Peircean Chatter

It never ceases to amaze me, just how much I can get done, or how little I can done in 24 hours. And “how much” or “how little” seems to depend solely on myself: my motivation and effort.

(NB: I just discovered this post draft sitting around on my WordPress dashboard. I had no idea that I hadn’t published yet, so here it is now, for your enlightenment. I’ve already added two new songs to the list since I originally wrote the post, so I added those at the end of the list.)

I have recently started reading Og Mandino’s book The Greatest Salesman in the World three times a day. I find it a great motivator, to get me ready for the day and remind me to work my hardest. (See my new blog, The Year of Og, for more information about Og, the book, and my thoughts and experiences with it.)

Actually, I frequently listen to Og reading the scrolls from the book, which I have on both my computer and my iPod. I appreciate the extra flexibility that the audio recordings offer me: I can listen in the car, on the treadmill, or while getting ready in the morning. So a while ago, I created a whole playlist to listen to, with my current Og “reading” and several other songs that help me feel motivated and ready to take on the world. That way, when I’m finished listening to Og, I keep getting motivated, rather than switching over to the radio and who-knows-what.

So this week, I decided to share my “daily motivation” playlist with you, along with a few notes about each song.

• “Unwritten” (Natasha Bedingfield) “Feel the rain on your skin! No one else can feel it for you, only you can let it in. No one else, no one else can speak the words on your mind.” Ah, so great! This one is currently my favorite, just because it syncs so well with my Og reading for the month, which you can read about on my Og blog.
• “Time of My Life” (David Cook) Last year’s American Idol winner is amazing, IMHO. I love the line in this song that says, “I’ll taste every moment and live it out loud.” It reminds me, in some ways, of the next song …
• “Little Wonders” (Rob Thomas) This song always makes me think of my newest favorite movie, Meet the Robinsons and the injunction to Keep Moving Forward. It also makes me think about the small moments in my life and how they are the foundation of my entire life. Which helps me remember to live each moment in the way that I want to live my overall life.
• “Good Vibrations” (The Beach Boys) Not exactly a motivational song, but it reminds me of a fabulous speech that Del Hargis gave last December, in which he talked about the fact that everything is energy and about the vibrations that that energy gives off. Helps me focus on creating good vibrations with my thoughts, which then  attract other good vibrations into my life.
• “Butterflies & Hurricanes” (Muse) You know I can’t create a playlist without Muse, right? This one reminds me, somehow, that it’s up to me to create the life I want.
• “I’m Still Standing” (Elton John) My old roommate and super-close friend once said I was a “closet Elton John fan.” I do like him, and this song also reminds me that I’m still going, even after some kind of crappy things that have happened — which, in turn, motivates me to keep going once more, even if I’m in the middle of something pretty crappy at the moment.
• “We Are the Champions” (Queen) Need I say more?
• “Typical” (Mute Math) Another one that reminds me of Del Hargis last December, since he played it for us then. I love that line, “Can I break the spell of the typical?” It helps me remember that if I want different results, I have to do something different.
• “Through Heaven’s Eyes” (Brian Stokes Mitchell) This song, from The Prince of Egypt, reminds me that even if my life seems insignificant, it is part of the great tapestry of the world, and that without me the pattern wouldn’t be complete. And, naturally, it also makes me think of how Heavenly Father views me and whether I’m progressing in the way that He and I both know I can.
• “When You Believe” (David Archuleta) Also from The Prince of Egypt, this song has long had the ability to make me cry when I’m in just the right mood. I love thinking about the Israelites crossing through the Red Sea, and all the miraculous that symbolizes in my own life. And I like Archie a lot, so I chose to use his version from season 7 of American Idol last year.
• “Eye of the Tiger” (Survivor) Another classic motivation song. Sometimes I actually throw a couple of fake punches, just to get in the mood! This one also reminds me of high school, when they would pump it through the PA system once a year when we were set to play our cross-town rivals, the Tigers.
• “America” (Neil Diamond) I got this from an iTunes Essentials playlist about change. I’m not particularly a Neil Diamond fan, but I have always liked this song. It makes me think of my ancestors, and so many others, who gave up their entire lives for the hope of a better one. And I think: If they could do it, so can I. I might not have to emigrate from my homeland, but there are plenty of other things I need to leave behind. I also like all the “Today!”s in the chorus, which remind me that I have to act now if I am going to accomplish anything.
• “The Impossible Dream” (Brian Stokes Mitchell) This is definitely my favorite version of this classic song. It might seem a little corny, but I really love the lyrics of this song. If I really think–I mean, really … think–about what it’s talking about, it can give me chills. I think that we are all meant to accomplish seemingly impossible tasks in this life, and this song reminds me that “the world will be better for this: that one man, scorned and covered with scars, still strove with his last ounce of courage” to do one of those impossible things.
• “Give Me the Simple Life” (Jamie Cullum) Another great song from Meet the Robinsons. I’d never heard of Jamie Cullum until I saw that film, but I really love his voice. And I like this song’s up-beat, cheery rhythm, and the matching lyrics. “I dont believe in / frettin’ or grievin’ / Why mess around with strife?” Why, indeed? The longer I live and “the more I see of the world” (as Elizabeth Bennett would say), the more convinced I am that all I want is the simple life; I find great power in simplicity.

There you have it! I’d love to expand this playlist, so if any of you have suggestions about other songs that you find motivating, drop me a line!

This post seems particularly ironic, given the subject of my last. But I got a new phone this week, and am so excited!

My old phone had all kinds of issues with texting, and it annoyed the heck out of me–especially since I do so much more texting now than I did two years ago, when I got that old phone.

My new phone is an LG Rumor, with full QWERTY keyboard, which makes texting much faster! And easier. And it doesn’t seem to freak out on me if I want to insert, say, a dash, hyphen, or apostrophe. That’s definitely a bonus.

Actually, my sister has had this same phone for a few years, and has always liked it. That was when I first decided I wanted a phone with full QWERTY keyboard. (And, since we’re already on it, may I just say: I love typing QWERTY. Try it. QWERTY. Pretty fun, huh?)

Sprint had a deal on until June 6th, where you could get this phone for about $30, after a $50 rebate. So, I had to pay about $80 up-front, but I’m looking forward to getting that check in the mail. And, based on delivery service of the phone, I am expecting that it may not take the full 10-14 weeks (that’s right–10-14!) that they say to expect before that check comes. They told me to expect 2-5 days before I got my phone–but it was here the next day! Wow. I was impressed.

If you want, you can take a look at the cheesy Rumor by LG website for more information. (I find it helpful to my sanity to turn off the music.) I got the black one (with a blue keyboard!), in case you’re curious.

So, during the past year, I’ve been doing a lot of considering about my life and how I’m living it and what I would like to be different and how to change it. And I think I’ve found a name for all of this: voluntary simplicity.

Not that I coined that term myself. It’s a movement that’s taken hold in America (and, presumably, other countries) in recent years, and focuses on choosing to live a simpler lifestyle–largely by doing things yourself.

I found this during my most recent possessions purge–you know, that occasional time in life when you just feel the need to go through all the things you own and get rid of the junk that you either don’t need, don’t use anymore, or didn’t even want in the first place. It’s been quite freeing this time–and even marginally profitable, since I sold some things on Amazon–and it got me thinking more deeply about what exactly it is that I want in life.

I hopped on the internet (as I so frequently do in response to tough questions, including those of the soul-searching variety), started looking around at some information about minimalism, and then suddenly came across the term “voluntary simplicity.” Aha! I thought. That sounds like just what I’m looking for. And, indeed, so far it seems to be.

Since that day, I have come across two websites that I really enjoy, both dealing with different aspects of this lifestyle. I have found them both fascinating and enlightening, and would therefore like to share them with you:

• Choosing Voluntary Simplicity Shirley lives and works in New England, and has been living a voluntarily simple life for several years now. I enjoy her quotes of poetry, photos of flowers, and discussion of their simple, rural lifestyle–and I especially love her from-scratch recipes! They’re always tasty, simple, and usually quite fast.
• The Simple Dollar Trent lives in the Midwest (Iowa?) and writes about how to get your finances in order, both through frugal living and through personal financial planning.

I also just got thinking, since I keep the above sites bookmarked under “personal development,” that I ought to share my two other favorite personal development sites with you all:

• Og Mandino If you’re not familiar with Og already, you really should be. He writings can work wonders i n your life. And someday I’ll have to explain the theory behind why it works so well! But not now … that’s a post for another day.
• Steve Pavlina (Personal Development for Smart People) Steve has an incredible personal story, and I find his articles entertaining, profound, and eminently practical. I’ve used lots of his ideas to help me break old habits, create new habits, and generally keep myself motivated to continue working on it all.

So, after that short digression, I shall now move on to the real point of this particular post: my new “piggy” bank.

I have been thinking long and hard about my personal finance situation lately. And yesterday, while driving to church and then waiting for Sacrament Meeting to start, I got looking through the new Ensign, which included a few articles on the same subject. The more I have looked through the official counsel from Church leaders, the more I have been struck with the idea that I need to seriously start a savings fund.

I have found that goal rather daunting in the past, from the way that I’ve heard financial gurus talk about it. They say, for example, to save 10% of all your income, and to build a reserve of several months’-worth of expenses. Although I did save 10% of my income for a little while last year, I found myself spending it too easily–and, as a result, I had little to nothing saved at any given point. And after that, it seemed so overwhelming to try and save up an emergency fund of several thousand dollars (especially given my current salary).

But I have found hope in the LDS Church’s pamphlet “All is Safely Gathered In,” in which they counsel members to build their emergency preparation storage (both of food and of money) just a little at a time. Church leaders have recommended that we save just a little each week, even if it’s only a few coins.

As I have pondered that counsel, I’ve found that it’s a do-able goal. I often have spare change sitting around, or a few extra dollars left at the end of a week, and there’s nothing (reasonable) to prevent me from depositing that money in my savings account, to help build up a reasonable reserve to use in cases of emergency.

So tonight, I held my own, personal Family Home Evening, where I studied a little more about the necessity of building an emergency fund, along with advice from various financial counselors about how to build that reserve and what to use it for. (I am finding, personally, that it’s vital for me to define, specifically, which events qualify as an emergency and which don’t. Otherwise, I’m all too apt to decide that  it’s really essential for me to buy that new shirt that I love so much–even though I can easily do without it, and that’s not really what the Emergency Fund is for.) I particularly enjoyed this article: Saving for Greatness.

After that, I picked out an old, empty pint jar from my obliging sister’s storage room, and decorated it with some pretty paper, designating it as my collection jar for the E-fund. I decided to forego the slit in the lid, since I figured it was just as easy to unscrew the lide once or twice a week, and it wasn’t worth the effort of trying to safely punch that hole in.

I set the jar up on a shelf in my room, in a spot where I can see it easily and think of it often. And I have already donated a little over a dollar to the E-fund, which I plan to deposit in the bank at the end of the month.