2022 Week 9/52: Success Means More Work & Cynicism

Hi Everyone! This week I posted the first-ever recipe on this blog, scrambled eggs. For years, I’ve been talking about posting the recipes I love and cook most often but never did.

I was afraid that it would be madness for someone with an eating disorder to share what I cook regularly. But, in trying to be more courageous and to feel closer to my late father, I decided to publish one recipe every week starting Week 9/52 and see how it goes. After all, I can’t assume failure without trying!

Goal #1: Manage My Eating Disorder

✅ (1) Goal met in eating between 1200 to 1700 calories during the hours of 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM for Week 9/52.

There were multiple days this past week where I CRAVED sour cream and onion chips, Guacachip, pastry puffs with choux cream, and vanilla ice cream cones. I had to remind myself that every action I take is a vote for my new identity as someone who CAN manage their binge eating disorder.

Goal #2: Become more organized starting Week 2/52

✅ (2) Goal accomplished in spending 15 to 30 minutes organizing every day using a timer for Week 9/52.

The good news is that I organized every day without needing to listen to this Instrumental Pop – Work Playlist | Productivity Music that I’ve previously needed for the past 8 weeks.

Goal #3: Write consistently

✅ (3) Goal accomplished in writing between 2 to 8 hours every day for Week 9/52.

Goal #4: Read books to gain knowledge and new perspectives

✅ (4a) Goal accomplished in reading 30 minutes a day for 5 days for Week 9/52. I’m reading Shuggie Bain and find it dark and depressing. Normally I would have stopped after the first few chapters but because my book club voted for it, I’m going to power through.

🚧 (4b) Goal in progress: I will summarize/review 6 books in 2022 and post them on this blog.

Book 1/6: Maybe You Should Talk to Someone

Book 2/6: If I Had Your Face

Currently in the process of reviewing Atomic Habits for Book 3/6.

Goal #5: Improve my listening skills

✅ (5a) Goal accomplished in listening to one Design Matters Podcast for Week 9/52. This week, I listened to Debbie Millman interview Amy Sherald, an American painter who painted the Official Portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama.

[Success] means more work. I think a lot of people don’t understand that. Oh I’m here now and this is great, but there is also a demand for the work so that if I was in the studio 50 hours a week and I pretty much worked 7 days a week for the past 3 years to get me to this point.

Amy Sherald, Design Matters with Debbie Millman

I’m one of those people who didn’t understand that “Success means more work.” I used to think after one became successful and cue to Happily Ever After. Except, every person I admire greatly has said being successful is as hard as being unsuccessful except the challenges are different.

✅ (5b) Goal accomplished in listening to one TED talk for Week 9/52. This week I listened to Jamil Zaki: How to escape the cynicism trap | TED.

Our stories about each other become self-fulfilling…In other words, by mistreating others, cynics create the exact conditions they fear. They tell a story full of villains and end up living in it.

Jamil Zaki: How to escape the cynicism trap | TED

Pre-2017, I was mostly a cynic because I spent much of my time with my relatives and in-laws who are cynics. I think they are cynics due to their formative years which likely caused them to shut themselves away from the world. Except by doing so, the world became unrecognizable to them.

They held on tightly to me because I was someone who could help them navigate the many parts of the world that they did not recognize. In doing so, I spent way too much time with them and began viewing the world as full of people out to get me. It was my therapist that helped me change that mindset. Currently, I realize that the world is full of things I don’t know and can’t possibly imagine, and I’m choosing to be amazed by it instead of being terrified.

Goal #6: Emulate Krista Tippet’s (Winner of the National Humanities Medal, Peabody Awards, Webby Awards) way of speaking.

✅(6) Goal accomplished in emulating a sentence of Krista Tippet’s for Week 9/52 from this Design Matters Podcast.

Goal #7: Learn how to grow microgreens from Mark starting 6/1/2022 (Week 22/52)

🔜(7) Goal N/A for Week 8/52.

Goal #1: Maintain my mental and physical health

✅(1a) Goal accomplished in singing two positive songs and one song of my choice every day for Week 9/52.

✅(1b) Goal accomplished in meditating and practicing 25 minutes of yoga 5 to 7 days for Week 9/52.

✅ (1c) Goal accomplished for lifting weights 3 to 5 days a week for Week 9/52.

✅(1d) Goal accomplished in doing a physical activity for Week 9/52.

I did a 40-hour speed walk this week and played table tennis for 3 hours.

✅ (1e) Goal accomplished in sleeping before 11:30 PM every day for Week 9/52.

Goal #2: Work on my marriage

✅ (2a) Goal accomplished in continuing my weekly marriage meeting (#187), financial checkup, and date night with Mark for Week 9/52.

✅ (2b) Goal accomplished in helping Mark organize for 15-30 minutes every day this past week for Week 9/52.

Goal #3: Encourage my mom to expand her worldview starting Week 9/52

✅ (3a) Goal accomplished in teaching my mom English for Week 9/52.

✅ (3b) Goal accomplished in practicing Senior Yoga with my mom for Week 9/52.

✅ (3c) Goal accomplished in teaching my mom how to become more proficient at using her iPhone for Week 9/52.

The key to teaching people who are not familiar with technology is constant repetition and assuring them it’s okay to forget because we’ll continue practicing until they won’t forget. One month after teaching my mom the location of the volume button, she forgot about it! I’ll be having her practice it for the next 5 weeks.

Goal #4: Prioritize friendships

✅ (4a) Goal accomplished in meeting up with friends 1 to 3 times a month for Week 9/52. I played table tennis with Sure Sure.

✅ (4b) Goal accomplished in chatting with 1 to 3 friends over the phone/zoom for Week 9/52. I chatted with Mulan and Monkey.

Goal #5: Remember my late father through cooking starting Week 9/52 on 3/3 (my father’s birthday).

✅ (5) Goal accomplished in posting one recipe on this site for Week 9/52. The first recipe I posted is scrambled eggs because it was a dish my father ate nearly every day for many years.

Week 9/52 Goal Summary

✅ Accomplished goals: 20

✅ Goals not met: 0

🔜 Goals N/A for Week 9/52: 1

🚧 Goals in progress: 1

This week’s completion percentage: 100% (20/20)

Week 1/52 completion percentage: 91% (I missed the 5 to 7 days of mediation and practiced 25 minutes of yoga goal.)

Week 2/52 completion percentage: 100%

Week 3/52 completion percentage: 92.8% (I missed the sleeping before 11:30 PM everyday goal.)

Week 4/52 completion percentage: 100%

Week 5/52 completion percentage: 94.4% (I missed the eat between 1200 to 1700 calories everyday goal).

Week 6/52 completion percentage: 100%

Week 7/52 completion percentage: 100%

Week 8/52 completion percentage: 94.7% (I missed the sleeping before 11:30 PM everyday goal.)

Week 9/52 completion percentage: 100%

2022 Average completion percentage thus far: 96.9%

Dear readers, how was your progression towards your 2022 goals? 😃