One New Thing A Day ("ONTAD")

[RageAgainstTheDyingLight]

As a tangent to @JMG's New Year's thread (@JMG's New Year Thread), I wanted to start a new thread to talk about a small thing I try to do each day in my daily word: One New Thing A Day.

My new thing since January 1 has been: I resolve to practice being, simply being in the world. When I find my solace or serenity disturbed, I think to myself, "I only need to BE in this moment. I do not need to do anything or react. I will simple BE." It is a totally NEW way of thinking for me. I've always been so much about goals, striving, wanting more, doing more, chasing some new thing. To simply BE is to accept what is going-on around me and observe it/be curious about it.

How about you? What One New Thing have you done today?

 

[LonelyHiker]

As a tangent to @JMG's New Year's thread (@JMG's New Year Thread), I wanted to start a new thread to talk about a small thing I try to do each day in my daily word: One New Thing A Day.

My new thing since January 1 has been: I resolve to practice being, simply being in the world. When I find my solace or serenity disturbed, I think to myself, "I only need to BE in this moment. I do not need to do anything or react. I will simple BE." It is a totally NEW way of thinking for me. I've always been so much about goals, striving, wanting more, doing more, chasing some new thing. To simply BE is to accept what is going-on around me and observe it/be curious about it.

How about you? What One New Thing have you done today?

Great thread idea 💡


Jon Kabat-Zinn, who pioneered MBSR and is a leading proponent of mindfulness meditation, often quipped that our species could more accurately be described as human DOings as opposed to human BEings. Most people have to constantly be engaged in some activity and rarely take the time to just "be" and embrace the stillness. Like you, I am making a conscious effort to do this more frequently.

I also try to learn or discover at least one new thing every day, be it a fact, skill, a poem or a film I haven't read or seen yet, that sort of thing.

 

[RageAgainstTheDyingLight]

Great thread idea 💡


Jon Kabat-Zinn, who pioneered MBSR and is a leading proponent of mindfulness meditation, often quipped that our species could more accurately be described as human DOings as opposed to human BEings. Most people have to constantly be engaged in some activity and rarely take the time to just "be" and embrace the stillness. Like you, I am making a conscious effort to do this more frequently.

I also try to learn or discover at least one new thing every day, be it a fact, skill, a poem or a film I haven't read or seen yet, that sort of thing.

@LonelyHiker , thank you! It's always affirming to hear my words and ideas resonate with others. I think humans are designed to be DOing; but we are BEings first. Like you, I am making a more conscious effort to BE. It's a big shift.

 

[KM76710]

I think it is a fine concept. I am typically lazy and complacent and love routine. Emphasis about me is the lazy part, so mostly not much new. I say that I am boring enough that I will paint something to watch the paint dry.

 

[RageAgainstTheDyingLight]

I am typically lazy and complacent and love routine. Emphasis about me is the lazy part, so mostly not much new.

Perhaps you've found your own efficiency quotient?

 

[Blue Star]

I took a different route to the school when I picked up my nephew.

 

[RageAgainstTheDyingLight]

I took a different route to the school when I picked up my nephew.

That is so cool!

 

[Fogo_]

There's this Safety Plan template on this forum that I actually thought was pretty nice and liked the idea of having a safety plan so I used the template to create my own Safety Plan!

 

[RageAgainstTheDyingLight]

Today, I practiced NOT being proactive about my job search. I really, REALLY wanted to reach-out and do status checks on a few job applications. I didn't! As it was, I heard back from one and have a second interview with them on Monday!

 

[RageAgainstTheDyingLight]

There's this Safety Plan template on this forum that I actually thought was pretty nice and liked the idea of having a safety plan so I used the template to create my own Safety Plan!

Nice!! Did you feel safer when you did it?

 

[Fogo_]

Today, I practiced NOT being proactive about my job search. I really, REALLY wanted to reach-out and do status checks on a few job applications. I didn't! As it was, I heard back from one and have a second interview with them on Monday!

Nice, good luck with the interview! Hope you land the job.

 

[Fogo_]

Nice!! Did you feel safer when you did it?

Yes it can be helpful to have in moments of crisis where I may not be able to think straight, and I could send the warning signs to people I trust as well

 

[RageAgainstTheDyingLight]

Nice, good luck with the interview! Hope you land the job.

Thank you so much!!!

 

[RageAgainstTheDyingLight]

Yes it can be helpful to have in moments of crisis where I may not be able to think straight, and I could send the warning signs to people I trust as well

I like it that you found new ways to take care of yourself and keep yourself safe!

 

[Tor]

This is a very good idea, @RageAgainstTheDyingLight!

Yesterday, I practiced trying to embrace the idea that you can learn something from everyone. My emotions often interfere with the quality of my interactions with other people, from co-workers to total strangers. So, I’m attempting to identify lessons from personal interactions that can expand the diversity of my perceptions. Looking at situations from an open perspective, usually benefits my mental health in numerous ways because I’m less attached to biases and unstable thought patterns.

It’s wild to consider how much you can learn from other people about different topics, ways of thinking & being, cultures, concepts, ideas, experiences, languages, etc. It helps me feel less stuck in some of my own stagnant thought processes, which feels freeing and makes it easier to believe that I can change

 

[HappyKitty]

Having so many rewarding moments as a teacher 😂 Quite proud cause my manager isn't so supportive and I still be able to focus on what excites me. I have plenty of appreciation gifts and massages from kids but whats new is I just finish painting grapes, its special cause its a way for me to bond with my dad while he's here. My dad got bored and helped touch up the grapes abit.

More new thing. My parents are back cause they had to be there for my tumor diagnosis thingy, so even plus that everything is new experience for me- the good and bad.



Acrylic paints is just so fun, I get to learn it for free at work. 😺

Just currently trying to finish painting moon.

 

[Livelife]

Being present every moment, one of the greatest thing we can do for ourselves.
I will be trying much harder to remember that other people's negative or illogical responses are just that, It's coming from their pain or confusion or lack and has absolutely (usually) nothing to do with me. I will be trying much more to bless them and release any attachment past the momentary reaction that might be generated in me regarding a mental/emotional response to them.

 

[RageAgainstTheDyingLight]

Being present every moment, one of the greatest things we can do for ourselves.
I will be trying much harder to remember that other people's negative or illogical responses are just that, It's coming from their pain or confusion or lack and has absolutely (usually) nothing to do with me. I will be trying much more to bless them and release an attachment past the momentary reaction that might be generated in me regarding a mental/emotional response to them.

Good stuff @Livelife !!

 

[Livelife]

Good stuff @Livelife !!

 

[JMG]

Hey thanks so much @RageAgainstTheDyingLight for acknowledging the cafe I posted as being part of the inspiration of posting this thread, and of course for tagging me here too! I'm so happy you posted this and everything else you have because it definitely is all helping me to have more info and therefore understanding about things. So often I just automatically think if a person doesn't seem very interested in "talking more" with me that it must mean either I did something wrong or that it's just my fault in some way. But now I see that at least in terms of being ambitious that wow I think we could not be more opposite there. You are wise to steer clear from talking much more with me lol. I would never want to be a bad influence on a person's natural energy and it sounds like I most likely would be. I think you'd be a good influence for me of course but anyway I don't want to be a drain on another person's energy in any way. Many others in my life have weeded me out and I am sure that is probably the reason. I've definitely gotten what I deserve, I know that much in any case.

I'm so happy to have had this chance to learn so much more about my own sometimes quick reactions to things so thank you and I am glad things have gone exactly as they have (with certain things only I am talking about here of course, not "everything" lol).

Anyway onto the topic (thanks SO much for posting it btw, great idea!) well I don't tend to do much in the way of "new things" each day but what I do often do is look at beautiful and inspiring art on various sites online. There's some truly fab art in this world that is beyond amazing, some of my fave sites to check that kind of stuff out on are Society6, Fine Art America, Etsy, Deviant Art and Pinterest. It's overwhelming (in a good way) how much art there is on all those sites. I admire all the artists' talent very much for sure. Oh I dunno if this would count or not actually but I read a bit of a book I never read before, it's called "Stepmonster" but it's not as bad as it sounds lol. I would absolutely describe my own stepmother that way, but this book is actually not demonizing stepmothers so much as demystifying (hope I spelled that right lol) why stepmothers act as they do. And of course it acknowledges the differences they all have, but also things that the majority kind of have in common. It's fascinating even as it has also sometimes caused me to feel a bit of rage. It's a triggering topic for me for sure but that's kinda part of the reason I'm forcing myself to read it, so that ultimately I will be less triggered about that subject in general.

Ok sorry for the novel length post, guess I'm just feeling like talking today and having no one to really talk to either online or in real life it is all just spilling out here. I'm lucky to at least have 1 real life friend and of course my sweet, loving kitty as friends in my life so I need to just focus on being grateful for them and stop even so much as thinking of ever having anything more than that cos as far as I can see it will never happen. Ok well sorry again but I will stop now, hope you and everyone else have a nice day.