Doug’s standard excuse.
Monkeys are not known for being systematic and organized. Anyone who poops in their hand to throw it at a frustration clearly has not thought the process through…
It’s time to review what we’re learned about ourselves and our desires. There’s more work to be done, but a bit of pulling together and distilling of our progress so far will be valuable.
Doug came up with some questions for me to gauge where we are on our path to monkey contentment. Our Q&A started with
- What am I learning about my my skills?- I’m learning that my skills have directed what my aspirations were. I didn’t reach beyond my skill set when thinking about my dreams and path in life. My skills and desires became a bit incestuous… Neither was looking beyond the other for growth or fulfillment. I discovered that what I REALLY want to do in life has little to do with my past activities.
- What have I been doing to cultivate my talents?- I discovered a new set of interests and skills while doing the exercises in this blog. Creating this blog and updating it regularly is part of what I’m doing to cultivate my interests (thinker who creatively defines solutions, spirituality). Besides this blog, I’ve been mapping out possible business plans and studying my spiritual interests and healing modalities.
- What have I learned about myself?- I’ve learned that I was stuck in a rut. I was “the class artist” in school… I believed what others told me about myself. Deep down, I didn’t agree with others’ assessments of me, but I wasn’t confident enough to be the me who hibernated within… I’ve learned that I DO have the ability to follow through on long term projects and goals… And I am a good monkey…
- What have I learned about how I behave?- I learned that I operated, like most people, on auto pilot. My responses and thoughts were programmed at an early age by others. Often these others did not have my best interests in mind… I reacted out of fear, anger, anxiety and from a child’s perspective of life.
- What do I want to do to continue making forward progress?- I want to continue developing my new found talents and interests. Study and practice will hone my skills. I will incorporate my old skills when they serve me, and move beyond them when they don’t. Business plans need to be developed to implement what I’m learning about myself, and what I want to do in life.
Doug and I have made great progress in cleaning up our mental baggage. We’ve confronted our negativity and “I can’ts”, and have replace them with positive self affirmations. We’re happier and ready to forge our new life. How about you?
Exercise
Review your progress. Ask yourself the following questions:
- What am I learning about my my skills?
- What have I been doing to cultivate my talents?
- What have I learned about myself?
- What have I learned about how I behave?
- What do I want to do to continue making forward progress?
Add any other questions that you feel are relevant to your situation. write out thoughtful answers based on what you’ve learned about yourself.
Are you surprised at what you’ve learned? Do you fell happier? Do you see what direction you want to head in now? Is it different from where your auto pilot self thought you should go?
We confronted who we were, got rid of the useless baggage and started to visualize who we are. Let’s find out more about who we want to be…
Doug Does Life 