Sunday, March 4, 2018

Dailiness: Showing Up for Yourself


Dailiness: The fact or condition of happening or being done on a daily basis. 
Also: the quality of being ordinary, routine, or mundane; everyday character; 
reliable regularity. 

                                                                              (Oxford University Press Dictionaries Online).

            When I was nine years old, I scissored open two brown paper bags from the corner Acme. I flattened and ironed out the creases, taped them together and cut-off extra areas to form a rectangle.  Facing the word Acme toward the wall, I taped the paper to the wall next to the bed where grandmother and I slept.  Using her yardstick and a black marker that made my face burn with its smell, I drew a grid of 10 rows and 30 or so columns.  In the left row of lines, I listed all the things I wanted to do or achieve daily—nine-year old things such as Practice Piano, Wash Dishes, Feed Bookie, Iron Blouse, Polish Shoes, and Brush Teeth. At the top of the columns I wrote the date. With my weekly dollar, I went to the stationery store down the block to buy gold and silver; red, blue, and green foil stars.  This was in the days before self-stick, when the surfaces of the stars were raised, as if carved, and the backs were gummed for licking.  Whenever I completed one of my tasks, I gave myself a star—the color indicating whether I did it perfectly (gold), well (silver)…all the way down to green for decent.  At night, I loved seeing the neatly spaced stars sparkle with the lights of passing cars, the bright moon, or the dawning sun. I felt happy with myself, whether or not my mother came home at night, or my father kept my stepmother from hitting me.

            But the tasks on my list were adult requirements, and I tired of the growing blank boxes on my chart, the stars more like haphazard constellations, more silver than gold, and then more green than blue.  What started out as a creative act of self-care turned into another chore that made me feel trapped.

            Decades later, I opened a blank Microsoft document, formatted for seven columns for the days of a week and fifteen or so rows. Instead of listing items driven by other-directed requirements, such as work, meetings, laundry, I list things to help me keep focused on what I value—such as 20 minutes of home yoga, meditation, singing, writing three pages in my journal (which I call “Musings”).  It’s too easy to get lost in the undertow of Email, internet distractions, Netflix—so I include reading poetry as an item, cardio exercise, writing something new, revising something old. Instead of checking Pinterest or Snapchat, I check my check list.  And it’s not an incidental to-do list that changes daily (although I do write those in at the bottom of my list for the next day).  This is a deeper commitment.

Every day is a work of art—how we begin and end it shapes the between which is life, itself.  So I list a modest “Make bed” as the first item: I start my day on a note of clarity, accomplishment, investment in tonight’s sleep. Others might write “Pray” or “Run” or “Eat breakfast.”  I was always lonely as a child, so evenings were painful—it’s when I became addicted to television.  I make sure now to write reminders to myself of what’s healthier in the evenings—writing a daily list of gratitudes, reading more poetry or prose, cleaning around the house, phoning a friend—taking care of those teeth.

I use my week-at-a-glance lists to monitor my current devotions—as for example tracking weight.  I add, subtract, revise items according to how I trend.  My lists tell me if I’m keeping up with things that matter to me.  If not, I rethink and recast my whats, hows, and whens. My check marks are like gold stars, but I practice flexibility.  I play games with myself when needed: “10 out of 15 was great for today!” “Superstar day of 14 of 15!” After all, my li­­­sts are about shaping my day as I wish and acknowledging my progress-not-perfection.

What we do every day—the no-big deal twenty minutes of yoga, for example—is what will turn into the biggest deals in our lives. Anthony Trollope wrote for only an hour a day before his job as a postal surveyor on the railroad, yet he created dozens of novels, articles, plays.  Dailiness is what matters—for the Olympic gymnast who wakes up every morning at 4:00 AM to practice three hours before school; for the mother who tends her baby through diapers, fears, and joys; for the student who spends an hour before classes to work on her papers and revisions; for the writer to write every day. As Yogi Pattabhi Jois said, “Practice, and all is coming.”

At age nine, my lists started in exuberance but devolved into a trap.  Some mistake living by the whim of the moment, uprootedness with freedom. But, as Robert Frost said, “Freedom is moving easy in harness.” Now my weekly lists liberate me from distractions, keep me focused on how I want to grow, and offer me an overview of where I started, where I’m going. 

Have I been “reliably regular”? Have I showed up for what matters?

How might you shape and reward yourself in your dailiness?

59 comments:

  1. Hi Dr. Rich,

    I really loved reading the story about the brown paper bags and your check lists. The story opened my eyes more to who you truly are. Honestly, I assumed that you probably woke up one day and decided that you needed start "showing up" more and began organizing your time better, with your daily lists. It was fascinating to read about how you were almost born to make your time meaningful!
    Your story has inspired me to make my moments meaningful, to use my moments to make me a better "me," daily. With this, I also recognize that it is important to allow time for pleasures in my making-myself-better-everyday list. The time designated for simple pleasures, however, should be pleasures that enhance my being, such as my yoga class. I could practice 20minutes of yoga every morning and I will start tomorrow morning. This will be part of my new daily routine... It's official.

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  2. Dear Amanda, Thank you for your kind and thoughtful response. I am so very glad that you are inspired to have what you have--your daily yoga. Pattabhi Jois said, "Practice and all is coming." I'm going to revise that into the post. Namaste

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  3. The star reward molded into Susanna’s superstar students.

    You were formulating the matters and doesn’t matters of teaching from that moment that you created that list.

    It was probably when you realized ninety percent of it all is bullshit and refocused to clarity and art and ditched conformity.

    My emotional dissolving is my checklist. I dissolve the bad and then create into the world a lightness. It is my check and balance to make sure I’m happy so that I can make others happy!

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    1. Tina, you think, and write, and live as a poet, activist, humanitarian. I am so grateful that we had time at Kean to study together, and that now we are forever friends. Thank you for your response, here, and for your loving attention.

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  4. I love this! I was recently reminded that even the sun is mundane; it rises and sets every day, yet there is still glory in it. My habits should be the same, and I should not neglect creating daily. You’ve inspired me to add art back onto my lists. I’ve done better this year about regular journaling. I can plan time for colorful creating too!

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    1. Laura! So happy to hear from you! Thank you for relaying the sun metaphor! Wow! The most obvious of-course. Do send images of your artiful explorations!!!

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  5. Dr. Rich,

    For as long as I could remember, I have always had poor time management skills; without a doubt, this has affected me in ways more negative than positive. My sleeping schedule has been inconsistent, and it has played an impact on my health, all because I do not use my time as wisely as I could. I have always looked at people who do use their time more productively, and wondered “How on earth do they do that? How doesn't their time fly like mine does? There just aren’t enough hours in the day.” I am always convinced that I cannot be like one of those people.

    Lately though, I have been reevaluating how I spend my time, and I have realized that my time is not flying; but rather, I am allowing it to fly right past me. I look for things in my surroundings that help to serve as distractions. That is why oftentimes, I find myself spending, for example, an hour on an assignment that should have taken half of that time. That is also why I find myself getting five hours of sleep when I could have had eight.

    I have realized that I do not value my time enough and that I can be much more focused than I am now. I agree with Amanda in the sense that you are such an inspiration, Dr. Rich; not only do you teach full-time, but you are productive outside of the classroom, as you do your musings, complete your daily yoga, and even have time to star in plays!

    It is easy to get carried away with wanting to be perfect, but it is not about being perfect; instead, it is about taking small steps every day that would allow me to accomplish much more with my time. I aspire to have a deeper sense of commitment to the things in my life that have great meaning to me. In acknowledging this, I am likely to create some sort of routine, some “dailiness” to my life that helps me achieve the tasks I need to complete.

    Nada Amer

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  6. Hi Dr. Rich,

    I always appreciate the honesty behind all of your posts, and the way you provide us with real life advice. I think it's great that at such a young age you were able to find comfort in taking control of your own life, which has also followed you through adulthood. I too thrive on being organized and making lists in order to help achieve my daily goals. As I got older I felt overwhelmed by my busy schedule and found solace in writing out a weekly schedule- highlighting daily and weekly goals. This currently hangs on my wall above my desk, and I find comfort knowing it is always there. I try not to be too hard on myself when all of my daily goals haven't been achieved, but I can attest to the satisfying feeling I get when I am able to check off even the simplest task of making my bed in the morning and taking time to stretch and practice yoga.

    Ever since I have adapted to a more organized lifestyle I stress less, and actually show up for the things I say I will.

    Thank you for teaching us so many things that most professors don't take the time to.

    -Jessica Jardonoff

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  7. Hi Dr. Rich,

    I'm guilty too of filling up my calendar with lists of things that slowly become more chores than fun, life-affirming things. Lately, though, I've been trying to change that. Instead of just filling my personal calendar up with meetings and assignments, I'll write a reminder to go to the library and look for books or I'll make a note to spend time with my Mom or write a thank-you card (even just a text, sometimes). These are small acts of attentiveness for me. I mean, it's important to get my due dates straight for assignments and to plan time to work on them but not more important than spending time with myself at the library or time with my Mom, getting a meal or seeing a movie based on a book we both read. Those are important things too. They make me happy.

    Writing in my journal, too, is a daily act I make sure I always have time for. Though I don't write it in calendar (maybe I should start!), every evening finds me with my journal, writing about a poem I've fallen for or about my day and what I felt living it. It's another act of dailiness that gives my life more happiness--which really matters.

    Another thoughtful and touching post (really, I felt your intro like I was the little girl tucked into her bed, looking at those stars and longing)~

    ~Kelli (another Stargirl)

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  8. Dr. Rich,
    I am absolutely guilty of not managing my time throughout day. I never realized, but I do spend a big chunk of my time on my phone. If I have some time between classes I will sit in my car on my phone and look through social media, instead of sitting in one of the buildings maybe talking to people around me. I really think it is awesome how even from a young age, you were interested in managing your time and making the most out of your day. I am 22 and still do not manage my time that well. I really like the idea of making a list of things you can do throughout the day that occupy your time much more effectively than social media or Netflix does. I think I might have to try it sometime and maybe stop binge watching shows on Netflix!

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  9. Dr. Rich,

    Are you, by any chance, a fan of bullet journaling? While reading this, all I could think of was my own, woefully empty bullet journal burning a hole in my vanity drawer... I give in easily to the temptation of nonexistent time management - while I find consuming content to be enriching in its own way (I love nitpicking series I enjoy and seeing how real world issues play out in and impact my favorite games and series) I definitely find myself more days than not falling into the endless scroll. Sometimes, it's productive. I'll read articles, blog posts, hell, even dissertations on humans and how we become attached to our Roomba (it was a good read!)... Other times, not so much.

    I think the checklists you mentioned can serve as a way of bringing me out of that feedback loop. Just like with my own mental health journey, baby steps are often the biggest and most challenging.

    I hope I'll have the same success with my own lists - and I hope I can put that bullet journal to good use.

    xx
    Naomi v.

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  10. Dr. Rich,

    I am not going to lie, one of the first days in class when you gave us the print out of the things you do during the day made my head spin. I was thinking, "How the hell does all of this get done in one day in this exact order!?" But now, here we are almost through the end of the semester I realize that so much can get done during the day if one puts their mind to it and puts the phone, TV, and internet down for a couple of hours.

    I would spend hours on my phone when I was "bored" or procrastinating to do an assignment for school. I still catch myself doing this, but when I realize it I put my phone far away from me and get the tasks done I need during the day. Just like you the very first thing I do in the morning is make my bed. Once I make my bed I feel like I can do/accomplish anything for the rest of the day. It might be something small, but it makes a difference.

    I make my own lists and I check them off everyday with each task I accomplish. I do this especially with homework, I put a check mark next to the assignment I finish and once I finish the whole assignment for the specific subject I cross out the subject that way I know everything is done. It makes me feel accomplished and have a sense of relief once I finish something.

    Kristen Calderoni

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  11. Dr. Rich,
    I really loved this blog. Out of all of them so far this is my favorite. I really appreciate how open you are with all of us, welcoming us into your life. I think it's great that you were able to take control of your life at such a young age. When I was younger, my brother and I made similar charts to yours. We made columns for the seven days of the week with different chores for us to complete. We had things on our list such as making our bed, brushing our teeth, keeping our room clean, feeding the dog, ect. It's nice to know that we weren't the only children to do something like that.
    As I got older, I started to drift from this idea. I'm so busy with sports, class, and taking care of my family that I don't have time to take for myself. I'm always going to practice, doing homework, taking my grandma to the doctors, the list goes on. This blog has encouraged me to start off doing one thing a week for myself and build up from there. Thank you yet again for opening my eyes to something I've never noticed before. I really appreciate your knowledge and that your willing to share it with all of your students.

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  12. Dr. Rich ,

    Thank you for sharing your story. I love your wonderful story about the brown paper bags and the checklist. I must say I do checklists all the time... go to work , school , finish h.w etc. and it helps me keep track of what has to be done daily. I have never thought about creating a checklist for the things I enjoy doing like painting, reading, or zumba etc. If I were to create a checklist of all the things I enjoy doing ...I'll probably would get more things done instead of sitting on the couch watching t.v. after I finish my "to do list". Your story is inspiring and your energy is contagious. Thank you Dr. Rich !

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  13. I find it super inspiring that from such a young age you had so much discipline and organization skills which explains your character today. When I was 9 , I’d do something similar on computer paper, but the truth of the matter is that I never ended up finishing my to-do lists. So from a young age, I’d gotten very comfortable in not showing up for myself which turned to a habit that would later follow me into my adult life. Though I’ve tried to remedy this issue by assigning myself daily tasks, I believe that I’ve fallen short.

    When you assigned us the marble notebook and asked us to merely read a poem a day and write down our thoughts initially, I struggled with it greatly. Taking time out between school work, class, work, and dealing with personal and family issues left me drained without even having energy for myself. BUT I found that when I’d taken the time out to meditate for 20 minutes in the morning , or write a poem for a day, I had mor peace of mind and energy to face my daily stresses. I definitely believe that showing up for yourself is the most beautifully selfish thing you can do even if it’s just for a moment a day.

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  14. Dr. Rich,
    I truly enjoyed this personal piece. I saw a lot of myself within this blog and It truly kick started my thoughts. I've always been an advocate for writing down things such as your dreams and goals so that they become more of a reality rather then just an idea. I also try to list different things that would allow me to reach such goals in increments instead of leaps for it is all a process. I firmly believe in the famous tortoise and hare quote "Slow and steady wins the race" and constantly apply it to my everyday tasks. Feeling as though you are trapped within your own routines has got to be one of the worst feelings and that is why I accept change in my life 100 percent. I love that you took it upon yourself to go out and purchase items that would help bring your concept to life, that is being self sufficient! Meditation has been something that I've been wanting to add to my daily regimen however, I simply have not found the right moment yet. As of now, that release for me is music. Music will always be the air that I breathe and it has truly saved my life!

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  15. When I was younger I would spend my time doing two things: reading and writing. When I started to feel a ‘block’ in what I was writing, I would then switch to reading to refuel the writing gauge. As I got older, I was given my very first gaming console, the PlayStation which then became a part of my little circle of joy. Now in college, in my head I feel like I am way too busy to focus on things that I like to do. Which I found out that I was wrong. Instead of drowning in work and finishing feeling completely wiped out I insert treats for myself to keep me motivated. This semester I am continuing my studies of learning Chinese, and so when it is time to work on my Chinese homework I would complete three pages on my homework and treat myself to 15 minutes of a popular Chinese movie. That way I am enjoying myself but keep the topic alive in my head and my homework, possibly even adding in the new words I learned in the movie.

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  16. Good Morning Dr. Rich,

    I think one thing you would like is bullet journaling. If you search it up, it's like daily tracker where people can posts their monthly, weekly, and daily schedules, all while personalizing it to make it more artsy or more formal. THe purpose of it is to get things done and track things that are important in daily life such as: budgeting, water intake, calorie count, your exercise.

    It may seem like a lot of work, and it is but it's also therapeutic. When I used to bullet journal I got a lot of things done. I was able to do what I needed to do and add extra things in when something simultaneous happened. I also had friends with me to create spreads and share ideas so it was enjoyable time.

    In this day and age there's more time wasting and I've noticed it, even with myself. People waste valuable time doing stuff that won't benefit them. Like smoking, it's so useless and people spend the majority of their time doing it. It bothers me to no end. I think people should adapt more hobbies to occupy their time well.

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  17. The media freeze that we did at the start of the semester got me thinking about topics just like this, and I love to read your insight on the subject. Taking the time away from playing games on my phone made me more conscious of how exactly I was spending my free minutes here and there, and how that impacted me when those minutes added up. Not playing games on my phone meant that, come the weekend, I had already finished that week's school assignments. Paying more attention to how I spend those spare twenty minutes a day led to me getting up just a smidge earlier to practice yoga every morning. The downfall? These practices lasted about a solid month. Life gets exhausting, responsibilities pile up the moment you try to take a breather. I think that what I'm slowly learning is that practices such as these, while they seem time-consuming and tedious on paper, in reality are what gives you that sense of ease and fulfillment in life.

    I think that what I need is a stress-free, more flexible length of time in which I can start to practice these better habits. Luckily for me, the semester is wrapping up and the coming of summer means a world of opportunities are ahead of me. Some things that I'd like to start adding into my daily/weekly routine include my morning yoga, reading a psych journal article a day (when possible), cooking a meal a day (when possible), and taking the time to actually floss these pearly whites. I know that my life could be so much less stressful if I just picked up some better habits and dropped some time-wasting ones. It's all about taking the initiative to get started!

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  18. Dear Dr. Rich,
    I found this blog to be very powerful. I would remember back in middle school and high school, I would have this dry erase board calendar I would use to write down my assignments. I would always check them off when I finished and erase them completely when the next week began. I enjoyed it at first, being able to use different colored markers, feeling accomplished after I checked something off, yet looking back on it I never valued my own time in my calendar. All I had were homework assignments, never anything that mattered to me. Sure it is important to get certain things done such as studying and homework or washing the dishes, but if I only focus on chores then I will never have time for what is good for me. Reading this has made me want to make a list, only with a twist. Perhaps I need a reminder to take a walk outside, or make a sculpture, or cook something different. I need to value what is good for me, not just chores that have to be done. This post has made me think about what I should focus more in my life.
    Stephen Corrales

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  19. I'm currently at a point at my life where I am just not happy. I'm not happy at my job, so I am letting it effect everything around me. It's not healthy, I'm picking fights with my boyfriend or being lazy about my own health that I've had this "don't care" attitude.

    I know it's hard, but I've been in such a funk that I just can't seem to get out of it. This post really inspired me to think and get my life together. I realize I'm going to have stressful and really low points in my life, everyone is. But this isn't an excuse to let things go.

    I really think I'm going to start doing something a day for myself. Even if it's a simple bubblebath, going for a run, or buying myself a special something - hell I deserve it! I work like crazy to build a future for myself, but that doesn't mean I do not get to enjoy things here and now.

    Thanks for this inspiring and motivating post. I can't wait to see what "Me Things" I come up with!

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  20. Dr. Rich,

    Thank you for sharing your story and it really opened my eyes and made me see the person you are. It also made me see that this is something that I actually need to start doing. Because yes I really have a little bit of free time since I'm graduating and just working. So there has to be something to do with that free time and using the week-at-a-glance list will really help. Because of course I want to better myself and my life. I've always been the worse with starting something that I want to do and then I will just stop and theres no reason for it but I just stop doing it. Its as if I make up excuses for why I'm not doing and I keep telling myself that I need to start again. I really think that following this list with help me with this problems. I also think that it will help me feel better about something that I want to do for myself. Thank you so much for sharing this idea.

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  21. Hey Dr. Rich

    Keeping a list as a means of focusing on goals to accomplish and ways to grow is an excellent idea. In the past, I used to keep a mental checklist about things I wanted to do: It never stuck. Actually keeping a physical list, and even writing down what I could and couldn't do actually helped me focus on how I can improve and what changes I could make for the next day. When I used to go to the gym, I would keep a physical list of the exercises I could do (how many reps, sets, and weight I could lift), and as the months went by, I could see the improvement over time. Now, because I never made it a priority (and because I failed to include it on my list of things to do for far too long) I have fallen off the wagon so to speak, and haven't gone in a few months. Refocusing on myself, I plan to put together a physical list (possibly even an inflated poster) on my achievements and goals for the day. Allotting time for the gym, meditation, and learning a new language will be top priorities. As long as I continue to do these tasks, even if I have to start from zero, I know that I'll see progress, and that it will be worth it.

    - John P.

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  22. Dr. Rich,

    I was very excited to see that you have a blog written about the needs of self and prioritizing them rather than what is expected of one by others. Growing up, I, too, was a part of society who felt that being a people pleaser and accommodating everyone else was the only way to do things. I went to school because all kids had to. I did sports because mom said I had to be active (and shedding a few pounds of baby fat wasn't so bad for me, either). Things were done out of responsibility.

    I encountered a book in high school that changed my life. "The Fountainhead" was a novel that most of my class could not appreciate. They despised the character of Howard Roark, yet I loved the book because of him. People saw him as a narcissist whereas I saw him as my hero. I decided to do some more research on Ayn Rand and her thinking. I found myself mesmerized by the objectivist theory and came to love it. I realized that Roark was not terrible as everyone said. Rather, he did for himself, neither helping nor harming anyone along the way. And that is also when I realized that people did not like him because he did not conform to society's expectations.

    So I became the Howard Roark in my own life. I started to do things because it would be good for me. I started doing things for enjoyment. As unorthodox as it may sound, if I help someone, it is only because I either expect that in return or because it simply betters my position. For example, I go to school because I want a good job. I have friends so that I am not lonely. I only work when I want something and am paid a good deal. I shake down my bosses for every penny I can get, not caring if I rub people the wrong way. Because I learned that no matter what you do, you can't make everyone happy. So why not make the most important person happy, yourself? I love because I get love in return. I put in effort because I reap the rewards of that hard work. I stay involved and busy because then I'm not bored. I go to school because I have a hunger for education, not because my family forces me the way other students' families might. I have a great relationship because I love my person and because I like the company. People like me are often ridiculed in the world, but I have a more fulfilling life than those who live life in obligation and am not ashamed of that the way they might be, so who really deserves the speculation?

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  23. I came to this country when I was eleven years old. We are of many who came to this country for better life since our own country did not provide us a better opportunity. When I became a teenager, I made a list, goals for myself, what I would like to accomplish after high school. My top goal was to go to college. To me, was more like a dream since I was just a regular student who had some struggles, just getting by, and my parents were not financially stable to pay for me to go to college. I knew it was too many barriers that needed to be broken in order to fulfill this goal. Three years had passed by and I got pregnant with my first, than second, and third baby, my goal was growing more distant from me, and my parents had lost all confidence in me, but I still had hope that it was going to happen for me. With the support of my husband I was able to finally put a check on the goal that I so much wanted to accomplish. Now my goal is to graduate from college. It may be insignificant for some but, writing that one goal on my list made a big difference in my life, it gave me the confidence and the perseverance to keep going and not give up. I do believe that I showed up for myself by fulfilling an important goal in my life!

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  24. Five o’clock in the morning is when I get most of my work done. It is the time that I make myself a cup of coffee, go through my emails to make sure I am up- to- date on all of my work, finish or start homework that is due soon, or study for tests. I write “To Do” lists on the days that I have a lot of different things to do but I have never thought of writing a list of chores to do. I somehow just end up doing them. Now that I think about it, there are a few more things I want to add to my morning routine like working out in the morning. I already naturally do tasks like making my bed. Even if I work out for 30 minutes a day, it will make a difference in a month or even a few weeks, and it will also keep me more energized. This will naturally make me want to eat better and then I’ll see an even bigger change. I do agree that the small things we make a routine now will make a difference soon. The time that I spend waking up early and getting work done has significantly increased my grades and that is something I am already proud of.
    Priya Jhaveri

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  25. As a person I’m very strict when it comes to time. I was raised to be on time every single time I go out. For example, I would wake up around eight in the morning just so I eat eat breakfast and take a shower just so I can take the rest of my time that I need in peace and don't have to rush. The title of this post is what I believe represents me the most because I often show up not for what or who is going but I show up mostly for myself because it's nice to experience something new. I also believe in order to push ourselves to the best version e can be we must go out in the world and make our presence known and if it's possible always try to arrive at the destination as early as possible. The reason why I’m saying this is because my parents would always come to my uncle's house partied very early so they could make their presence known as well. Even in their career they would go in early even though no one would be there. He raised me that way so I tend to follow that example as best as I can. Even when I’m late to class sometimes I would try the best to leave work and go straight there and when I don't sometimes it does make me upset but you know not everybody is perfect when it comes to time.

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  26. I really do appreciate this post. Doing things for myself makes me feel more accomplished. I am constantly learning new things about myself every day. I have learned that I need to do what makes me happy and not worry about what others think or say. Their opinion does not matter, only my opinion matters. Because at the end of the day, I have to look out for myself and do what makes me happy. There have been so many times where I would have a list of things to do and I would always write them down because I needed to accomplish that task. But it would get to a certain point where I hated writing those things down and I would get annoyed when I would see my list and I didn’t accomplish all my goals for the day. I realized I had lists as a way of organizing my life, so I could stay on track, but it made things more complicated for me. I don’t force myself to do something I don’t want to do, and I have learned to have better time management. After this past year, I am more about doing what is best for me and not making any apologies about it.

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  27. School is and has always been my number one priority although sometimes i make it seem like everything else is more important that doing assignments. I can proudly say I am not a procrastinator and 99% of the time i m great with prioritizing my time. I stress myself out when i get assigned projects, homework, papers but i stress myself out so it forces me to get them done faster so that i dont have to stress about them when the due date gets closer. Also with that it gives me extra time to review my work and make sure it is ready to be submitted. I dont have set times for when i do assignments best or when i do them in general but i do enjoy doing my homework in the mornings. I am a morning person so once i get them done I feel a weight lifted off my shoulders that i dont have to carry around for the remainder of the day. School is my everyday thing and it will be for the rest of my life as I decide to go and be a teacher. It is an everyday that i am proud to have and setting myself times to complete certain assignments is the reason i do not procrastinate, or forget to do an assignment.I keep myself on track so that I don't have to worry about it later on. If i see that I am not doing anything but i have homework to do I will tell myself that I might as well do it now rather than later so i don't have to worry about it anymore and it always seems to work for me.
    -Melanie Azevedo

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  28. Dr. Rich
    I think it is appropriate that this blog post is my last blog post this semester because it calls for change. I will have the time to really think about improving the quality of my dailiness now that I am going on winter break. I can shape myself in the dailiness by cutting back on my biggest addiction which is watching way too much TV. I find myself becoming addicted to certain shows that I can not wait even a week to watch again. I get anxious when I miss one of my shows and I get annoyed when the show is not posted on xfinity fast enough. My father also likes to keep the volume down real low on the TV which can cause conflict. I know what you are thinking, that if TV is causing me so many problems then I should just stop watching it, but it is not so easy. I have always watched TV and after 20 years it is not something you can quite cold turkey. I would miss my shows, but I know I would gain so much free time. I could take up exercising and spend more time talking to my friends and family which I can not do when I am watching TV. My older sister has even told me that she feels like she comes second when I am watching a TV show because I will tell her to be quiet. I will try to cut back on the amount of shows I watch for now and see where I go from there.
    By: Kathleen Conaty

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  29. I have never met a Professor that was so honest like you are and I have to say that I am better changed because of it. It is so easy to be carried away with the status quo that people are just afraid to fall out of line and be themselves. But as you have made very well known, that is certainly not you. And just like this blog post, the many you have already written, and the many more that you will come to write (because I know that you have a goal for yourself about writing more for your book) you have not just taught us literature or Shakespearean literature. You have taught us lessons that we can take with us in our daily lives. You have taught me that it is not about fitting in, it's about standing out. You have taught me that it's not about where you come from, it's about where you are going. You have taught me that it is not about being quiet and being perfect, but about just being true to who you are no matter what other people may think or say. As a shy person, I am glad that you really taught us to take risks.
    Grace Carranza

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  30. I love the idea of creating a weekly to do list of self care items rather than chores. Especially today with social media and technology I could use a reminder of other ways to spend my time and take care of myself. Checking anything off of a to do list makes me feel like I've accomplished something and would help with procrastination.
    Those lists were very grown up for a child to make and I can see how a child would want some structure if there wasn't a parent present. It reminds me of Sally in the Cat in the Hat, her to do lists were so grown up and she took herself so seriously. In the film she works towards letting loose and having more fun, I can see how her lists probably got more self care oriented towards the end. How I could reward myself for my dailyness is honestly just feeling like I've accomplished something and feeling relaxed. I love to read and making time for that is sometimes hard as a kid I would plan out how long it would take me to finish a book. I would give myself a page requirement to read by the day or week, I read a lot of books as a kid.

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  31. I have poor time management skill. I always tell myself that my favorite thing to do is nothing because already have so much on my plate. I take whatever time I can get and do nothing. After reading this post, I questioned myself. “What do I achieve by doing nothing? How can I make this “nothing” into something more productive for my self-care? I used to do yoga as a way to lose weight and it helped, but it also made me relax. It became a part of my night routine. I would dance and then do yoga. This was way back in high school. After achieving my personal goal of losing about 20 lbs, I stopped doing it. That personal time became part of the nothingness I am now stuck in. When I did those every single night, I was very happy and i couldn't wait to sweat it all out after a long day at school.
    I am not big on new year resolutions because I never keep them. After I am finished with all my finals, I will make a calendar for self-care days which do not include “nothing.” Something will replace “nothing.”I am not making empty promises because i do realize how much self-care is important and doing it every day instead of picking a special time to do it is not as helpful as it might be.
    Priscilla B.


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  32. Dr. Rich,

    It is easy to get caught up in life. Between school, work, home, family, etc., sometimes it all gets to be too much. I know that I tend to worry about everyone else and their needs, and not my own. I know that I can do better for myself, but it is a bad habit that I need to break. This idea is a great idea and one that I should use for myself. Maybe I would stress a lot less if I took just ten minutes a day to focus on myself and my own needs.

    Sarah Otero

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  33. I think I lose focus on what matters. I put school, work, and family front and center. But what about me? What about my happiness and self-care? It is on the backburner. I cannot be fully there for those things if I am not there for myself. How can I give my all at work if I am not fully charged, healthy and happy? I need to rearrange my priorities and start putting myself first, because at the end of the day all I have is myself and the only person that will be there for me, is me. I cannot give everyone else all of myself, without proper balance. I need to reevaluate my life right now and make sure I make time for me, so I can grow and then make sure everything else that matters come after.

    - Madeline Romero

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  34. Ever since I started college, I very rarely have time for myself. Dr. Rich assigned our class to take ourselves on a date, then write about that experience. Ever since then, I have been taking myself on a date every weekend. One of my favorite dates was a walk to the beach. I walked a mile to the beach, sat on the lifeguard stand with my journal, and just wrote. That was the most relaxing day that I have had in a while. Ever since then, I have really appreciated taking some time out of my day for some “me” time.
    At the beginning of every year, I buy myself a little agenda calendar. Every day is filled with writing. Typically it has my homework, my work schedule, doctor appointments, and when I should squeeze in some gym time. There is not one day that does not have writing on it. It is nice to know that I am not the only one who has to organize their day’s like such because it goes to show that everyone leads busy lives. However, at least twenty minutes of “me” time, should be an everyday requirement. I believe that everyone should be doing something every day that matters to them! I really enjoyed this blog post, it has made me realize that taking some time out to do something besides work, or school work, is acceptable!

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  35. Reading this truly helps me see you for you. For you to be able to be so honest in your post and be able to open up to us about who you are and how you grew to be you is inspiring. You help us realize that no matter how hard you are knocked down you can get back up. Life is a bunch of obstacles, but leads to so many incredible things. I am also huge on organizing my life and planning things out. I always like to have a check list of things I need to accomplish and things I want to accomplish. I love the feeling when you can element an item off your checklist knowing you were able to complete something. It is so comforting knowing that you worked so hard for something and you are able to accomplish it. My biggest goal in life is to make my parents proud and be the best I can be for them. My parents gave me everything I have and I want to be successful to return the favor. I believe I always show up for what matters and I never let people bring me down. I constantly reward myself by doing things I love to do with my friends, family and boyfriend. I also reward myself by treating myself to things that I deserve with my hard work. Being able to buy that bag I have been starring at online for months or paying for a new car each month is such a big accomplishment that I am proud in my self to be able to do.

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  36. As an individual in the workforce and educational system I find that putting time aside for oneself is extremely important. Often times individuals are too concerned about work and school that they fail to realize they are putting an enormous amount of stress on themselves. Individuals do not let their body and mind unwind while partaking in self-care. I can state that I am one of these individuals. I am often too focused on grades and individuals surrounding me that I neglect myself. I believe that I need to begin to make time for myself and my needs. I think it is important to understand that self-care is planned. Although it is great if I realize that I randomly have twenty minutes to myself, it is more important and efficient to schedule time for myself weekly. I need to learn how to say no to outings and/or offers that do not benefit me, my body, and overall wellbeing. I find that to start making time for myself I need to not procrastinate schoolwork, therefore, I can give myself more time for relaxation. I plan to create more self-care days that involve me reading, painting, and exercising. It is great to be surrounded by peers every day, but it is even better when one is capable of learning who they are and who they want to become by doing what makes them happy. I like your idea of creating a checklist as it will allow me to feel accomplished and motivated to continue to keep giving myself and body the time it deserves.

    Bailey Vick

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  37. Dr. Rich,

    Thank you for this blog post, as it is a reminder for me to praise myself which I do not do as often as I should. Often times, I am much harder on myself than I should be. It is not easy for me to openly admit that. I think one of the reasons why I am so hard on myself is due to the way that I was raised. That is not to say that I was raised in a household with strict parents. I was raised in a loving, open, caring, resourceful home. This way of growing up in a nurturing environment has set me up for success in life. I am not talking about getting all A's in all of my classes even though that would be amazing. I am talking about failing, and knowing it is acceptable to fail because when we fail, we learn. This is not a way of excusing failure. This is acknowledging failure, accepting failure, and observing how to get back up after we fall. The worst thing that we can possibly do as human beings is stay in that negative mindset after we fail. That is the very scary, damaging place where we tend to let our minds linger a bit too long. I believe that many things can form from this mental spot in our live such as depression, anxiety, paranoia, etc.Those are just some mental illnesses that can be the underlying cause of a much larger issue. These reasons are just some of the reasons why we must practice self love and self gratitude. This is praise which is needed every damn day. We have one home, which is our bodies. We need to be kind to it, and keep it clean.

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  38. Dear Dr. Rich,
    I honestly want to start off by sharing how amazed I really am from this blog post. This Blog post was special and inspiring because this gave me the opportunity to read stories from your personal life. Not a lot of professors share anything about their past life or even current life. I am just honored Dr. Rich that you shared with us stories from your life in order to help educate us and inspire us as well. For me personally, my time management skills are not that great. Well it used to be decent when I was in elementary school; and that was because I had a really busy life that required a carful time management. But as I was reaching the end of high school and early college, my time management skills went down hill. I don’t write things down and sometimes I leave things last minute. I hate that about myself honestly. I did not like how I downgraded my time management skills. Now that I have read this post, it opened my eyes again. It made me think that I indeed need to work on my time management skill again. I need to get my life together again. Thank you Dr. Rich for that inspiring blog post; I will try my best and manage my time well. I will also try to write things down and plan when I should complete my task on proper timing.

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  39. I have to agree with Manal. When we meet with you on Thursdays you seem so put together like a child who had it all. It is saddening to hear what you went through as a child but it is beautiful to see how you came out on the other side and became a better you.

    Now back to the blog. My list literally consists of 2 lists! A grocery list and then my to do list for everything - homework, cleaning, buying presents for a birthday, laundry, etc. Sometimes looking at my everything to do list I just feel like it is never ending. How on earth am I going to finish all of this and still have energy to want to even stand? I try to do at least 5 things off my list because I feel accomplished in being able to throw my list away when that one is completed. Seeing how you put that you make a list of what you value - I now suddenly feel empty. Everything I do is for my family but where is my personal growth and sense of accomplishment? Thanks to your blog I will create a 3rd list! That one will be devoted to my personal development and freeing my mind (I'm an over-thinker).

    I will start my list on Friday and I hope that the list will keep me focused into reaching my goals sooner than anticipated.

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  40. I agree that dailiness is very important, not only for structure in life but also for the soul. I thrive on organization - lists and outlines and such. I make myself checklists and notes often on what I “need” to do or tasks that should be completed by a certain time or date. Checking off those items give me a sense of completion. However, I never think to create a list of items that were strictly for myself. Items for self-care. I find myself using the sentence “I never have time for that anymore” or “I wish I still _______ like I used to”. Life is crazy, busy and unpredictable. I don’t want to waste any minute of my time on Earth completing tasks that need to be finished or marking off checklists of things I don’t care much about. Instead my daily or weekly checklists should be as you say - a way to focus on things I value. Something I never, ever do. Tonight I will make a new list for myself and do my best at keeping up with it.

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  42. Dailiness was a very interesting post for me to read. It is very relatable to me as well. I also have a list of things to do in my room but it is all homework assignments. It is good and bad because it is a reminder to get my work done, but I also feel finished for the day after that. I usually do not do anything productive after that because I feel as though I have done enough work for the day. Now I do not think it is bad to reward yourself, but my reward was usually to watch netflix or play video games for the rest of the night. I do not put any healthy habits on my list or even activities that I enjoy because I know that I will become distracted. But this also means that I do not do those activities as often as I should. They have become the "Every once in a While" activities. This is sad because I have pushed away things that I really like to do like jog or go fishing. I barely ever do these activities now because my days get so caught up with work. This post has made me realize that I should take more time for these activities because they are important to me. It is important to live a life that is fulfilling to us and create good times. I especially like the line, “Everyday is a work of art - how we begin and end it shapes the between which is life, itself.”

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  43. This blog post, by far, has to be my favorite. You painted a clear picture of you at nine years old, buying, crafting, and creating the adult responsibilities checklist. I felt like I was there with you and we gained a small insight to your life. I like how, as you grow older, your list changed with you. At such a young age, you were focused on the responsibilities of an adult because the parents may not have been able to do that for you. But as you grew up, you focused more so on spiritual growth rather than mundane responsibilities that are required for daily life. You focused on what made you happy and spiritually sound, which, for the betterment of humanity, all of us should be following suit. As you have said, we can get caught up in the “tow of emails,” Snapchat, Netflix, and the likes. Although those activities are fun, they also do shut off the brain. Yoga, free writing, and singing opens up the creative side, giving more room for love and light. When our creative minds are turned on, we can focus on the beauty of life rather than the factors that make life so exhausting. Entrepreneurs and hard workers are able to succeed through dailiness. All in all, dailiness creates progress and subsequently, success (at least on some level). The way that you made your lists at nine years old led the way to your daily list now so I would say all's well that ends well.

    What can I do to practice dailiness? Have I shown up for what matters? I show up for school and try my best in every class every single day. That type of effort and dailiness to arrive on time and submit the assignments before or on the due date has rewarded me with almost straight As throughout my whole high school and university career. I look and think about what I am able to do better because I understand that I am a person who is not perfect and changes constantly.

    There is also a negative aspect to practicing dailiness in the sense that we may be practicing or doing the wrong things. For example, I know that for me, I seem to criticize and put myself down daily in my head. This has led to years of weathering on my self esteem and can now affect my relationships. But, as I grow older and gain more experience, I am having less bad days where I put myself down. No one is perfect. We are all transforming into someone better every day.

    Writing Poetry is one of the classes this year that has helped me be less judgemental about myself. With the current curriculum and the way that we are being graded in class, I am learning more about myself and allowing myself the freedom of writing about what inspires and excites me. At the beginning of the semester, I was feeling incredibly self conscious about my poems because I heard everyone else’s and saw how much more advanced they were.

    “Wow, when they write, it sounds so profound!”
    “Wow, they write so much better than I!”
    “This poem is fantastic! And it’s a draft??”

    But over time, we got to know each other and be sympathetic and compassionate Godparents to our pieces, I was able to find a whole new purpose to writing my poetry. I’m able to extend further to other topics like nature, fruits, and events! It’s not all going to be angsty and heartbroken poems about past loves. Through this class and the amazing bond that we shared, I was able to find more love for myself, too. Everytime I would think that my poems suck, my brain would automatically switch to, “No, it does not suck. We are all progressing and growing.” And it would be some variation of that counter every time I thought that I shouldn’t be doing this.

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  44. I find it incredibly easy to think of the things I want to do, set a time and day for them, and keep putting it off until its been months later and I abandon the idea completely. I want to get to the things that will improve the quality of my life like, painting, writing, dancing. I always tell myself I’m too tired and I rather just lay in bed and watch netflix. Even on days when I don’t have work or school, I might convince myself that I deserve the rest so again I stay in bed. However, I have come to realize that by doing the things I love, I am feeding my soul and energy and creating my own happiness. I want to produce physical things so I can say hey! I did this! I feel my talent welling up in my fingertips and have waited long enough. I must act. Reading about your lists, Dr. Rich, has inspired me to do something similar. If I keep writing things down I find for myself, it will force me to do it, kind of like a prompt! But in my case, I really need the push. When I think about the time I’ve wasted on social media and on the internet, where I could have been improving my craft, honestly makes me sad because I know for a fact, that I am capable of accomplishing so many things, I just have to get out of this rut because no one’s going to do it for me!

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  45. Dear Dr. Rich,

    I am impressed that at nine years old, you were aware of the importance of setting goals and holding yourself accountable for completing tasks by rating your performance. At nine years old you were practicing self care and responsibility, something that many adults, like myself, do not have the motivation to do. I’ve been complacent with daily routines and addictive habits that I have failed to follow check-lists. There was a time when I incorporated art into my daily life and I cannot forget the exhilarating joy it brought to me, I love painting and dancing, which were two forms of art that made me a better person. I think it was about three years ago that I fully stopped painting nature and stretching before I choreographed a quick dance for myself. It happened because I was blindfolded by work and school work. I felt as though I had zero inspiration and getting homework done or making money were priorities. Dr. Rich, you inspire me, you triggered the desire for art back into my life with poetry. I learned to write down my experiences, my darkness, my troubles, and specific moments on paper. I believe that my routines grew from depression and I did not realize how important my shadows were, until your embraced them in our Poetry 3000 course. I think that what I am trying to say is, that giving ourselves stars, check marks, hearts, smiley faces and just positive reinforcements for our progress is priority. I am priority. And I too will begin to welcome my growth and direct my focus less on what makes me feel comfortable. At age 25, I will challenge myself to do what nine year old you did -create a star out of myself.

    Marilyn H.

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  46. This past summer, I ended up going to the gym six of seven days a week. The first day I went was painful, and I had sore muscles where I didn’t know I had feeling. My legs? Jelly. The intensity of two days straight while out of shape made me realize that it’s not just going, it’s going consistently. That’s how it gets easier. That’s how I, or anyone really, actually gets results. I enjoyed the brown paper bags story, while I don’t have anything analogous to that, I appreciate the sentiment behind the list of self-care turning to another trapping chore. When I have found myself depressed, it has always been more activity that helps. I can’t have structure without a good foundation of day to day life. Every day I make it a point to meditate for half an hour. The half an hour isn’t necessarily that long or short, if I can’t do it some days it’s ok, and meditation seems to work when I have a life that isn’t simply sitting down and meditating for hours on end. Dailiness is cultivating the self, and I think that re-introducing daily writing without any goals or benchmarks will do me some good.

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  47. I am still learning how to strive to be good, instead of feeling that I need to be perfect. I feel as I improve in this aspect, I will likely be more efficient everyday. In my poetry and journalism, when I look back at my first drafts, often I see they are as good or better than when I over-thought again and again on the many revisions. That is not to say that I shouldn't revise- it is only to say that when I do revise, I should not become detached from the flow and ideas, by attempting to be perfect. Once I no longer am attempting to be perfect, this will set me free to enter more fully the ritual and habit of doing important things on a daily basis- maybe adding more disciplined mediation, reflection, prayer, and writing, onto the daily list.

    I occasionally hand-write letters to people, especially to family and senior citizens I know, and give the letters to them in person, or send them via postal mail. I would like to make this type of activity- either a letter, or a visit, or a phone call- to at least one person in the community or in my family- a daily activity. I also would like to continue to say 'Thank you' on a daily basis, and to show my appreciation for relationships of all kinds in my life. At times the latter means saying 'I love you' or 'God Bless you' to a friend, senior citizen, teacher, veteran. or family member. (practicing gratitude and love daily).

    Aside from that, I plan to ask myself 'What are the most important two or three tasks I need to get done today?' and start as early in the day as I can, doing these activities. This might include chores such as cleaning, or shaving, or brushing and flossing my teeth after meals. Then I could reward myself, with a less necessary activity, once the vital tasks are completed for that day. -Michael Loberfeld

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  48. Showing up for myself has been a very huge task lately. School and work doesn't give me much time to breath and when they do I find myself engaging in an activity that may not be healthy or pushes me into a better direction. I find myself drinking or just scrolling endlessly on my phone. Although at the moment I seem fine, I look back and see the time I wasted. This blogpost motivates in a sense to look at my days as a whole to see exactly what I can do in my downtime. I've decided to bring exercise back into my life. My mother andi just purchased a treadmill. And for certain days out of the week I plan to spend some time on that treadmill and keep active. I would also like to dedicate my time to make some music as well. Organization is key here, it's just a matter of finding the lock to open the door to these new and healthy regime for my life.

    -Racquel F

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  49. I used to make lists of things I wanted to do everyday. I wanted to write, read, study Spanish, study Mandarin, study ASL, draw, practice my ukulele, etc.. But I felt like I wanted too many things that I ended up stopping all of my hobbies all together. I would just get comfortable with spending all of my free time watching tv and always saying I’ll do it later. Sometimes I would try to pick my favorite things and stick to that, but even then I would end up back to my tv. After reading this I feel that I need to go back to wanting to learn and do productive things. I worried too much about being good that I forgot about how fun it was just to do. I would convince myself that it was a waste of time, so I would find a bigger waste of time like tv. I told myself these things to shield myself from failures or from comparisons. This blog post reminds me of when Cameron says we need to write to just write because it is good for us and that we shouldn’t worry about being good. We should only be honest.

    Wilneris

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  50. It is all too easy to make lists. If you were to look at my notes in my phone you would see a section titled “Lists of Lists,” that’s how easy it is for me. What becomes difficult is actually doing what is written on these lists. For instance I have a list dedicated to what my gym routine should be, but I have not been to the gym in over a month. So looking at it just has me disappointed in myself, not because I have not gone but because of how simple it would be to just get out of bed, brush away the cookie crumbs and go to the gym. Yet thing blog, mostly it’s title, has me realize something. That I am my own cheerleader, I am the one who will sit in the metaphorical stands and cheer myself on as I tick off each item on my many lists. I love the feeling of actually completing a list of tasks and goals I have set for myself it can just be difficult to guide my way through them, but you have to “show up for yourself.” Be there to do what you have set for yourself but also as the person rooting for you.That has to be one of the most inspirational things I have heard and genuinely took to heart in a long time.

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  51. I find it incredibly difficult for me to do something every day, besides the usual things we have to do to take care of ourselves. I believe if I push myself, after a few weeks it could come habitual and be difficult for me to stop. I used to try to take a 30 minute walk every day, and I noticed it helped me out greatly. It was 30 mins a day to shut off from the world and look at the nature around me. I really feel like I should start doing that again, as I didn't even notice I missed it until I started reading your post. I can't imagine at 9 years old creating a list like that for myself, I think that is incredible. I think I would find it hard to do that now, even at 23. However, you have inspired me to try.

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  52. I can see little Dr. Rich now in my mind so vividly! Absolutely adorable. I actually have done something similar many times in my life. Having ADHD, my mother encouraged me when I was younger to make a lists of all my tasks for the day and check it off... never worked. Then as I got older, I hit a bit of a depression spell. I wasn't working, going to school or anything. I was just home and sad and sad that I was sad and sad that I was home but too tired and resigned to leave. I started (from my own prompting) to make the most simple to-do lists. VERY SIMPLE. If I made my bed, that was massive. If I got cleaned up and felt like I looked decent, that was massive. So those were the sorts of esteeming moments I put on my charts. I felt like I had accomplished something and if I could do that then I could do more. Of course it wasn't easy but those were the beginnings of getting better.
    Now, I don't have a list, but I wonder if writing it down would be beneficial again. I have good morning and night rituals to keep me stabilized. I wake up very early and take a walk every day. I always eat breakfast with a full glass of water. I've kept up not using my phone in the first and last half-hour of my day. Before bed, I listen to music that soothes me, I have a good routine for washing my face. All of this is so helpful in that practice of mindfulness and taking pride in all these little activities we do that aren't so little after all.
    In the future I really want to add: painting/drawing, sketching, songwriting, poetry writing and various other creative activities I do that I want to plan into my day, not just fall into on impulse.

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  53. I really enjoyed this post. It reminded me of when I was younger and I would get those gold stars for reaching a goal. When I used golden stars, they were more for school accomplishments like completing homework or finishing an assignment. As I got older I did start to use lists. My lists were school based. Such as a list of different assignments that had to get done, or reminders to talk to a teacher. So, when you mention making daily lists about things you would like to do I really liked the idea. I think especially as of late, I have neglected to consider what I like to do. It has been just months of getting school work done. I haven't taken much time to stop and plan activities that I enjoy. And it’s especially shocking because my major is recreation therapy. I believe that taking the time to do activities and things you enjoy enriches your life. It really helps to relieve any stress you might have as well as rejuvenate you to get back to work. So, after reading this blogpost I am motivated to create a list of my own of activities and things I wish to accomplish. Even if I can only do these leisure activities for 20 minutes of my day, the impact will still be there. I would like to go on more walks and appreciate nature. I feel like too much of my time is spent inside especially in the fall and the winter.

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  54. Wow.. even the title of this one hit me in my chest. Anyway I think that this was really important for me on my path to being more creative to show up for myself. I haven’t been doing the work the last year or so making sure that I show up for myself and making sure that I was there to help pull myself up. It wasn’t until I took this class that I realized that I was not okay and that I needed to start being there for myself and stop lying about things like what was bothering me. I wore a Mickey Mouse hat every day I was depressed trying to hide my pain and pretend things were okay. However it was in those moments that I needed to pull from my creativity and create something that would not lonely help me but, maybe others also. I pushed and pulled hard trying to dig deep into myself so that I might finally be able to break from the bonds that were holding me. I wrote about some triggering experiences and was able to be honest with others and myself. I worked really hard this semester removing the mask from my face and remaining creative even in the moments I didn’t feel like it at all. I pushed through and showed up and in some moments I showed out and did more than I thought I could. I’m so proud of the growth and improvement I’ve had in being there for myself.

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  55. Ah, Dr Rich this post hit really hard. Thank you for being so raw and descriptive about your life. For me, this post reminded me of when I was in kindergarten. I was such a bad crier, I mean I would cry everyday all day. I missed my mommy of course! My teacher found a way for me to “stop” the nonsense, so she had a personalized chart for me where each day if I didn't cry at all, I would get a sticker. If I filled up an entire week with all stickers, I would receive a little prize. I honestly can say this worked! As I’ve gotten older, I have found myself not making lists or charts that often. I am actually a very unorganized person. I’m all over the place, yet somehow I always get my work done and receive mostly great grades. I guess it works for me. I like the idea of you doing 20 minute yoga and how you initially thought this was no big deal, yet it has made an impact on your life. For me, as I am planning my wedding for August, I have been caught up in trying to lose weight. But not in a crazy way, in the healthiest and best way I’ve ever done before. I changed my diet around by switching certain things- instead of regular pasta I’ll eat whole-wheat, instead of opening the bag of doritos, I’ll make a bowl of fruit. Simple things like that. I’ve also been doing 20 minute work-outs every day that I watch on YouTube on my TV, where me and my mom do power walking, running, jogging, and much more in these clips. I can honestly say its made a huge difference in my life. Although I haven't lost the amount of weight I want to, I know that I will get there happily by rewarding myself for the changes I’ve made in my life.

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  56. At nine years old, I think the only thing I was really concerned about was the next available time to take a nap and what I was having for dinner. I didn’t understand the concept of setting goals and being accountable for them. But then again, I was responsible for making sure I did basic things, that I could do, by myself which is some form of accountability. I knew early on I wanted to be a teacher and my mother planned the way for me up until recently. It wasn’t until maybe 3 years ago I started making lists of everything I wanted, needed or should do. To the point where I’d write them so frequently, I must start posting them on my wall. My problem was always doing it. I would “put off what I could do today for tomorrow which stems from my own personal issues. I have a list of assignments I need to finish before the semester ends. Of course, I’ll find something that takes precedence and not get it done until the very last second and that’s the part that worries me. Its not that I’m not capable of doing the work because I give quality work its just that there is always a reason as to why I couldn’t do it earlier on and of course those reasons really hold no weight. For some strange reason every time I finish an assignment, I award myself just a little which I think is an enabling factor. I’m still working on doing what I need to do earlier on, but so far to no avail!

    Donika H

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  57. As a child, we had to make a list of things we wanted to accomplish in 5 years then in 10 years. At first, I thought, oh I’ll be an adult by then and able to accomplish anything. I took my list home and posted it on my wall next to my giant New Kids On The Block poster. Years have passed and although I no longer have that list, the idea remained with me.

    At my current age, I have vision boards for my body positivity and the other for all aspects (career, sleep, travel, education, inspiring words). Before I left my job, I took a bunch of small yellow legal pads. I like to use them to write my daily agendas or simple notes. I’ve learned not to make a list of things for the week but rather a list of things to do within a day.

    My list may have 3 minimum to 10 maximum. There are times I can write them in a particular order, because I know it will be easier but then other times, I write for the sake of remembering. Just getting things done is beyond helpful especially with all of this corona nonsense. I have more homework than I have time and it’s all incredibly overwhelming. I gave myself the task to write a list of all assignments for each class. So far, I’m somewhat ahead of myself in certain classes.

    On my yellow legal pads, I use different color pens or markers to check off my accomplished task. It’s a great feeling knowing those words on a line no longer exist. I look forward to making or updating for the next day or the next week.

    Meagan AWP 5000

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