The Glass is Half Full

Today I realised how much has changed about me in the last month - apart from being a year older. I used to think that all this self-talk stuff was a load of crap, that thinking positive thoughts wouldn’t make me more positive. But I tried it, and then persisted at it, and finally, I am seeing results.
You see, my brain (like yours) is currently active with a continuous flow of thoughts. Some positive, and some not. I realised that obviously when I’m not positive about something, i.e.” I think I’m going to do badly in my maths test” I’m already setting myself up for disaster and going into the test with a negative view. But if I went into that test thinking “I’ve done all the study I can, I’m just going to try my best.” Well then, that’s a completely different mind-set, a more positive and relaxed one. And hey, even if I failed, it’s not the end of the world.


I’ve learnt to put things into perspective. I’ve taken a step back from my little world to look at the whole picture in a positive manor. I don’t feel small and insignificant as I used to, I feel like I have so many opportunities to do amazing things in my life, and that the stage of life that I’m in now, is just a step towards my next stage. Failing a maths test at school isn’t going to kill me. I’ll learn from the mistakes I made and then try to do better. It doesn't mean I'm not going to study and try hard for my test, but I'm not going to let it get me down if I don't do as well as I would have liked to.

I’ve talked previously about the obsessive lists that I write for myself everyday. Well, I’ve been trying to make those lists less controlled and ordered, and it has actually worked and made me more motivated and energised. When I wrote lists with 30 different things to do in a day, I would rarely get them done before 10pm. If I didn’t get them done by 10pm, then I felt like I failed and that my whole day had been a waste. I would then add the things that didn’t get done to the next day’s list, which would then grow longer. Sometimes I would just look at my list and not even start; I would just give up completely. I now give myself a less organised list and am not so hard on myself, I now feel accomplished when I finish the list :)

 

So, in the last month I have:

• Persisted at my self-talk, and have seen results
• Put my life into perspective
• Stopped obsessing so much over lists
• Created a good study plan, with a balance of study, relax time and social time
• Set myself a regular morning and night routine, so I’m not rushed in the morning (I sleep better too!)

I have to say, it’s been a very successful month, I’ll just be so glad when these exams are over!

 

It cannot be helped

So, I was one of the 60,000 people affected by the volcano ash chaos. Basically, yesterday my family and I went to the airport at 5am only to be told our flight was cancelled and we wouldn’t be able to get to Hamilton Island until Friday. And of course, knowing our luck, it was the ONLY day Virgin decided not to fly.



The way everything was handled was pretty shit. I think things could have been run a lot smoother. My holiday to Hamilton Island is now postponed until October. We are hopefully going to Melbourne on Saturday, but knowing our luck, that one will probably get cancelled as well!


I guess I realised that some things just can’t be controlled. I had absolutely no power over what happened yesterday. Instead of staying angry at everybody, after a good sleep I just moved on and accepted it, and then made the most of the situation.


There are lots of things I won’t be able to control in my life. But if I want to make my life worthwhile, I have to make the most of what I am able to control. I have to get rid of my anxiety and go do whatever the hell I feel like! Not make ridiculous, OCD-like lists that I compulsively slave over and stick to. I should just go with the flow and see what happens :) Go have some fun!


Good or bad, an experience is an experience, and I think whatever I go through in life, it will help me develop as a person.


“Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch you habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.”

Today I'm Grateful For...

I used to get upset by the fact that I lead such a privileged life, when millions of others don't. I felt horrible when seeing all those ads on tv with those starving children, ads that would be shown whilst eating dinner. I used to hate myself, for feeling so much guilt. I didn't think it was fair, and I didn't think I deserved. Now those ads just motivate me.

Now I look at things in a different manor. I was told a couple of months ago that there is no point being upset at myself because of other people's misfortunes, because being upset isn't going to help anybody. Instead, I should make the most of living the life I do and try and help people. When I was told this, everything just clicked. I realised how foolish and self-centred I'd been about the whole thing. I also realised that the privileged tend to be the ones who make a difference in the world, for the better.

I saw a segment on television yesterday on celebrities who do charity work. I wondered why all celebrities don't do charity work, being rich and influencial, they could make a change. But I later realised that some people are selfish and take what they have for granted. I also don't know whether they do or not. Just because their donating or charity work isn't featured in the news, doesn't mean they don't do it.

Anyway, I want to make a positive difference during my time here. It doesn't have to be huge, just something that will satisfy me, and hopefully make me feel like I've accomplished something. I have a few little projects I'm working on right now to do so, which I'm sure I'll blog about in the future :)


Also, I've started a gratitude diary - stole the idea off Oprah! Pretty much I write at the end of each diary post what I'm grateful for that day. Today I'm grateful for my brother Jeremy. Although he annoys me to tears sometimes, he makes me laugh in a way that no one else can.

Meet Tom Goddard. Junior Australian Athlete.

This is my first ‘interview’ write up in my new little project. I chose to write about someone I know very well, who is close to my age and continues to inspire me.

Meet my cousin Tom Goddard; he is 17 and attends Scotch Oakburn College in Launceston, Tasmania. Even though I don’t get to see him much, the time we do spend together is filled with fun and a lot of laughs – usually involving some sort of sporting match! If I was going to describe Tom in just a few words, I would use: dedicated, motivated, smart, athletic and always striving for excellence.

Tom excels strongly in school, scoring 44.2 tce points in year 11, through studying Physical Sciences, English Communications, Maths Methods and Sport Science. He was runner up dux at his school last year. This year he is studying Maths Specialised, Physics, Chemistry and Computer Aided Design. “Pretty full on!”

For as long as I can remember, Tom has been the ‘golden boy’ in my family, being selected and competing for Tasmania in various sports. He has been travelling around Australia since year 4 representing Tasmania in cross country and athletics state teams, and later on adding orienteering to the list. He has also been Tasmanian Captain for all three of these sports! Thus showing he is not just talented, but also a leader and someone people look up to.

Tom’s current sporting focus is on MTB. MTB is basically navigation on a bike, the aim being to do so as fast as possible. Races can last from 20 minutes to two hours, depending on the distance. Tom is the current under 19 state champion for the sport and has recently been selected for the 2011 Australia MTB Orienteering Team. In August the team of four athletes will be flying to Italy to compete.

Tom will be spending a month in Italy, training for the first week, competing for the second and travelling with his family for the last two weeks (lucky thing!) In the second week he will compete in 6 races, against a field of 70 competitors from around the world in the junior age group (ages 17-20).


In training for selection, Tom went to Victoria in January to train and then again in April to do his trials. He states that training was pretty hard. He did a lot of group riding and competed in MTB races. In preparation for Italy, he now trains on the road – including two 6am rides a week! He has also started doing road races to help train for Italy, he recently completed a 90km race from Campbell Town to Bicheno.


Next year Tom plans to take a year off from studying, to work and ride, hopefully regaining his spot in the Australian Team. Next year the competition will be held in Hungary. He is planning to go to The University of Adelaide in 2013 and study a bachelor of engineering, specializing in sports engineering. “This course is the only thing that I am truly interested in and I’m really keen for it!” His dream job in the future is to design bikes.

I wish Tom the very best for the years to come. He has already achieved so much in his 17 years and I’m sure will continue to do so. Wherever life takes him, I’m sure he will continue to strive for excellence and make the most of the opportunities given to him.



Tom on the right holding an Australian flag after being selected for the 2011 Australian MTB Orienteering Team



 

"Filler" Post

So I hate having my blog page left with no recent posts. I like to post twice a week, it looks good and fresh. Not too much to overwhelm but not too little to bore. I think two posts a week is a good number for me. But I haven't posted anything in a week, not because I've been bored or lazy, no, this time it's actually because I've taken the time to sit down and write and edit something to post on here! :) I'm currently doing the write up on my cousin Tom, but it's taking a while because I want to get it just right. So I'm writing this quick post, really just so there is something new on here...

My topic today is in regard to the library. Ever since I was little I have been coming to the State Library. Actually, it's where I am now. But I realised today that I've never fully appreciated the library for what it is and how much it can do for people. I've never looked at the parts of the library that I haven't been interested in - only the parts that have been relevant to me - young adult/mystery and checkout sections. But today I looked around the whole library - the kids section, the magazine sections, the cds and dvds and the computer section, which to be honest, I thought you had to pay for to use! Gee the amount of times I've been in town wanting the internet for a quick second, and I've got it right here in the library!

Anyway, the library is a fantastic place for me to come and relax, get some study done and get away from everything every once and a while. It's freaking awesome!

My Diary

Did you ever write in a diary when you were little? Did you promise yourself you would write in it every night, and then a week later forget about it completely? I did, and I'm sure lots of you did too.

On the 2nd of June 2010, I bought myself a new diary and started writing in it. When I was a little kid, I didn't have all these thoughts in my head and 'problems' in my life, so writing about me got a little boring! But last year I had lots of things to get off my chest, and writing in my diary became my new release.

Unlike when I was little, I've actually kept at writing in my diary this time. I stopped writing in my diary last year on the 30th of December and bought a new 2011 diary to write in this year. I now write every night, with about a third of a page of writing - depending on my mood and what happened that day! As I have pretty much written in it every day this year, I now go back each night to exactly a week before to see where I was at then and how much has happened over the week. Sometimes I even go back to exactly a month before and see how I was that day.

Last night I read the whole of my 2010 diary - and boy, did I surprise myself! It got a hard beating from when stabbed and ripped it apart one night last July. But it represents me and who I was back then. The way I write in my diary now is rather different - and I now put a sticker and the end of each entry, to reward myself for writing :)

I know writing isn't for everybody, but writing in my diary has really helped me release some thoughts and organise my life. I have learnt to be completely honest with myself when writing in my diary. Lying to myself may feel easier, but it would not be beneficial. It's become a part of my life that hopefully will not end, as when I look back, I feel truly grateful to myself that I have written everything I have.

Side note: I write about both good and bad in my diary as I like to remember both when looking back. :)

The road to success

If you can find a path with no obstacles,

it probably won't lead anywhere.

- Frank A. Clark

I found this quote about a week ago, and it's been on my mind ever since. I think it is completely true to life. I am going to soon start interviewing people about their successes. I already know though from experience, that great achievement is reached through determination and hard work. I personally don't believe that achievements occur through pure luck - possibly with the exception of becoming a millionaire through winning the lottery.