Deep thoughts from the library

I'm sitting on the second floor of the library right now. The second floor is the quiet floor. If you want to do group work, go to the first floor. If you want to do your own homework, go to the second floor. If you want to get asked on a date, go to the third floor. I'm sitting at a table in the corner trying to write my last paper for my English class. But after an hour and half, my brain is cramping. And so I'm switching gears to talk about something else. (And I changed my Pandora station from Micheal Buble to The Raconteurs hoping to bang my brain out of lethargy.)

I've been thinking a lot about the next six months. The next half of the year is basically up in the air right now. That drives me crazy. Absolutely crazy. If you hadn't noticed, I like to know things. I'm an information fiend. There are things that I can't control in my life though. There are things I can't look up in the OED. Apparently I need to learn patience and trust right now. Those are hard lessons, but I'm a tough cookie. And I'm good at learning. But I do need to take a proactive role in my future at the same time. So I'm trying to figure out the balance between taking control of my life and trusting that the right thing will happen. Hmm. Pondering.

Another thought I'm pondering is my comfort zone. This year I've cultivated my comfort zone: fixing breaks in the fence, watering the grass inside it, making it a familiar place to live. I enjoy peeking over the fence at other people's adventures. But I think I miss out on a lot of cool stuff happening outside the fence. My birthday goal this year is to say "yes" more often than "no". It's time to remodel and make some additions to my comfort zone.

When I'm not in school, it's easy for me to get lazy. I don't like being lazy. It stinks. So I've got some goals that I want to reach before I come back to school in the winter. I like to categorize goals into four boxes: Physical, Intellectual, Spiritual, and Social. Ok, you can laugh at my micro-management of goals, but it works for me. I break it down into three levels of goals. Like this.

Physical

End goal: Run 6 miles and do 25 push-ups by September

Means goal: Run 5 mornings a week at 6 am, do push-ups daily, increasing by 5 every week.

Intellectual

End goal: Write a compilation of short stories at least 20 pages long.

Means goal: Four pages a month is one page a week. 1 hour a week writing or revising a page of work.

End goal: Develop an inner musical pulse.

Means goal: Practice with the metronome on for 30 minutes 5 days a week.

End goal: Perfect my intonation and shifting technique

Means goal: Practice scales and shifting etudes for 15 minutes 5 days a week

Spiritual

End goal: Read the entire Book of Mormon

Means goal: Read 3-4 pages every day

End goal: Attend the temple 8 times

Means goal: Every week, or every other week

Social

End goal: Learn American Sign Language

Means goal: Sign up for a class at the community college

I have other goals too, but they're simple (Financial: Pay off my violin. Make as much and spend as little as possible.) I set a lot of goals, and I usually accomplish two or three of them. But I figure I might as well try. I give myself permission to not reach a goal, but I don't give myself permission to give up. The struggle I have with goals is putting them off until I'm "less busy". But I will always be busy. The days next week or next year will still have 24 hours.

So those are the basic thoughts banging around in my brain. Oh, and I love The Raconteurs.

Peace out. I'm going to go practice.