DAY 23
DATE: Tuesday, September 13, 2012
TIME: 11:11pm
A. OPENING THOUGHTS/OBSERVATIONS:
This Thursday I will reach the climax of these 30 days. Wondering if I’ll be able finish my tasks by Saturday. Really just want to get to work and log in my emotional exercises produced from today’s workout so I can get started writing to my friends.
Had a scare today. My mother called to say that my grandmother was being kept alive until she and my father could get down to her hospital bed to be there when she passes on. I spent the whole day processing this as losing my grandmother would be my first really significant loss. I’ve had other grandparents die but the circumstances were when I was very young to understand what was happening. I have shared a closeness with this grandmother.
Good news is she’s still with us for now.
I had to reflect on how a moment like this happened in the “Transcendence” phase of the Quest for me. I can perceive now how my grandmother gave me my passion for spirituality. This was a time for me to acknowledge this gift and feel that connection. When I thought we were going to lose her, I just knew that she would not be “gone”. What most people would probably interpret as “grief”, I felt a rising awareness and love for the woman who inspired me to have a relationship with God.
B. DREAM ENTRY:
Interesting dreams to log for today. Dreamed I was on a cruise ship docked “between” voyages. I was able to see how the crew was able finish one trip and get reset for another. This feel apropos seeing that I’m ready to end this Quest and begin a new one.
Second dream revolved around my performing on Saturday Night Live with the original 1975 cast. John Belushi handed over his role of “Samurai” to me. Backstage we were friends and he offered a mentorship role to me. He said that I have to make my agent negotiate deals which would allow me to use comedy more often. After that talk, the two of us began doing enunciation warm-ups using Samurai “grunts”. I interpreted this to mean that my ego really wants me to perform more but also to lighten up and use more humor in my teaching. The Samurai character, or John Belushi’s passing of the torch to me, represents that I have learned the lesson meant to learn here. It’s a weird semblance of the "pseudo-Samurai-inspired" character Obi-Wan Kenobi sacrificing himself in front of Luke, helping him make the rite of passage to become a Jedi Knight.
C. Play “The Question Game” as described in the opening of this
chapter. Remember the guidelines of what an effective question should
be. Make them relevant to your intentions and allow them to lead you to a
course of action which will allow you to complete your Quest.
***
The Workout
Focus on Supersets for Legs
1. Exercise 1: Walking Lunges with Box Squats
4 Sets of 12 Reps
Identify Intention: Fulfill my 4 tasks. Ask Questions to ignite forward momentum.
Question (# 1): What have you accomplished today? Do you feel like you accomplished something of significance?
After Set 1: Answer your own question and form a new question.
(a) I wrote down what I wanted to say to my five recipients. It’s only a matter of emailing them out now. Also, I’ve been actively getting back to my original theme of using these emotional techniques to help overcome depression while working out. Yes, I do feel like I’m accomplishing something meaningful and am ready to act on this.
Question (# 2): Are you going to send the emails out today?
After Set 2: Answer your own question and form a new question.
(b) Yes, I’ll send out two or three which will help me get a jump on the next few day’s worth of action steps. Will hopefully get out the others over the weekend.
Question (# 3): What does your work have to do with overcoming depression?
After Set 3: Answer your own question and form a new question.
(c) What I think I’ve accomplished is articulating a process by which someone can first identify their emotions and then effectively direct their emotions. The physical fitness element supports this with chemical endorphins to the already heightened emotions. Add the fact that you’re improving your body composition, it feels like a powerful message. There’s now what I might call a "neuro-association" between working out and working on the “self”.
2. Exercise 2: Barbell Squats with Stationary Lunges
4 Sets of 12 Reps
Identify Intention: Fulfill my 4 tasks. Ask Questions to ignite forward momentum.
Question (# 4): Rephrase that. What else do you have to say about overcoming depression?
After Set 1: Answer your own question and form a new question.
(a) I don’t know much from a clinical perspective about depression. All I
know is that I suffer from it from time-to-time. This program has
helped me get unstuck. It also helped my energy become less stuck and stagnant and more vital.
Question (# 5): How has these 30 days helped you move forward?
After Set 2: Answer your own question and form a new question.
(b) I think making the exercises easy at first helped. All I had to do was show up for my workout and review my intentions. As time went on the emotional exercises changed. Once it became repetitious, the “game” changed. By today (DAY 23) it was easier to slip into higher emotions even under stressful times.
Question (# 6): If you could sum all this up, what is the point you’re trying to convey?
After Set 3: Answer your own question and form a new question.
(c) My theory is that it will take 30 days to build a new, productive habit. This habit provides a workable solution in overcoming depression.
(I’m choosing to finish this line of questioning before going on to the next physical exercise.)
Question (#7): Will this be on the first page of your book?
(d) Absolutely. I guess the meditation I had planned on peforming had begun early. Back to my original question, “What have you accomplished today?” One answer to this questions is that I started working on the first page of my book. One task nearly complete!
3. Exercise 3: Leg Extensions with Held Rotating Lunges
3 Sets of 12/10 Reps
Identify Intention: Strengthen Credibility in My Mind (Confidence)
Question (# 1): What will it take, what understanding must you convey, to proclaim that this workout program will help others overcome depression?
After Set 1: Answer your own question and form a new question.
(a) First of all, I’m stating the fact that I’m not a doctor. Doctor’s advice or prescriptions have never worked for me as my own self-diagnoses have often been more accurate than a doctor's diagnoses. I know myself and trying to find my own way. I believe I’ve found creative and empowering solutions to help manage an emotional state. Some of these exercises might work, some might not. First and foremost, I encourage my readers to trust their own self and intuition.
Question (# 2): How does the Hero’s Journey model allow a reader to better trust oneself?
After Set 2: Answer your own question and form a new question.
(b) The Hero’s Journey represents a psychological “rite of passage” ingrained in all of humanity’s collective unconsciousness. It’s one of the reasons our culture is addicted to storytelling (movies, music, video games, etc.) This program offers someone a opportunity to answer the call of understanding their lives better - mind, body and soul. This has the power of the collective unconsciousness behind it which instinctively leads people to peace of mind. Maybe the collective unconscious is more connected to Source. By tapping into these hero's journey archetypes we are able to better connect to Source and away from the ego's line of thinking.
Question (# 3): What does any of this have to do with enhancing the quality of a workout? (This must be at the forefront of any introduction to a book like this.)
After Set 3: Answer your own question and form a new question.
(c) Like someone under the influence of hypnosis, the ability to do things heighten because inhibitions can be lessened or dropped. I think during a workout it's possible our brains function at different waves levels, possibly from beta to alpha. Since we’re constantly tapping into your highest self during the Quest (different brain wave activity?), tapping into your True Self, the body will naturally become more energized and productive.
4. Exercise 4: Prone Leg Curls with Mountain Climbers
3 Sets of 12/20 Reps
Identify Intention: Strengthen Credibility in My Mind (Confidence)
Question (# 4): Can you tell a story to demonstrate this?
After Set 1: Answer your own question and form a new question.
(a) Yes, my own. I’m doing it now. I gave up hope. Gave up trying to make something of myself and just started writing and created again. Now I’m doing something for myself to promote growth, awareness and self-actualization. Likewise, you - my reader, must write your own story. I might also tell the story of Terri and how we trained hard for over an hour with boxing and emotional calibrations. I could possibly open my book with this story.
Question (# 5): How can I establish trust with my readers?
After Set 2: Answer your own question and form a new question.
(b) I think trust is established by not insulting anyone’s intelligence. I always assume that my reader is smarter than I am. You shouldn’t trust that you’ve found “the next big thing” in a workout or psychological method. YOU are the “next big thing”. Use your own common sense, your own intuition, your own "crap" detector. Use what works. If these techniques work for you - great! If not, ask yourself why not, and let it lead you to something different. Either way the reader grows.
Question (# 6): How can you encourage a reader to do this on a physical level?
After Set 3: Answer your own question and form a new question.
(c) There is no magic formula, only basic fundamentals in workout consistency, diet, balancing of strength and cardio training. There are strategies for fat loss, weight and strength gain, and for athletic training. This book or method uses the valuable “rest periods” to access powerful emotions to drive you forward. I wish to encourage my readers to be creative and try new things with all the FITT factors (Frequency, Intensity, Time, Type of Exercise) as well the the Emotional "X" Factor which changes with each chapter of my book
(Again, I’m choosing to finish this line of questioning before starting a new one.)
Question (#7): What more do you want to say on this topic?
(d) A drama teacher or film director can inspire a performance out of someone. To believe on a consistent basis that you are a hero, a goddess, a villain, a character, everything and everyone, takes this kind of inspiration training. We’re looking to believe we are more than just an average human being. These techniques help you articulate your own story and then live your own story. This in turn helps One to transcend the ego and reconnect with Source, which is the act of identifying the self as a Spiritual Being in a human body.
Original Question: What will it take to articulate with confidence that this program helps alleviate depression?
Answer: Trust and develop your intuitive side and your emotional capacity. Your emotions can be trained just like muscles. In fact, that’s what I believe emotions are - a message form your spirit/brain telling your body that you’re either moving toward (pleasure) or moving away (pain) from your ideal self. It is also is indicative of what is in control - your ego (pain) or your True Self (pleasure).
5. Exercise 5: Side Kick Crunches with Side Bends
3 Sets of 15/12 Reps
Identify Intention: Focus on a Cultivating Feeling of Enjoyment to Finish Out the Workout
Question (# 1): How do I find ways of enjoying writing this book even more?
After Set 1: Answer your own question and form a new question.
(a) I need interaction.
Question (# 2): How are you going to seek out interaction?
After Set 2: Answer your own question and form a new question.
(b) In addition to the tasks at hand, I will create an interactive site called “The Question Circle” where other people can go deeper understanding the self by asking and answering meaningful questions. That constant flow of communication keeps me joyful and ready to write. Asking and answering questions helps keep the intuitive mechanism sharp through connectedness.
Question (# 3): Precisely how does starting “The Question Circle” inspire you to write?
After Set 3: Answer your own question and form a new question.
(c) I’m attracting more interaction, which is what I truly want. Intuitively I’m working toward building all of these concepts and exercises into a career. What a career means to me is simply something I choose to spend my time doing by earning a living. I choose to connect to Source through these activities which I feel are an expression of my spirit.
6. Exercise 6: Crunch on Ball/Leg Raises (21's)
3 Sets of 21/21 Reps
Identify Intention: Focus on a Feeling of Enjoyment to Finish Out the Day
Question (# 4): How does making plans on doing this as a career increase your enjoyment?
After Set 1: Answer your own question and form a new question.
(a) I think it has something to do with tapping into the power of pure creation. Somehow I got it in my mind that creating a career out of something like this isn’t realistic, or should even be considered a miracle that even God wouldn’t perform. It’s time to understand that miracles don’t have a degree of difficulty. I find enjoyment in finally overcoming this hurdle and truly connecting to Source.
Question (# 5): Why do you feel this time you’ll succeed?
After Set 2: Answer your own question and form a new question.
(b) Not only do I feel I’m more connected to Source, but I have experience to use as a reference point. I know what was effective in the past and how my ambition took things too far. My goals are more realistic and attainable.
Question (# 6): What will you do as soon as you finish this Quest? How will these tasks be enjoyable?
After Set 3: Answer your own question and form a new question.
(c) I have a list of things to do for my next 30 day Quest:
1. Rewrite this book. (Enjoying the Quest all over again while rewriting it.)
2. Post it in a blog. (Connect to others with an online medium.)
3. Create a meetup group based on this material. (Time to put these exercises to action and interaction.)
4. Produce a video. (I enjoy the video editing process as a creative outlet.)
5. Create diverse, small groups for group training. (It's creative to apply the Quest specifically to different workout routines focusing on specific areas of the body and training methods.)
6. Create a referral system. (Connections inspire me.)
DIET JOURNAL: (log in any foods you consumed for the day)
Egg White Sandwich on Whole Grain Bagel
Protein Drink
Tilapia with Brown Rice
Protein Bar
Cereal
Protein Bar
Cheeseburger and Fries (And enjoyed every bite of them!)
ADDITIONAL JOURNAL ENTRIES:
Click Here to return to Chapter 12.
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