What is one example of "small stuff" you let get to you recently? I have recently started conditioning for RHS Water Polo. I have never done Ripon Aquatics or really any type of organized swim. The first couple of days I was super overwhelmed because I didn't know what I was doing and I was getting frustrated. I kept pushing on anyways, because even though I was frustrated and overwhelmed, I liked swimming. I learned that I have to persevere in order to achieve my goals. Even though I still don't completely know what I am doing, I can definitely tell that I have improved and am better off than I was before.
Chapter 2- Make Peace with Imperfection
How does your 'ego' distract you? Even though I am not a perfectionist, I still get anxious about a lot of small things. An example of a small thing is school dances. There are so many people in such a small space and it is so loud. But a not as small thing is my grades. I was an all A student at my elementary school, so sometimes I feel like I still have that standard stuck in my head.
Chapter 3- Let Go of the Idea that Gentle, Relaxed People Can't Be Superachievers
Thoughts: "When you have what you want (inner peace), you are less distracted by your wants, needs, desires, and concerns. It's thus easier to concentrate, focus, achieve your goals, and to give back to others. This quote makes me think about a song called Perfect Peace by Tauren Wells. It is about being safe and having peace with God. When I have inner peace, it means I am leaning into God and depending on him because he is the only one that can give me perfect inner peace. When I have perfect inner peace I can focus more on others others because I am less stressed about my own problems. I am able to be a better leader when I am at peace.
Chapter 4- Be Aware of the Snowball Effect of Your Thinking
Do you notice how your body and mind feel when your thinking is out of control? When my thinking is out of control, my mind kind of feels like it is buzzing. I have thoughts that fire across my head one minute and are gone the next. It can be hard for me to calm down. One of the things that helps me is to take some deep breaths and think of a neutral color like gray. That will get me calmed down enough to go on with what I was doing.
Chapter 5- Develop Your Compassion
Can you recall a time when you made something "big" and dramatic when in reality it was small and not that big of a deal? I do this all the time with homework. I stress myself out and turn a little bit of homework into a huge deal. Then I dread doing the homework but still force myself to do it. It ends up not being a huge deal and I get all of my stuff done. It is just a little stressful sometimes.
Chapter 6- Remind Yourself that When You Die, Your "In Basket" Won't Be Empty
What does your "in basket" look like? And will it be there tomorrow... My "in basket" consists of schoolwork. Even sometimes when I don't have any schoolwork I still feel like I have to do something. I feel like I should work on water polo if I am not doing school. I stress out about all of these things that I don't have to do today, and forget that they will still be around for me to do tomorrow. Tomorrow is a brand new day!
Chapter 7- Don't Interrupt Others or Finish Their Sentences
Do you believe you are a strong listener or could you use some work? I think I am a good listener. I will talk if I have something to say but other than that I like to listen to people. You can learn a lot about a person if you just listen. I enjoy listening because I get to learn about other people's perspectives. I feel like I enjoy the conversation more when I don't have to talk as much.
Chapter 8- Do Something Nice for Someone Else- and Don't Tell Anyone About It
Recall a time you have given, did you expect acknowledgement? One time my family and I went and cleaned up this place called House of Prayer in Carmel, CA. It is run by a couple of old nuns and they have a little bit of a hard time getting everything done. We went and pulled weeds and trimmed bushes. It was a lot of fun! They let us stay in the retreat center instead of paying for a hotel. We didn't seek acknowledgement and we had a lot of fun!
Chapter 9- Let Others Have the Glory
Have you experienced someone else "stomping" on your story (glory)? How did it make you feel? My brothers stomp on my story all of the time. I always have to babysit them and they don’t listen. They fight each other or me. It is very frustrating. I thought they would get better as they got older, but they haven’t. They are just obnoxious.
Chapter 10- Learn to Live in the Present Moment
What are some ways that you can work to stay in the present moment? I can focus on being fully present in the moment when I am with family. I want to just enjoy life and live up to my full potential. I can take time in my day to think about what I am doing and how I can spread positivity. I can start thinking more about the needs of others instead of my own needs. I can make the conversations that I have with people mean something.
Chapter 11- Imagine that Everyone Is Enlightened Except You
Think of a time you were frustrated, now look at it as a moment of being taught... what did you learn? I was super frustrated during water polo in the beginning and part of the middle because I have never done any water sports before. I wanted to quit, but looking back I am glad I didn’t. It has taught me to persevere because water polo is not an easy sport. I am not very good but I am learning. I am better off than from when I started.
Chapter 12- Let Others Be "Right" Most of the Time
Challenge: The next time you are in a discussion/argument, let the other person be right and take notice on the initial feeling that transpires. I got into an argument with my sister. I eventually dropped the conversation. I didn’t like the feeling that came after. I felt like I had lost. She tells me what to do all the time and loves to tell me that what I do is annoying or wrong.
Chapter 13- Become More Patient
Do you ever have a reflective moment when you realize you are so very small in this vast world and really your "drama" isn't that big a deal? I have those moments when I am in Tahoe and it is snowing. The trees are huge and these tiny flakes of ice are falling from the sky. I feel so small. Everything is so beautiful and I know that my problems don’t mean that much. My worries and problems will die with me.
Chapter 14- Create "Patience Practice Periods"
Do you have a "Mantra", a statement, that you make to yourself daily or weekly? I don’t really have a statement. I do not focus on one certain thing. I do like the statement that I go on my rock. “Your only limit is your mind.” I feel like this statement applies to me.
Chapter 15- Be the First One to Act Loving or Reach Out
Have you lost a relationship because something “small” turned into a “big” divide? I feel like I am losing a relationship right now. I have a friend at church that is a huge germaphobe and she is super scared about Covid. We haven’t gotten to hang out as much as we used to. She is homeschooled so she is kind of sheltered in some ways, which isn’t bad. But sometimes I feel like I can’t tell her certain things.
Chapter 16- Ask Yourself the Question, "Will This Matter a Year From Now?"
What do you hope to do a year from now? A year from now, I hope to be in school and playing water polo. I know the book says that these problems won’t matter in a year, but these problems might. Covid won’t just go away. Hopefully, we will be back to school in a year. We have always continued to do water polo.
Chapter 17- Surrender to the Fact that Life Isn't Fair
Is life meant to be fair? What does that even mean? I don’t think life is meant to be fair. If life was fair, we would never learn from our mistakes. We would never learn how to work with what we got. Part of life is the struggle. If you never struggle, you don’t grow.
Chapter 18- Allow Yourself to Be Bored
Do you take the time to be bored? I do allow myself to be bored. I like to be bored because that means the house is quiet and I have nothing to do. It is a nice feeling. I don’t feel like I have to be anywhere or do anything. That doesn’t happen very often.
Chapter 19- Lower Your Tolerance to Stress
Have you been taught to believe that high stress is a positive thing? We live in a very fast-paced world. It is very easy to get caught up in that way of living. You are constantly stressed out. Being high stress almost becomes normal. It does seem like a positive thing short term, even though it really isn’t.
Chapter 20- Once a Week, Write a Heartfelt Letter
When is the last time you sat down and wrote a letter to someone with gratitude? The last time I wrote a letter to someone with gratitude was when we wrote the letters for the gratitude video. That was so scary but felt kinda good. I didn’t know I would be reading mine for the video. I wrote the letter to my mom and she loved it. She was very surprised when I called her, but she still loved it and stopped to listen.