate with an apple/pear/etc.

Thanks for the suggestion, Matt
I've already replaced pastry products with dried fruits and, as side note, I've quit drinking sodas about 3 years ago I think, so -high five!-

I used to do that before, too, eating way less than I actually needed, but it was because back then I was only focusing on losing weight while not even taking into consideration being healthy (eh, like any teenage girl going through a "I'm too fat"-phase ). Now I pay a lot more attention to being healthy and losing weight comes as consequence of improving my lifestyle. I'll try out the site you mentioned

"You were born an original, don't die a copy." ~ John Mason | You can check my blog here

Post: #11

Update number 2!

One of my short term goals was to watch a French movie without subtitles, but given the fact that I don't have the patience to sit almost 2 hours and watch a full movie (most of the time I watch a movie in two days, half one day and half the next, but only if it's an interesting movie otherwise I abandon it completely). Therefore, instead of watching a full movie, I watch some short videos on a YouTube channel called "canaleducatif". Here is the link if anyone is interested: http://www.youtube.com/user/canaleducatif . I particularly enjoy the latest videos regarding art Like this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX7lF72RI...AvNzmWS8U=

Unfortunately, today I broke the 21DSOC (read my other update if you're confused). This morning I had an appointment with the endocrinologist and she had to take a couple blood samples for analysis (it's for the hormonal treatment), so I wasn't allowed to eat before going to the clinic. Once I returned home, "food explosion" hit in, lol. I ate pretty much today (way more than I needed) and mostly sweets... Oh well, I'll start over the 21 days challenge beginning tomorrow. I really have to focus on my end goal - a healthier, slimmer version of me.

The past days I've spent some more time with my parents, trying to chat more with them. It all went okay, except the fact that my mother is really stressed these days due to her working environment and the problems related to it (financial crisis has struck everywhere), thereby creating a strange tensed atmosphere at home. However, I've crossed this off the Short term goals list and I'll keep trying to help her as much as possible with the housework so she'll have more time to relax once she returns from work.

I've quit reading 'The Idiot', by Dostoievski. It just isn't my type of book, lol. The style is very heavy - I've always compared Russian literature to a room full of old books which has no windows because this is the impression it gives me. It's not warm, "airy", lighted, varied like the French or Italian literature. All the Russian books I've read so far were heavy in style and 'The Idiot' simply made it clear to me that Russian literature isn't a good fit for my tastes.

That's it for this evening

"You were born an original, don't die a copy." ~ John Mason | You can check my blog here

Post: #12

Update number 3

I was thinking of not mentioning the following things in this journal because...well, I guess it's because I'm ashamed in a certain measure.

I simply can't get in control of my eating, I either eat a ton or I eat junk. This day began so nice, I had a yogurt in the morning with full grains, then a snack comprising 3 simple biscuits and an apple and for lunch I had a salad (tomatoes, cheese, cucumber, grilled chicken breast, onion). But then the evening came...Oh, Lord, lol. My mom boiled some milk and I asked her to make a bit of cocoa milk. However, I didn't stop only at this glass (which would've been OK), I kept eating: boiled wheat with sugar, salted peanuts, a couple biscuits with cocoa cream. At this point I felt bad about spoiling a day which so far had been so good regarding my meals. So, basically, after that I ate because I had eaten. It's a vicious circle: you know you want not to eat certain things, then you have a bit of one of those things, and another bit, then you feel kind of guilty cause you broke the promise you had made to yourself, so you just keep eating ("eating cause you ate").

At first I didn't want to put this here because I thought the other PErs on the forums will read it and think "Pff, she has no ambition" or "Here she goes on wining...". But since it's a journal I think all ups and downs should be included. So here it is. I've put my frustration out there.

Moving on, I've been practicing my oral comprehension of French, it still goes slowly but it's slightly improving compared to before. Yay! Also, I've found some new Pilates videos on YouTube which are a-ma-zing! I still didn't establish the habit of meditating everyday, I do it every now and then but I think I'm going to run a 21 Days Challenge to get this habit running, too. I've almost finished a book - "April in Paris" by Michael Wallner, really good book.

Going to spend the Sunday preparing my materials for study (as planned, Monday beings my intense studying period so I'll get everything in order to assure a smooth, efficient learning process).

Wish you all a nice weekend!

"You were born an original, don't die a copy." ~ John Mason | You can check my blog here

Post: #13

(04-08-2012 01:22 AM)Lina Wrote:  This day began so nice, I had a yogurt in the morning with full grains, then a snack comprising 3 simple biscuits and an apple and for lunch I had a salad (tomatoes, cheese, cucumber, grilled chicken breast, onion).

Hi Lina. Did you change your diet or is that what you usually have in the morning? If it was a change, then there you have it, a good small step towards your goal.

(04-08-2012 01:22 AM)Lina Wrote:  At first I didn't want to put this here because I thought the other PErs on the forums will read it and think "Pff, she has no ambition" or "Here she goes on wining...".

No, I do not think that I also think we should record the ups and down and my reason for that is it could help us to understand what we have achieved, what we can do better, etc

Also, thank you for your post on my thread!

Good luck

Post: #14

Update 4

Today has been a great day so far!
It's the first week of studying and I began this morning with Biology. Already went through 2 complete lessons, yay!

I've had nicely portioned, healthy meals - not starving myself, not overeating.

Also I went to the library and picked a few books to have for this month, among which 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by H. Lee and 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' by T. Chevalier.

I've been using a homemade whitening and bacteria removal "remedy" (it's more like a concoction) made out of lemon juice and baking soda. I use it once or twice a week (never more because I don't want to harm the teeth coating making them sensitive). And it's really good! Despite my skepticism, it works! Teeth are whiter and there's no more bad morning breath (not that I actually had a bad morning breath before, but now it's practically odorless). Therefore I'm going to cross this off my Short term goals list. On the same note, I can check the "Eat more fresh vegetables and fruits" as I've been eating various salads and more fruits in the past days (even though overeating sweets has kind of spoiled the benefits of eating fresh veggies&fruits; however, I'm really determined to eat sweets with moderation from now on while still having more veggies and fruits).

The next update will be at the end of this week.

"You were born an original, don't die a copy." ~ John Mason | You can check my blog here

Post: #15

(04-08-2012 01:22 AM)Lina Wrote:  Update number 3

I was thinking of not mentioning the following things in this journal because...well, I guess it's because I'm ashamed in a certain measure.

Ha! I know that feeling! But I agree with you about the ups and downs--if you don't factor in both, you don't get the full picture and you don't grow.

(04-08-2012 01:22 AM)Lina Wrote:  I simply can't get in control of my eating, I either eat a ton or I eat junk.

I had a day like that this past week. I was ready to eat anything, hungry all day! I did some analysis of what I had been eating and realized that I hadn't had any significant sources of protein that day. Ate some and wa-la, the snacking urge went away.

I am contemplating whether or not I need to (at some point) start setting some limits on what I eat because I just flat out eat too much, but I haven't been willing to do it yet. If I can get by with exercise and 50% veggies, I will. My mind puts up so much resistance to the idea of controlling what I eat better--even if it is healthier and better for me!

Post: #16

It takes me a few days to watch a movie as well. I guess I have a short attention span. It's tough for me to just sit and watch something for more than 30 minutes. It took me three days to watch Rango (It's hilarious BTW).

Don't feel bad about over eating. It's normal to have a few set back despite having a goal you truly want. The best thing to do is just figure out what triggered you to overeat and choose what to do next time. It's good that you are back on track now.

I have read To Kill a Mockingbird too. You will like it.

Post: #17

Update 5

This week has been great! (goal-wise)
I've managed to keep my eating under control during the whole time, the only thing I could have worked on more would be eating less sweets, because even though I haven't overeaten, I ate a lot of sweets instead of a full healthy meal. But hey, baby steps will do the job Firstly getting my eating under control at all times then cutting out the bad foods. This is the strategy I'm planning on considering my eating has been hazardous until now.

Regarding exercising, I've found a new YouTube channel for Pilates and it's awesome! The owner of the channel is a licensed Pilates trainer and she has developed her own style and named it "POP Pilates". It's super-effective and fun at the same time. Check it out if you're interested: http://www.youtube.com/user/BlogilatesTV

This week I kept looking at my vision board and I decided to incorporate some other goals in it and values. To be more precise, travelling, becoming a teacher, added the figure of Da Vinci (who really inspires me) and a puppy (I absolutely love dogs! ). Also, I've replaced the Exercising-representation with a picture of Cassey Ho (the POP Pilates trainer I've mentioned in the previous paragraph). The rest of the vision board has stayed the same. The revised version can be found here: http://s1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee51...rsion2.jpg

As planned, I've revised/studied/learnt all the biology this week! Next week I'll begin literature.

I've finished reading a book by Agatha Christie, "The Moving Finger: A Miss Marple Mystery" and it has been pretty interesting. I haven't read many books by Christie but I like the atmosphere of suspense existing in her stories.

All that being said, I'll probably update again at the end of the following week. Hopefully, weather will get better - I'd love to go for a run

---

(04-10-2012 05:07 AM)Jadzia Wrote:  I did some analysis of what I had been eating and realized that I hadn't had any significant sources of protein that day. Ate some and wa-la, the snacking urge went away.


My mind puts up so much resistance to the idea of controlling what I eat better--even if it is healthier and better for me!

Actually, I've found out that this "technique" helps me, too. Viva el protein! haha (I'm butchering the poor Spanish language, lol).

Yeah! I know what you mean. I'm like: "This is healthy for you so eat it" or "Cut the sweets, you know sugar is like a drug" (my fight with the sugar is the biggest one) but then another small voice in my head says: "But I love these sweets", "I can't cut them out of my everyday life". However, it's just a matter of time and practice and power of will - you have to really set your mind on it and the change will slowly happen, just be consequent. That's how I'm controlling my eating.

---

(04-10-2012 11:38 AM)Matt Wrote:  Don't feel bad about over eating. It's normal to have a few set back despite having a goal you truly want. The best thing to do is just figure out what triggered you to overeat and choose what to do next time. It's good that you are back on track now.

Thank you for the encouragement words, Matt!

"You were born an original, don't die a copy." ~ John Mason | You can check my blog here

Post: #18

Update 6

If I were to rate this week, I'd give it a 3 out of 10 because celebrating Easter at its beginning completely turned around my plans given all the visits, family&friend meetings and other last minute preparations/changes.

I haven't began studying literature, but I went through biology one more time. I might have underestimated the amount of material I have to learn for literature...It's quite a lot, but I'll try to study it beginning tomorrow(Monday, which also is my first day of school after Easter holiday).

What went well this week was the fact that I've devised an exercising routine, 6 days per week (Sunday is my rest day), it's very effective and pleasant at the same time (I've compiled videos from two of my favorite YouTube trainers: BexLife and BlogiatesTv). Since I started doing advanced Pilates, about 2 weeks ago, my body has been changing into a stronger, fitter, slimmer version. This makes me very content. I've reduced the amount of sweets I eat and increased the amount of vegetables and fruits I have daily. Also, I've managed to break my obsession for white bread and I haven't eaten fried foods for a long while (more than 1 month) which also lead to a state where I no longer crave fried foods. Yay!

However, family relationships are a bit tensed these days, I feel pretty tired with all the small quarrels we have, especially those with my parents concerning my eating habits. They're still not supporting me in my choice of having a healthier lifestyle, they keep mocking me and saying that they don't have the money to "satisfy my caprices" (even though buying me fruits, veggies, whole wheat bread, etc. is actually cheaper than if they bought me junk food or sweets! -sigh- ) but I'm just trying to ignore the situation given the fact that I have no power over it and there's still a loooong while before I could move out and live on my own.

The previous paragraph sounded more like a rant, lol. Anyway, this is all for this week. I'll tune in next Sunday to drop my next update.

"You were born an original, don't die a copy." ~ John Mason | You can check my blog here

Post: #19

Update 7

1. I've got my hormonal treatment. I've heard many women&girls saying that they've experienced some ugly side effects from the exact same medicine which has been prescribed to me, but I'm hopeful that each reacts in a certain way to it, plus I've undergone 2 months of medical research before the doctor gave me that medicine.

2. Finally the weather warmed up so I went outside, on a nearby field, and played badminton for 2 hours with a friend.

3. My eating is messed up, I have a lot of healthy food now but I binge on sweets in the evening, although until dinner time I eat perfectly healthy. Still have to work on it.

4. I've taken my time and now I know which persons drain me from energy so I've just slowly reduced the amount of time that I spent with them (it's only one person actually).

5. Studying all literature keeps giving me kicks in the butt, I know I'm about to repeat myself, but dang! how I've underestimated the amount of material I'm supposed to go through... I'm getting in a time crisis. Even if I sit and read everyday about a certain novel or poem, it's like it won't stick to my brain no matter what. It's really frustrating. I've decided to try and really commit to studying, seriously studying. In order to do so, I've found a site which I hope will aid me with this task. This is the site https://chains.cc/

"You were born an original, don't die a copy." ~ John Mason | You can check my blog here

Post: #20

(04-29-2012 01:48 AM)Lina Wrote:  Update 7

5. Studying all literature keeps giving me kicks in the butt, I know I'm about to repeat myself, but dang! how I've underestimated the amount of material I'm supposed to go through... I'm getting in a time crisis. Even if I sit and read everyday about a certain novel or poem, it's like it won't stick to my brain no matter what. It's really frustrating. I've decided to try and really commit to studying, seriously studying. In order to do so, I've found a site which I hope will aid me with this task. This is the site https://chains.cc/

I am forever underestimating the amount of material I need to go through--or rather the time needed to go through it at my pace--which tends to be a lot slower than what class schedules allow. Right now I don't have any classes so I'm going too slow--I've started forcing myself to just read things "half-way" so that I'll get more read, even if it isn't 100% understood and analyzed.

My internet browser gave me an uncooperative message when I tried to open your link, so I don't know what it is about and how it helps, but something I do that helps me retain what I am reading (especially for longer works) is to write a 1 to 10 word summary or keyword list for each paragraph / page / chapter. For example, I can sum up a stanza of the poem I just read as "life = bitter b/c of waiting for heaven", I might sum up a page of a book as "meal description", and I might sum up a chapter of a story as "fights w/ neighbor; bird symbolism."

If I am able to write in the book, I usually do just because it is easy. If not, I might jot down the sentences on another paper--when I finish it I automatically end up with a summary of the key events and ideas. Having to write a key word or two per paragraph/page/chapter keeps me from skimming if I'm not really into the story or from speeding through it if I am.