New Years Resolutions Update

Just before the New Year began I created a list of 4 New Years resolutions that I wanted to accomplish throughout the entire year after I had explained how pointless and useless New Years Resolutions are for the unmotivated (click here for that post).

1) My first  goal was to run my marathon in under 4hrs 30 mins. I didn't do this... well I won't do this. The marathon I signed up for in May I am unable to run. My training went to HELL because I caught mono. Hear more about that here (this is a link to a school blog I wrote 2 posts for, the post is on my experience with mono, mostly). But I also can no longer afford the hotel for the run. It is basically my months rent, which is not a wise decision to blow. 


2) My 2nd goal is to achieve an average over 70% in university. So far I think that I am accomplishing this. My first year is almost over. I have 70s in all of my courses except 1 I have a grade in the 60s and 1 I have in the 80s. I think I will accomplish this.

3) My third goal is to get a job before the summer. I have 2 jobs... well really one. I am working at a store at the mall (I start tomorrow and I am quite excited!). 

4) My final goal is to  manage my money and not overspend and create a budget and I will stay in my budget. I got lost for quite a while in this but the past 3 weeks have gotten a lot better with staying in my budget--- especially now that I am living with my boyfriend in an apartment and I have monthly rent to cover. 

So my goals are going fairly successfully. I am creating a 5th goal now.

5) I will run a marathon this year. Since I can't run the one in May I might save up and run one in October or something. I will have the summer to train and I will stick to my guns!

New Years Resolutions + Tips on How to Stick to your Goal (and why I hate them)

I hate new years resolutions so much. I love making goals it is just the idea that we have to make goals at the end of the year for the beginning of the new year is just arbitrary and let's face it--- just setting the goal doesn't work.

It never works. You can't just say "I am going to do ______" and then do it, you need to create measurable, actual steps towards that goal. Not many people realize this and therefore their goals are not completed.

Goals are amazing. Nothing is really ever completed without a goal, unless it was a fluke or opportunity. But you aren't going to lose 50lbs by fluke, I'm sorry to break it to you. I love goals. But too many goals created around this time are left unfulfilled and it drives me crazy. The idea of only being able to create goals around this time is also not the best because you can create goals at any time in your life, not just at the end of a year.

Although, I have been procrastinating actually writing out my own goals so I am doing that now and here. I am taking advantage of the mob of people writing resolutions to write my own.

So here are my tips to complete your goals:

1) Write it down.
As unoriginal as this sounds, your goal becomes more real when written on paper. Put it somewhere you will constantly see it and be reminded of it.

2) Create reasonable and timely steps.
Do you remember "SMART" goals from school or work? Yes, yes they are fucking annoying. But guess what? They work. If you do not know what "SMART goals" are, click here for a good resource.

3) Be REALISTIC.
In the word "SMART" the "R" stands for realistic. I think this is a very important step to be taken seriously. Don't set a goal you can't attain. Maybe you want to run a marathon by the end of the year but then you think 1) Marathons in the winter are cold and I don't think I'll be ready by fall, 2) I need to lose weight first and 3) My eating patterns need to change, then you are probably setting something currently unattainable. If you change the time limit to a further date and make baby steps and create smaller goals like losing 10 pounds in 6 weeks, then you can work towards a larger goal.

4) SMALLER GOALS
Even if you think it is hard to come up with smaller goals to complete for apart of your larger goal do it! Write a minimum for 15 small goals to do your big goal and write one of those small goals to be completed immediately. For example, if you want to eat healthy in the new year, a first immediate step could be to research what your body needs in the way of fruits, veggies, calories, carbs, etc. A lot of people's problems are that they don't follow through with these goals. You may have decided to get in shape by getting a gym membership, but as a gym member I can't tell you how it pains me to see people pile into the gym for the first few weeks and then disappear. Force yourself to do personal training, write in advance for the whole year what days you will go to the gym.

5) Don't rush
Don't rush through your goal and make a lot of progress in January to be forgotten about the rest of the year. This goes along with the creating of smaller goals.

6) & Don't forget!
Keep your goal fresh in your mind. Write it everywhere. Put reminders on your phone. Tell your friends to remind you. Do whatever it takes to not forget to complete your small goals in order to achieve your larger goal.

7) KNOW WHY!
Why are you even completing your goal? For example, many people just decide to lose weight because they should and it's been on their mind but then they forget the reason. Is it to be healthy? To run a marathon? Write the significance at the end of your goals and remind yourself of it daily.

I really encourage everyone creating goals to follow these steps and the steps of "SMART" goals. Do what it takes to get what you want.

Anyways, so here are my goals. You can use my goals as sort of a template to write your own as well.

1) I will run my marathon in under 4hrs 30 mins. I have signed up for a marathon for early May and it is my first marathon. I hope to run it in under 4hrs and 30 mins. I am going to complete this goal by running a minimum of twice a week. I will also be able to run 32km by the end of March. I will stretch after every run to avoid injury. I will eat properly by getting the right amount of carbs and I will hydrate properly as well. I want to complete this marathon because I want to know that I can run 42.2km and I want to be healthy.

2) I will have an average over 70% in university. I will accomplish this task by completing the majority if not all of my readings, leaving enough time to study before each exam and test, fully editing my papers, participating in class discussions, visiting profs when I am having issues, prioritizing what needs to get done and completing all tasks. I want to accomplish this goal because I want an honours BA.

3) I will get a job before the summer. I will accomplish this goal by applying to places, not giving up and looking twice a week online for new openings. I want to get a job so I can earn money to not deplete my education fund too much.

4) I will manage my money and not overspend. I will create a budget and I will stay in my budget by tracking my spending and prioritizing my needs and not buying things that are unnecessary too often. I want to do this so I can come out of university with no debt and without needing a loan other than OSAP.

Good luck on the creation of your own goals! Let me know your goals in the comments.

Use logic and don't be hopeful (not always) PART 2

Here lies my original post

This is in response to my previous post. I claimed that hope, dreams and faith are almost useless since there can always be a physical action you can do to work towards a real goal rather than hoping for a dream to come true.

This is completely true and I hold my ground when I say that "hoping, wishing and praying" do nothing but I have pondered upon this subject even more since than and arrived at a new answer.

Although you can do things to work towards a goal, it can get extreme. For example: Let's say you have a goal to buy a $100 shirt because you love it so much but you only have $20. You earn $20 a week but you don't want to wait. You could just wait and then buy the shirt but you could always sell some of your old items online or in a yard sale or offer people to house sit or baby sit to earn more money faster.

But the extreme route would be to do things outside your comfort zone or with the use of effort that outweighs the benefit of getting the shirt. For example, if your morals state you are against prostitution and you sleep with someone for the shirt, that is probably extreme in your books. If you desperately spend hours and days looking for a second job ONLY for the shirt, that may also be extreme.

Even though you could do these things, they become illogical when they become extreme because the costs outweigh the benefits.

My original blog post title was "Use logic and don't be hopeful". Well by using logic you could determine when the costs outweigh the benefits and once they do it becomes illogical. I think this is when things like dreaming and hoping are useful.

But let's say you are fighting for your life the costs are probably not ever going to outweigh the benefits so it would be useless to dream, hope or wish.

This is just something that stupidly didn't come across my mind when I wrote the original post.

That is all!

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Use logic and don't be hopeful (not always)

I have no hope, dreams or faith.

I am not depressed, boring or pessimistic.

I have logic, goals and plans.

I am not happy, exciting or optimistic.

I am not average.

I am realistic.

Being realistic means having no hopes, dreams or faith. It means making what would be a dream, a goal with steps, action and achievement.

Hopes versus goals is what makes the successful person different from the optimistic. 

I am an atheist, therefore I don't pray. But I ask, even the most foolish of theist to consider instead of praying, or I'm addition to praying, to take real actions.

You must do things to get things.

Praying, hoping and wishing does nothing.

The only reason one should wish is in hopes of achieving something highly unlikely, like getting Justin Bieber to take you to prom. Although you could take actual steps to get that to happen as well. 

During my run I was thinking about "When an acceptable time to be hopeful is". I was thinking maybe when you can't do much, or you have run out of steps you can take. For example, in the hospital with cancer. Maybe it would help to be somewhat optimistic at the end of the strings of your life.

I was also thinking about maybe when you are going for a job. You pick out a good outfit, give your best interview and prepare a lot. After the interview is over all you can do is wait. Should you hope you get the job? Maybe. But would it be better to be optimistic about the job and not get the job, or to not be optimistic and to not get the job?

I just think if you use logic by thinking it is possible you don't get the job, to prepare for the worst outcome. I mean you don't look outside and see little drops rain and then think "Nope, I don't need this umbrella" when the weather could turn extremely bad. Or at least you shouldn't.

Answers should follow along with the individual's logic. It just makes sense not to be optimistic over a result that could be negative.

Maybe having hope at certain points in life is okay, but not all of the time. You can't just sit around and wait for something to happen, you have to get up and take steps, create goals and make it happen.

Dreams are the goals of the weak man.

On a separate note, I have created a facebook page for my blog! https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Caffeinated-Philosophy-Experiment/281676515307653

Please like it! I hope to build up to at least 100 people to be able to have conversations about the ideas expressed in my blog posts. I want to become more accessible and communicative with my readers.

Like like like!

Old Goals/New Goals

Back in late 2011 and early 2012 I had created quite a few goals to complete which I had blogged about. I haven't revisited these in forever. It's sort of like a time capsule, but it hasn't been buried that long, just for a year and a half or so.

Here they are:

Things I said quote "I am going to do"

1. To get a second job:

I did get a second job. It took a few months, and I quit about 8 months later because it was too much work. Technically I am still an employee at that place, since they still have my records. I am sort of an "on-call" employee, that never gets called.

2. Going to do yoga

 I never really did yoga. I did for about 2 months at home and then I joined the gym and did everything but yoga. I rarely even stretch. I know I should. But I just don't find yoga something that appeals to me anymore, anyways.

3. Going to get a car

I haven't done this yet either! I am next month (hopefully). I almost have the money for it! 4. Going to study hard. Well I guess I did. I graduated high school with honours and my tuition first year of university is free because of my grades... so I say I did well.

New Things I want to try in 2012:

1. Skiing:
Nope. I had tried to make plans with one of my friends, but they repeatedly fell through.

 2. Waterskiing.
Still no.

3. Get a massage.
Nope. I was actually close to it recently, to get one for running since I injured myself, but I didn't.

4. Make a rap.
HAHA I ACTUALLY DID. Like I wrote one, not performed it. I can't rap to save my life.

5. Stand up comedy
I didn't do this, but I do write comedy stories/sketches sometimes, just for my own personal entertainment.

6. Yoga
Apparently I repeated this goal twice.

My Official new Years Resolution:
Drink more water- I don't drink water as often as I should, but I know I do more now than I did in 2012.
Do more Yoga- Apparently I used to really want to do yoga.
Maintain my weight- This has changed so much. I ended up joining the gym and so I gained weight from lifting weights. So technically I want my weight to go up as long as my body fat % goes down. Be more spontaneous- I suppose I have...
Get a second job- I've already discussed this Do well at drivers ed + get g2- I completed drivers ed, and I am literally going for my final G licence tomorrow!


I am now going to analyze this intensely.

My goals were mostly fitness and driving related. I completed the important ones, like getting a second job. It's so weird looking back at this stuff. I feel so different from here.


I am going to create 5 new goals, and officially say goodbye to these old completed and not completed ones.

1. Join something at my university. I either want to do Cross Country or Improv but I am thinking I will join the Philosophy or Psychology society. I don't know which. I will pick one and do it.

2. Get my G licence. As I said, I am going for it tomorrow (July 19th). I have heard it is very easy to fail it, and although I plan to pass it, there is a very good chance I will not. As long as I get it by the end of this summer. This isn't very optimistic, but whatever.

3. Connect with someone. I am obviously not mentioning this person's name, but there is someone I want to connect with more. By this I mean I want to talk to them more. I'll keep it at that.

4. Not go into debt more than $200. I refuse to go into debt. I have been in debt, not much, usually just a few hundred, which I can handle within a few weeks-1 month. But it is horrible. I am keeping my credit card, mainly for the use of online shopping. But I am horrible with money. I hope to never go into debt more than $200 ever again. Actually, I don't hope. I won't.

5. Finish my book. The book I have been working on, may end up like the many others of mine and not get finished. I plan to finish this one.

Let's do this!

#9 30 Day Writing Challenge- How important I think education is + Other Ramblings

I THINK EDUCATION IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!

I don't even specifically mean in school, but that too. Learning and educating is a life-long process. It is not something you do until grade 12, and then choose to go to university or college or not, it is a life-long process. You are always learning.

Public education can be very flawed with corrupt teachers and lesson requirements. But private education can also be flawed. I don't have a big stance here.

I think education in schools strictly relies on how many boundaries teachers are willing to push in their classrooms.

I'm sorry this is a serious post, but I should let you know I am currently typing and bouncing to "I found you" by the Wanted. I must be talented. I apologize for this interruption.

I want to be a teacher someday, because I am so fascinated with the idea of teaching and learning. I love to learn new things. I think I will always be in school. Or at least always learning.

I want to do something big in education. I'm not sure what, yet. But I am going to.

I don't want to be cliche, but I hate it when I say "I want" to do something. I should say "I am going to" do something. I just wrote on my twitter "I want to be a city councillor". I am going to be a city councillor.

I am actually really bad for getting hyped up about something and then not doing it. I do it all the time, it drives me nuts. I need to start saying yes and actually doing these things.

I hate putting these things out into the internet, too, because then if I don't do them, I'm a failure. I can think of so many things.
1. A long time ago in an old blog I used to talk about wanting to volunteer a lot, but then I never did.
2. Recently I made a blog post about how I keep trying to start writing a book but then I can't, so I am officially starting. Yeah, I got about 40 pages into that and I haven't looked at it in over a month. Maybe eventually... but it's just a lost cause now.

I don't know how to imprint this. Do I need to tattoo it onto my forehead?

Goodness. It's time to get back to homework. I've been internetting for the past 2 hours and I only got 15 minutes of homework done. Whoops.