Tuesday, October 30, 2012

What I've Gathered So Far

First off...I don't know why I still call this blog "experiments" ...very few of my posts have been about all my experiments...I should think about changing that...or organizing better.

Anyway!

On December 18th, 2011, I started doing something I've never done before. I started going to a Bible Study. I felt lost, confused, etc...and my relationship with God was something I wanted to work on. I also wanted to understand the Bible better.

Well, I can say that now that I've gone through 1 1/2 books (Titus and James) I'm still fairly lost and confused, but feel like I have a much stronger understanding and relationship with God. So I wanted to compile all the great things I have learned and have taken away from these weekly get togethers. Hopefully other people would find these useful.

Take 12 - C/U - For first time ever -...wait! Those are notes from something else...whoops! Wrong page!

...okay, here we go! :)

- Show that people can be trusted
- Ask for God's strength for motivation to stop doing something...evil!
- Use the want/desire of that to draw closer to God and that's how you can gain God's strength
- Be a man of your word
- Family most important
- Nope, relationship with God is MOST important - can trust that He will always be there and THAT is most important, that relationship must develop!
- Don't talk nonsense or give un-important information...unless it's funny :)
- Direct access to God through grace/redemption - gets you closer to God
- When hearing other talk about God, take their info and compare to the Bible - keeping Christ as what you are following
- Make sure you're heart is in the right place - A PLACE OF LOVE
- Pray before doing things
- My negative attributes aren't that bad and not the only one who has them
- Not sure where to go with life feeling lost...be careful to NOT go to SELF DESTRUCTION

- Trials help us grow, temptations lead to sin
- Should embrace trials - experience it - USE IT TO LEARN
- Find joy in the progression to be complete - seeing overtime how you've grown leading to maturity
- Knowledge is good, but wisdom is important
- During trials can really only control your attitude!
- Don't worry about things you can't control - lean on God for these!
- You won't understand everything about God
- During pain, God knows we rely on Him more.
- God is looking for a relationship, not a service
- Call God into it...Call Him into EVERYTHING...pull Him in!

- Joy fueled by God - more consistent that way
- The joy of growing - During trials what will you do? Grow? Mature? Or be depressed?
- Devil takes something true - then adds false things and twists it around for manipulation
- Patience is key! Get patience from trials! ... -PATIENCE!!!
- The trial WILL be used later for our betterment
- Temptation is not from God, but from Evil, but God can allow it
- God DOES test us...our faith
- It's not God's goal to break us - only allow these things in our life 'cause it will develop us more as people and help build us!
- Sin creates distance from God
- Free will = Desires = Temptation = Distance from God = Bad
- Give in to sin - hurts relationship with God till you repent with God, doing a 180, which builds it back
- God can only make Good... God = Good
- Super Mario ...(I can't remember why I wrote down this note...)
- Get polluted with greed from seeing what others have and wanting it
- Greed pollutes my world and thus pollutes me
- Greed is similar to temptation
- Also relates to entitlement. Believing I am entitled to it so it fills me with anger/frustration when I don't receive what I believe I deserve
- Good deeds helps keep self from being polluted by the world
- Be in the word/walk the right light will transform your desires

- Be active in finding answers to prayer!
- Be a participant! Be active! Face real emotions! - Must jump in!!
- LISTEN to God
- God is looking for a relationship, not a service
- Call God into it...Call Him into EVERYTHING...pull Him in!
- Don't fight God on things...you'll lose.
- Show your heart to God. Be genuine and be HONEST. And He can show you what needs to change
- Listen with an actual attempt to reply...listen with compassion...ACTUALLY LISTEN!
- God's a great listener
- Humble yourself for the Holy Spirit...to be able to really listen...and understand what to do
- God takes it upon Himself to take care of us
- God's not afraid of your questions
- When reading a passage, ask God to convict you of the passage
- God always asks for Good
- He DOES have everything under control
- Develop relationship with Him to really learn how to listen and understand
- He knows how to make it happen - don't get in the way His plan
- Get speck out of own eye FIRST! SO I CAN SEE CLEARLY FIRST!!!
- See yourself properly

- Always consider best way to show your love in each moment
- Try to support people as much as you can, and they need to understand that you are doing it as you much as you can
- Let go...as hard as it can be...sometimes you will need to let go...
- Be slow to speak...it's fine to take your time to answer
- Anger - tough to have self control. Let Him take over any emotion, instantly. Find the truth within myself during anger...let God act out on anger, let Him be wrathful...not me
- Hulk
- Show love towards someone, they won't fell judged
- HELP YOURSELF BEFORE YOU CAN HELP THE OTHERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- It's important to treat everyone the same...don't judge...give people the benefit of the doubt
- When in need, don't deny others
- We're all in the same boat, any sin = any sin
- Want God to be proud
- Take the low road...just act in love...always towards others AND OURSELVES!!
- Try to love at least...
- Try
- Try!
- TRY!
- TRY!!!
- TRY!!!!!!!!
- Love...so much love...soooooooo much love...love...lots and lots of love...love, love, love, love...LOVE LOVE!!! <3 <3 <3 ¡<3!
- Actions of love are good signs 'cause it takes something out of you
- Patience/love is necessary
- Look at the positive in people, love the positive...present the negative to God
- Use the negative to drive to be better, to fuel more compassion
- "I care about you and I'm afraid etc...is really hurting you...and it's hurting me..."

- God is a friend too!
- Wake up saying "yes" to God, "what do You want me to do?"
- God can't use my faith for His divine purposes if I don't act on my faith
- God knows what is best
- Pray that God's will will be fulfilled and I can be used the way God wants
- Always ask HOW IS THIS GOING TO BRING GLORLY TO GOD???
- Healing is for the physical (not guaranteed), forgiveness is for the spiritual (guaranteed)

- So many trivial, superficial things I do/worry/focus on that just aren't important...they really aren't. There are so many other important things...there really are. Stop worrying about the stupid things. So many more important things. Sure wanting a family is important, but I have to trust that that will happen and worry about things that do ACTUALLY matter! I'm going to try hard to not trust that I'll have a family but trust that what You want to happen with me, will! And I just hope that I don't get in the way of what YOU want.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Envious God?

I believe in God.

Now that that's out of the way...

This whole "making life simpler" thing has really been getting me to thinking about something...

I could see some people making the argument that life is simpler for animals. Flies. Puppies. Ants. Kitties. Insects. Whales.

That they all just act on impulse. Their natural, animal instinct. Billions of years of evolution being engrained into each animal to act the way it does to survive and to live. This I believe to be true. Animals don't "think" the same way we do. They don't "analyze" each situation the same way we do. They don't take into account all the different things we do when we act.

I've always believed that humans are interesting 'cause we can take the natural things (eating, breathing, sleeping, drinking, mating) and DECIDE to not do them. Decide to not eat when hungry. Decide to not breath. Not to sleep when tired. Not to drink when thirsty. Not to mate...when...wanting to mate...

We can just NOT do them. Animals don't do that. They feel a need, and go for it! Hungry? They try to eat. Sleepy? They will try to sleep. Want to mate? They will just go ahead and try to find a mate! Simple, right? What a simple life they have?

Things don't go well? They don't get sad about it...they don't talk it out with another puppy...they just keep trying and will eventually succeed. Or they die. But they don't fear death, at least not the same way we "worry" about death. They just do what is natural, what is instinct, and do it!

We think.

We analyze.

We over think.

We over analyze.

We hesitate.

So let's try to be more like those animals! Make life simple!


Doesn't work. Obviously. This works for the rest of the animal kingdom 'cause the rest of the animal kingdom works this way. A handful of humans trying to do this wouldn't work. But an entire human society acting like this, WOULD work (in theory).

But I would argue the way we over analyze...the way we think...the way our conscious works...IS our animal instinct. It's part of how humans are. But like I said earlier, as humans, we can also choose not to be that way. It's our choice.

Personally, I choose to be that way. 'Cause it's what is so great about us!

Okay, now that that is said...

A lot of people look at those insects and animals in an envious way. "Oh! To be a puppy...where you don't have to worry about bills!" or "Oh ants...look at you, just digging away, not a care in the world! Not looking for love...no heartbreak..."

But those animals aren't "aware" that we exist the same way we are aware that they do. They don't see us as humans, they see us as something else. I don't know what it is. But it's not like they can think "oh look! a human foot!" It's more like "ouch! Pain! Run away! Or be killed!"

So it makes me think of it one step beyond us...a higher being above us...which would be God. An existence we know exists (at least the ones who choose to believe) but can't fully comprehend or understand, but when looking for it, we can see it (at least I believe so).

So, in the same way we look at these "lower" beings (yes that sounds a bit arrogant...) and envy their simple mindedness...does God look at us and envy our simple mindedness compared to Him? We have things we can't comprehend. "Infinity" and "nothing" are up there for me at least. We can't see the future. We don't have all the knowledge in the world.

So I wonder is God like, "Oh, look at those humans! So much happier than I am...not understanding infinity! The pain that comes with knowing all things that will ever exist!" or like "How lucky they don't have to worry about blergubloping!" ...Sidenote: Blergubloping is a pain 10x worse than heartbreak and your best friend stabbing you in the back combined while the IRS audits you...it's from an emotion we don't even understand and could never called "Gublop." And "ing" doesn't make it an "action."

Is God envious of us? 'Cause we can't see the future? We don't know all? We don't understand infinity and nothing?

Just interesting to think about...

Making Life Simple...

Okay so this has bothering me a lot lately...with so many friends posting things about "oh look, life is so simple, just do these simple things..." and how that doesn't work.

For example (I've seen too many friends post this and others like it):


1. Missing somebody?...Call...doesn't answer...leave message...don't hear back.
2. Wanna meet up? ...Invite...declined
3. Wanna be understood? ...Explain...either done poorly or people don't listen...continue to not be understood
4. Have questions? ...Ask...don't get answers
5. Don't like something? ...Say it...people don't agree/hurt someone's feelings/people take it personally...see #3
6. Like something?...State it. (I support this one)
7. Want something? ...Ask for it...still don't get it...
8. Love someone? ...Tell it...not returned...not mutual...hurt...

Simple, right?

Of course this is looking at each question at a worst case scenario/cynical way...so how to keep life simple when we just don't always get what we want?

That is just Step 1. That list of things to do is just Step 1. So it's not THAT simple to keep life simple. Actually this is a good recipe to be inconsiderate to other people/things if that's all it is. But this meme is about "simple" so it would defeat the purpose to add a Step 2 or a Step 3...

But I don't think life is simple, so I will go ahead and add them...

Step 2:

1. Don't expect an answer, be understanding when you don't.
2. Declined? Be understanding and supportive.
3. Not understood still? Don't expect people to, but be understanding of others (which in turn helps them with THEIR #3)
4. Don't expect answers, you won't always get them, be understanding and acceptance of not knowing
5. Understand people don't want to always hear you don't like something. This is very negative. Shouldn't deny it, but be gentle with it and understand that people wont agree....even after #3
6. I support this one. But understand people may not agree
7. Go after what you want. But don't expect it to always happen, understand that it may not. You may not get what you want.
8. Do it for the sake of letting someone know they are loved. Where it's not about the return. It's about showing love and understand that it's a big thing to say to someone "I love you."

...

So, you want life to be simple? Do this:

BE UNDERSTANDING
LISTEN
LAUGH
and above all
ACT WITH LOVE
(and do it for the sake of doing it, not for a return, not for a reward, but just for the sake of doing it)

Be understanding of people, that they are different and don't always agree.
Listen to them. Actually listen to what they are saying (this helps you understand).
Laugh. Be able to find humor and laughter in things...at yourself...and at situations...
And ACT with love. Don't just say it...you can say it too...but SHOW it. Show people you love. Have your actions come from a place of love. Love for yourself and love for them. Love for the world that we share.

But is it really even that simple? ...as of right now I say yes lol But I could be wrong...

Basically it can get even simpler and go to one word:

ACCEPTANCE

You want life to be as simple as it can be...live by that word. But I think that simplifies it too much. Too much to the extent that this wouldn't help progress the world if we all did this.




And as far as finding a successful life...I prefer my friend Steven's quote:

"Just find what you love to do...and just do it better than everyone else."

_____________________________________

Side note on the "acceptance" thing:

The stages to acceptance are (according to some people):

Denial
Anger
Bargaining
Depression

The key one here is depression and anger. If we go through these every time we "accept" something...and if the simplest way to make life simple is to act on acceptance...then being angry and being sad are a part of making life simple...which...to some people doesn't make life simple at all :P just interesting to think about...

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Too Much of a Good Thing?

Well! Have a new thing I want to experiment with!

This one involves music...

Music is an incredible thing. How there is so much that is said, experienced, and emoted in just a couple of seconds of music. A picture is worth 1000 words...a musical phrase is probably up around there as well...Music moves me more than anything else. It shapes us more than any could imagine. It's a language all understands 'cause it touches more than just the ears, but the heart and the soul.

I don't know anyone who just doesn't "like" music...

Basically...as I'm sure we all have experienced...we don't like EVERYTHING in every song we love. Back when I was a teen, I actually had to buy the entire "Backdraft" soundtrack to find that ONE track, with that 45 second section that is used in most movie trailers...this was before Napster...

Now there is Spotify, iTunes music store, Amazon.com etc...so we can finally just buy that one track we like and not have to worry about an entire album.

I want to take it one step further...

Like I said earlier, sometimes even in those songs, it's just a section we love...or there is a part we don't like or we "wish this wasn't in the song."

For the 5 of you who read this, who don't know me, I work in sound in film. I have the tools to remove basically whatever I want out of a song to make it what I want. So that's my plan!

I am going to take all my favorite songs and put them into Pro tools, and basically have JUST the parts I like! Edit them so it's just what I want. Just what I love. Just what moves me.

Things I'm curious about...will they have the same impact? Are the "low" parts of the music important to us to make the "high" moments even more meaningful? Or is there so much passion and emotion embedded in the high moments, we don't need the low? Can we just have straight awesome for hours and hours and hours and hours...with no break?

Also, I want to make a day...a day where I only listen to these tracks...and ONLY do awesome things. Things that make me happy...good things...joyful things...the "perfect" day...can there be a perfect day? More info on what I would consider a "perfect" day later...

Will this just be too much of a good thing?

Let's find out! :)

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

28-hour Day 3 - 11pm

Yeah...it's coming to an end :(

Due to deadlines with work and OTHER people's completely inconsiderate schedule (aka normal schedule) to my clearly more important experiment (sarcasm)...I have to cut it short...

I'll come back to it...

I did notice that most of Day 3 I actually WASN'T tired...not till now...where I am actually having a difficult time keeping my eyes open...

I also noticed that my metabolism has been weird...this makes sense though.

So now I am just keep the cycle going with me going in earlier tomorrow...and then leave fairly normal time...and then do a half day Friday...hmmm...it does sadden me to end the experiment early :(

...Next time I should get more people doing it! :D

28-hour Day 3 - 2:30pm

Weeellll.....technically I should have just woken up...but nope!

My sleep patterns lately have been interesting...basically I've been waking up every 3 - 4 hours...usually can go to back...and then it goes to sleeping for an hour - wake up, sleep for 30 - wake up...and then I'm just awake...

This morning I was just laying in bed...not going back to sleep...and then started working on work...so figured might as well just go into work early than normal...

I may have found my limit for how many hours I can work in consecutive days...no more than 16 if I'm doing consecutive work days and still trying to get sleep...hmm...still figuring this out...but I realized on Captain I was usually working 15 - 17 hours a day...with the occasional 18 hour - 20 hour day...but never like 18 hours day after day after day after day...which was my original intention here...

But I can't force myself to STAY asleep for the 8 hours I need...or thought I would need...

Side note: There's definitely something to this whole sleeping at the same time every night...

28-hour Day 2 - 1am

Well, shockingly...it's 1am...and I'm tired...

...as I am beginning to realize...even when WELL rested...trying to work an 18 hour day is still tiresome! And to do it two days in a row...8 hours of sleep isn't exactly the requirement...

...and there are 2 more days to go!

Hmmm...yeah...I'm at hour 14 for work...15 hours being awake...is that what normal people do? I'm not gonna go the full 18 hour work day today...if I don't need to. I will stop at 5am if I get that far though. But it's interesting...

Looking back and thinking that working 18 hours a day with 8 hours of sleep was gonna be easy is kinda funny...but I think the true benefit of this will come the next 2 days. Where I come in at 3pm and stay till 9am...and then come in at 7pm...and stay till 1pm...

But I will say this...the biggest flaw in this plan: NO ONE ELSE IS DOING THIS

...so scheduling is kinda difficult...

I'm considering stopping this 'cause the last thing I want to do is have work suffer and let down my co-workers 'cause I wont be in for 6 hours of the day that they will be...and then possibly miss EVERYONE the next day...

...which actually is what I didn't want to do! I didn't want to have to take Friday off...but I'll be out from 9am - 7pm thursday...that's essentially being out the entire day!...

:(

...another con: I have been having such a difficult time understanding what day it is! I mean, people joke about how certain days feel like certain other days...but there is a genuine, fairly lengthy, confusion in my mind when trying to figure out what day is tomorrow...what day was yesterday...and when is Thursday...

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

28-Hour Day 1 Review

Well, here I am, feeling pretty rested at the beginning of Day 2.

Got a lot of work done yesterday. Ended up not working the full amount of 18 hours, but pretty close. I did feel a little tired getting into work, but so did I yesterday, I think that is just trying to get used to it.

Something I didn't really think about was my eating schedule. Should I just commit 100% to the new day and eat breakfast lunch and dinner through out? Or keep them to the "normal" times? I'm thinking I need to commit 100%. I haven't had many meals lately...been mostly snacking on carrots and protein bars...

Another interesting thing I noticed...usually I am one to do whatever it takes to get work done. Work whatever hours necessary and make sure the quality doesn't suffer and sacrifice whatever I need to sacrifice whether it be sleep or eating. But with this...I can't afford to NOT sleep my 8 hours. I can't afford to not eat healthy and properly. It's almost like, here I am putting myself through something that could potentially be so dangerous I need to actually, finally take better care of myself!

Just last night, as 2am approached and there was still work I could have done...I actually, for the first time in a very long time, forced myself to take sleep over doing the work...that really was interesting and, not gonna lie, a little difficult to do...but it's interesting...

And with putting the 18 hours of work in a day, I know my work won't suffer (more on this later)...so it's almost like I am now being forced to be able to manage both better...set time to sleep, make sure I do eat properly and healthy, and still have 18 hours to make sure my work is awesome :)

And I think my work might actually be BETTER. Knowing exactly how much time I have to work with, knowing I'll be sleeping at a certain time, I can better delegate how much energy and focus I put to something. And with so much more hours at work, I can trust that I'll have the time to do the job I want to do.

So far, so good! The only real con has been not knowing how traffic is when I leave at these different times for work.

Interesting side note: Changed the name of my "To Do List" to "Bucket List" .... :P

28-Hour Day

Well! Decided to document my experiment of the 28-hour day...

Concept:

Be awake for 20 hours, sleep for 8.

Basically adding 4 hours to my day to get more done in less time. Since I was planning on being out Friday of this week ANYWAY...thought this would be a good time to give this a shot and see how it goes!

Inspiration: http://xkcd.com/320/

So my schedule will be:

Monday

Wake up: 6am
Get into work: 7am

Tuesday

Leave work: 1am
Go to sleep: 2am

Wake up: 10am
Get into work: 11am

Wednesday


Leave work: 5am
Go to sleep: 6am

Wake up: 2pm
Get into work: 3pm

Thursday


Leave work: 9am
Go to sleep: 10am

Wake up: 6pm
Get into work: 7pm

Friday


Leave work: 1pm
Go to sleep: 2pm

Wake up: 10pm

And then get ready for my 6am Saturday morning flight!

Total work hours: 72
Amount of real days: 4 1/2
Total hours of sleep: 32

Usually work hours: 60
Amount of days: 5
Total hours of sleep usually: 30

Ha! I'm getting more sleep this way, working more hours...AND in less amount of real days...how is this a bad idea?! What could possibly go wrong??? :)