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pinkthinkgirl's "Life-changing babysteps from 1938"

A list of experiments in patience, stress reduction, self-discipline, self-motivation and attaining happiness from my Grandfather’s scrapbook from 1938.
1. Stop confusing my life's work with the place where I am employed. From now on when someone asks what I do, I will tell them what I do on the weekend.  
2. When it's time to get out of bed, I will take 3 deep breaths, stretch once, and kick off the covers and get up.  
3. Leave the shadows of regret behind. I will finish every day and be done with it before bed, and every morning I will take a few moments to forgive myself and go on cheerily.  
4. Apply this test to the things you want to do: If I continue this, where will I be in 5 years?  
5. I will consciously expect good instead of evil.  
6. The next habit holding me back that I want to break, I will break a piece at a time so I don't tire myself out too soon.  
7. I will set aside a whole day and spend it working, using every minute to some advantage, but not on something that has to do with the place where I am employed.  
8. 5 minutes every day, just before going to sleep will be given to directed imagination regarding the achievement possibilities of the morrow.  
9. I will not attempt a thing unless I am sure of myself, but I will not relinquish it just because someone else is not sure of me.  
10. One minute a day wins the race. I will work on a large personal project for a few minutes each day for a fortnight.  
11. Be able to entertain myself mentally for 15 minutes without thinking of people I know or work.  
12. Nothing is free. For one month, refuse everything offered to you for free.  
13. Spend one day without complaining.  
14. The successful person has less free time because s/he is not unconsciously intent on finding escape from an unsatisfactory life. Refuse all social engagements for a fortnight and work on a project you always wanted to try.  
15. The next time I make a mistake or I am sorry, I will say so without drama and without excuses.  
16. We all have idols which whittle away at our time without producing anything meaningful. I will get rid of one of my idols in the next six months.  
17. I will go over my day and the people I will meet in my imagination before I begin it.  
18. Spend an hour without saying anything except in answer to direct questions every day for a week.  
19. Train myself to think exclusively on one subject for half an hour. Make a check mark every time my mind wanders, and practice until I have only 5 check marks  
20. Talk for 15 minutes without using I, me, my, mine.  
21. Pause on the threshhold of any crowded room and consider my relationship to everyone in it before I enter.  
22. Make my significant other's happiness my main hobby.  
23. When I become aware of some personal weakness, decide whether the way to correct it is to do the opposite or to enact a ludicrous parody, then do it.  
24. Make a strict schedule for two hours a day that is half and half activities I do already and activities I am trying to pick up.  
25. Keep an acquaintance talking about him or herself without allowing him or her to become aware of what I am doing.  
26. Come up with 12 challenges for yourself and seal them in envelopes. Shuffle them when you remember, and one day a month pull one out and complete the task on the card.  
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Created by pinkthinkgirl on Aug 16, 2006.