Day 443, Maps for a Fulfilled Life

 
Creating mind maps has reshaped my thinking, mapped the way through possibilities, and led me to a fulfilled life.  Join the journey to lose 15 pounds without sacrificing mood and energy.  Good things are happening!
 
“Living in new shapes reshapes our thinking.”
 
Preparing For My Day
 
5-10 things I am grateful for:
  • a happy marriage.
  • enough money to pay for my grooming products.
  • my ability to use Mind Meister to create beautiful mind maps.
  • my loyal audience (Thank you for your support.)
 
comments, feelings, ideas, moods, and empowering questions:
“Even though you don’t know ‘how,’ you must nevertheless do something.”  – Mike Dooley, Playing the Matrix.
 
mood and energy:
 
0-100
comments
mood:
85
feeling okay.
energy:
80
feeling energetic too–enough energy to carry out what I need to do.
 
accomplishments:
 
accomplishment
the reason it is important
next action(s)
1.
I created a mind map for Leo Babauta’s 12 productivity habits.
Productivity
Share this map so others can benefit.
2.
I progressed this morning with my JV Life Tracker app.
My identity as a software engineer
 
Necessity
Get it on the SDK-28, upgraded Google platform.
3.
I enjoyed a drink of my mind map The Aesthetics of Joy.
Joy
Create aesthetic design elements in your own environment.
4.
I created a grooming mind map with many of the products I use.
Part of Achieve 50 kg
Share the map.
5.
I have kept a complete Cronometer food log for a solid eight weeks–56 days.
Weight loss, health goals.
Continue.
 

Wednesday Evening

 
I created a mind map, called Gazetteer, to serve as an index for my other mind maps.  Throughout my blog, there are links to many of these maps.
 
 
Mind Mapping
 
In pursuit of an organized mind, I recommend mind-mapping, a brain-storming, note-taking, organizing, outlining tool.  Daniel Levitin, in The Organized Mind, recommends using external systems to offload the tasks of keeping the mind organized and aiding memory.  Though Daniel does not index mind-mapping in his book, it fits into his category of external tools.  Mind-mapping diagrams are drawn close to the way the mind actually represents things, making it easy to translate from mind maps to thought.  Mind maps also provide a way to portray a large amount of information in a small space.  They can show the relationships between ideas more powerfully than linear text.  
 
MindMeister.com is the online tool I chose to create mind maps.  I also draw mind maps by hand in a notebook–mind maps representing my targeted activities for a day.  Do I get more done?  I believe I do more of what I want and need to get done with less distraction.  Distraction derails our best efforts to accomplish our goals.
 

Cognitive Distortions

 
Since re-reading Dr. David D. Burns’s book, Feeling Good, I am actively rooting out cognitive distortions. Cognitive distortions are capable of driving us into depression.   Once I identify a distorted thought, I can cast disbelief on it.  Distortions are not dangerous if I do not believe them.  If the amygdala responds to distorted thoughts, it can hijack the body with a flood of emotions that derail the upper brain from making sense of information, healthy decisions, and following a plan of action.
 

Cooking

 
Today, I cooked split pea soup extraordinaire #2 in the crockpot, which pleased my husband.  Just now, I transferred the leftovers to a container that can fit in the refrigerator.  The kitchen could use some TLC.  However, I feel impelled to write tonight.
 

Writing

 
I implored the Lord for a more engaging writing style and am not losing hope of having my prayer answered.  The free version of Grammarly is training me to develop more engagement.
 

Fasting

 
After fasting 15 hours for 13 consecutive days, I broke my winning streak.  Stress in my life made it difficult to continue.  However, I plan to resume my practice, starting last night.  It appears that fasting behavior is directly responsible for weight loss success.  
 

Reading

 
My reading program has also been briefly interrupted.  However, it is critical to the success of my blog, not to mention my success as a person.  I read an email this morning: leaders are readers.  My goal is to become a thought leader.  To achieve that I must read.
 
Writers are readers also.  If you know of a book that touches on the themes of this blog, you can leave its title and author in the comments.  Since there are thousands of books that cover the topics of weight loss, mood, energy, spirituality, energy, career, and relationships, I will not have time to read every possibility.  However, feel free to comment.
 
Stoic Diary
 
My new, stoic diary mind map is bearing fruit.   I have been keeping the diary for a week.  I pray I can eliminate my tendency to complain.  Seneca wrote, “It does not matter what you bear, but how you bear it.”
 
Our weekend was stressful, with an emergency room visit and hospital stay for my husband.  However, the hospital staff was courteous, paying strict attention to the quality of the customer experience.  Both of us liked the food.
 

Shower

 
To increase my motivation to take showers, I created a mind map for showering, and a Google Sheets log for notes.  After creating this map, I wanted to take a shower and promptly did so.  
 
 

Engagement

 
According to Grammarly.com, my writing is becoming very engaging.  The Lord must be answering the petition I submitted to Him just days ago.  I feared I would need the paid version of Grammarly, but that will not be necessary.
 

Thursday Morning

 
I worked a while in the kitchen this morning.  Though there is still more to do, I feel a sense of accomplishment.
 
Below is a map of things that bring me pleasure or joy.
 
 

Prayer

 
 
Prayer
 
Dear Lord,
 
My mind maps are reflecting the fulfillment I am deriving from my life.  Expressing myself to my audience also makes me feel fulfilled.
 
Since my heartfelt prayer for joy, I am beginning to feel it in my life, even during times of stress.  I am also stress-proofing my life, following the outline of Achieve 50 kg in the Relax and De-Stress section in the lower left quadrant.
 
My engagement scores in Grammarly have soared.  I thank you for whatever you have done to help me with that.  Scoring high requires careful attention.  However, engagement with my audience is what I want.
 
Lord, today I am visiting Jacque, my 87-year-old friend, who is taking me to a Bible study.  Lord, I implore you for my safety and relief from my driving anxiety.
Lord, help me to resume my weight loss progress.  My Achieve 50 kg mind map has been invaluable.
 
Lord, help me to devise additional mind maps to provide me the directions to where I want to go. I love the progress I have achieved since I started using them.
 
Thanksgiving is only one week away.  I thank you for the plethora of blessings in my life.  For instance, I am grateful to live here in Colorado with my husband of over one year.  I have progressed significantly in the past year with my mental health.  I attribute that to prayer, meditation, medication, making mind maps, reading, and writing my blog.
 
Lord, please continue to be with me.  Help my readers to find you also if they seek you.  They may not believe in you.  I pray they will soften their hearts if necessary.
 
Amen.
 
If you would like to join me on this journey from the beginning, please start with Day One.
 
 
 

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