So I just woke up about a half and hour ago and cooked my mom and myself chicken alfredo for the first time. It surprisingly came out pretty good! Haha.
Anyway, I took a nap since around 3 today because before that, I came back from a tiring 2 days of no sleep (really) andvolunteer work, which was somewhere in upstate New York. We helped out three temples by cleaning the campus, and listened to some very interesting lectures after. Usually with these lectures, I either fall asleep or don't understand because everything is spoken in Korean. However, two white American monks taught us a lecture about the purpose of meditation and why they do it. It really cleared up many things for mee about the subject and my religion in general, since I honestly do not know much about Buddhism. They explained some interesting points, for example, about how really everything in your life is controlled purely by thinking. They explained how our emotions and actions are all expressed through our thinking, and that is mainly based on the past or the future. Meditation takes that factor away and concentrates on what is the most important, which isliving in the present. It basically is clearing the mind and focusing on "now." They do this because our thoughts about the past or the future is what holds us back and takes away our concentration on the present. This made me realize that that is what's holding me back in life. It really hit me; the fact that past is what keeps me from enjoying the moment and experiencing different things. Also, it is our thoughts that make others suffer. If I suffer from my own thoughts, I shouldn't pull in anyone else to suffer with me. I felt so relieved to hear this lecture because after it, I felt like I wasn't really alone in the world. And if you think about it, everyone's pretty much the same. We all may think differently about things, but in the end, we all have the same emotions.
With that being said, I want to get out some ideas of my New Year's resolutions. Here are some for your amusement.
1. Stop procrastinating with work that needs to be done (during long breaks, especially).
2. Read more. If you guys can give me a recommended list of good books, that would be great! (:
3. Be more focused on the "present" and not let myself down for what others say; to simply just move up and on while they remain envious and unhappy. To shut down all negativity that others try to inflict on my accomplishments.
4. Become less of an "over-acheiver" and try to focus on main things that I'm good at, or have the potential to be good at.
5. Stop eating when I'm "bored" and have normal, portion-controlled meals.
6. Not only do what is needed, but to go beyond my expectations (especially with work in school).
7. Have less moodswings and always think of others before myself.
8. Spend money on more meaningful things FIRST, then use it on myself conservatively.
Wish me luck everyone. Have a happy New Year! [=
