new year new you

30
Dec
2011

New Year, New You: Goals


Initially I wasn’t going to do New Year, New You because a lot of people talked about their goals in their intro post, and I didn’t want to. I got roped in, and sure enough goals became the second prompt. I love goals, but I felt it could be odd sharing them publicly, at least certain ones. In fact, me talking about my goals seems like me doing the next prompt, doing something that I’ve been putting off cause I don’t want to do it.
A bit on goals and resolutions and then I will get to my personal goals. Some people scoff at New Year’s resolutions, and it is true a lot of them fail, but not all. I can’t find the abstract anymore, but I read in a study that New Year’s resolutions are about 4-8% more likely to succeed than resolutions made at another time. I know 4-8% isn’t much, but with most resolutions we need all the help we can get. Different studies say different percents but only 8%, 12%, or 22% of New Year’s resolutions are successful. According to that study the main reasons people fail are focusing on the negative aspects of their goals (how much time is “wasted” in a gym for example), rather than the reality of the situation, and focused unrealistically on succeeding, fantasizing rather than planning and working.
The article linked lists some things that help, and Deb mentions some in her prompt, and I’ll mention my own too. First off break your resolution down into smaller chunks, these can be increments (rather than losing 20 lbs set four goals of losing 5 lbs) or steps; so getting a new job becomes narrowing the field, looking into whatever training or education is required for the new position, taking that, or arranging to take it, applying to the job itself. Second publicize your goals. I have issues doing this, but people do succeed more when they let others know their goals. When I was first getting back into shape I used to post my jogs on facebook, because I knew some people were rooting for me and if I didn’t post, they’d know I was slacking.
Make your resolutions SMART. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Temporal. Saying you want to lose lots of weight someday isn’t a good goal. Wanting to lose 10 lbs by May is better. Wanting to lose 10 lbs by May by tracking calories and jogging twice a week, now you have a SMART resolution. Clear goals, with metrics you can track, that are reasonable within your life and context, are important to you, and with a time frame, those are the points that make for a successful goal. With that actually track it. Having a goal of 10 lbs by May won’t help if you don’t weigh in every week or so to make sure you’re on the right track.
My goals I’m skipping some of the break down so as not to bore with specifics.
Pick up my academic slack. First term was really hard for me due to ridiculous time restrictions that compounded, second term I’m going to stay on top of them. I’m going to maintain my minimum A average and my placement in the 10% of my University (which means I get to wear my “I’m Smarter than You” gold pin). The how is easy, I just didn’t make it work first time, I’ll complete all my readings the day before lecture and all projects two days before they are due. In both cases that gives me some leeway in case life happens.
Magickal Progress. I’ve decided to take two new magickal trainings over the next year to expand myself some. First step is already taken as I signed up with Jason Miller for his course, I just have to keep on top of that and find another to do later in the year. Related to that idea I will attend temple lessons at least twice a month, and a group meditation once a month.
Expanding my occult business. Aside from doing my magickal odd-jobs I’ve decided to start producing as well. My current timeline places me launching after New Year New You ends, with things being ready by March, but still thought I’d include it. I have all the equipment I need and a fair amount of samples created, now it’s just the ridiculously long process of consecrating everything.
Now, on the magickal side for my academic slack I’m going to work with Tzamaron, my beloved Mercurial Angel to help keep my mind in fighting form, but I’m also going to get back into working with time-tweaking. I don’t know yet if I’ll use Fotamecus again, or work without him, but do some work to make sure I have the time to get everything done. Also, considering the most important part of my degree is based on an interpersonal evaluation, that person will be getting a good dose of compulsion to find me awesome.
As for magickal progress, that goes is pretty much magicked up enough, but I’ll do some divination work for the Equinox to see where my second external training may come from.
My occult business. You know, I’m not sure, I have a few spirits that would be appropriate in theory for production and crafting, but I’m not sure if it is their sphere or not. Since I don’t know how to magick it, I’ll work on divining some advice for it.
I have other goals, some far more boring, some far more personal, but I’ve put out three, that’s enough to get me going.
Be ready everyone for the new year.

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick
22
Dec
2011

New Year, New You: Making Way


So after some waffling I decided a little cultish activity never hurt anyone -who isn’t a virgin, so I’m exceedingly safe. I’m going to do the New Year, New You put out by everyone’s favourite magickal dilettante, Deb. If you’re unfamiliar with what it is, see the original post, and if you’re too lazy to click but willing to read here it’s basically about magickally taking charge of this coming year. I decided to do it because right now it currently matches up with what I’m doing, and I keep saying to people I just need prompts and ideas to work sometimes, so hopefully Deb and her muse will help me shape up a bit this year.
First prompt: Making Way
You can’t start putting all this awesome new crap into your life and body until you get rid of the old crap. Old crap here is defined as many things such as relationships that are no longer working, old crutches, clutter of the mind and of the house.

Igne Interficiatur


Cleaning House: Due to extenuating circumstances I’ve been really behind on housework and school work since September. Deb makes a point I completely agree with, clutter messes up the energy flow of a house, usually I’m on top of this. I have Christmas break though, I can already see more of my bedroom floor than I have since September. My room will be clean by New Years, and once my room is done it’s just a quick matter to fix the rest of the house. As for her concerns about holding onto crap I’m lucky; I’m non-sentimental, a Buddhist, with a Grandmother who was a full-blown hoarder, so really I don’t hold onto much. In fact the only thing I really keep would be books. I’m sorry, but I love books, they’re better than people. Also because of my work: personal, academic, and magickal I need to constantly reference books. I’ll give them a once over to see any that are truly useless to me and donate/sell them, but I doubt that would eliminate more than 25.
Time: I was playing catch-up, piled on catch-up, piled on catch-up, which is not an efficient way to use your time. I’m catching up on my readings for school and cleaning up. Since I no longer have to spend five hours a day in ritual this semester I won’t have to play catch-up. TV. I’ve been debating for a while, but now is as good of a time as any, I’m getting rid of my satellite. I don’t watch much TV, when I do it always takes up more time than I plan (catching that 30 minute program becomes at least an hour), and anything I really want to watch I can do so on the computer putting me in control, rather than network programming. I’m also going to limit recreational online time to a max of two hours a night. It shouldn’t be hard, I used to do that, but like TV it slowly grew. I haven’t been keeping track, but less computer time should open up at least five more hours a week.
Big Rocks: I was going to put this under Time, but it fits here too and fits my mental state a lot better. Until one of my volunteer positions ends, I’m not going to take up another volunteer job, and I’m not going to do more than 10% overtime in them. I currently co-facilitate a Queer/Trans youth group, I’m site support for a mentoring program for high achieving high school students from the poorest neighbourhoods in my city, I help out with a tutoring program, and I’m an unidentified position with a local high school’s Equity Club (Gay Straight Alliance). This on top of going to University more than fulltime, with a four hour round trip, and all the other obligations of life. I barely have time for everything as is. I can safely drop the tutoring (it’s overstaffed) and once that is done I won’t take up another position until one of my current one ends, and maybe not even then. I have a bad habit of people tossing responsibility at me and if it is something that holds my interest I run with it, but to do so will just wear my down and make me less efficient in what I want to do.
Another rock I’m going to drop is some social conditioning about family. Family is a huge thing to me, in multiple senses of the word. In the last year I’ve been trying to revive a relationship with someone in my family, I see them fairly often, we talk a bit, but there is less socio-emotional connection than any of my friendships. I love him but as people in a social context there is nothing there, so I am going to stop trying to become social and friendly with them, which means no more awkward dinners where nothing is said, and come to terms with the fact that family bonds and love don’t require friendly, constant, social interaction. We were fine before I thought the relationship needed to be fixed/revived (I don’t know if it was ever vived), and I can stop funnelling time and emotional energy into something that -at least for now- isn’t working.
To me this seems like a lot of Saturn work is in my future for the next week or two, plenty of shielding and boundary work, cleansing, chopping, cutting, and releasing. Thankfully I’m a fairly Saturnian person (born on Saturnalia to boot), which is why Saturn appears in symbolic and non-symbolic forms in my blog banner, so I’m at least ready to start some chopping.

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick