Exercises for Life Journey

As I mentioned in my previous post, I am currently reading, "Tiny Buddha's Guide to Loving Yourself: 40 Ways to Transform Your Inner Critic and Your Life." This book has had some great exercises that I've wanted to complete and sometimes I feel like the most thorough way I can do something is to post it for everyone to see. It makes me feel as though I'm committing to what I'm writing here, I'm committing to my thoughts.

Exercise # 1: Make a list of all the qualities you value in yourself (important to note, these are not my "roles") - 

• Kindness to others
• Patience
• Love of animals
• Love of family
• Love to read and learn
• Honesty
• My "drive"/motivation

Doing this exercise makes me realize how extremely hard it is to list these qualities. I feel like I look towards others to define them for me.


Exercise #2: Accept responsibility for your life (Stop making excuses and start making changes) - 

Up until now I don't think I've accepted responsibility for my life. Not in a real way at least. I find myself in certain jobs, certain situations and I let myself stay in them, no matter how they make me feel. I've recently come to the conclusion that I only have one life to live and if I want to be happy, I'm going to have to do the work. I can't wait for it to come to me. I can't wait for my lotto numbers to win (though I'm going to keep playing!), I can't wait for some job opportunity to just out-of-nowhere present itself to me. I can't wait to see friends/family I love when it's convenient or when they're coming to me. I need to make all of these things happen for myself. I've just recently started doing it and it feels GREAT! It feels great to know that I have wonderful things to look forward to that I have put in place for myself!

Exercise #3: Social Media Allowance - 

This will be hard. Social media puts pressure on all of us. It makes us feel that we don't measure up because we compare ourselves to everyone else. It also takes away from the quality of real communication. I love my Facebook, I even love myself some Twitter sometimes. Instagram, Goodreads, I love it all. This is going to be a new goal for myself, limit my social media time. I'll set a number of minutes per day that I'm permitted. I'm interested to see how this will change my interactions with others and how this will impact my day. Will I have more time to indulge in myself? Read? Take relaxing baths?

Exercise #4: Learn to be comfortable alone - 

I think this is something so many of us struggle with. We all feel better when we know we have someone there who loves us. But we have to love ourselves first. I need to learn that when I'm by myself, I can enjoy myself and make myself happy. I don't need someone else to do that for me. It's WONDERFUL to have someone who I can be happy with but I don't want to depend on them for my happiness.

Exercise #5: Write down names of 5 people who inspire me, identify one positive quality of each and antonym - 

• My mom - patience
• My dad - work ethic
• My sister - motivation
• Martin Luther King, Jr.  - commitment
• My aunt - compassion

From here I need to identify the opposite of each of these qualities and assume that I have them:

• Impatient
• Poor work ethic (don't care about work)
• Laziness
• Irresponsibility
• cold heartedness

It's hard for me to assume that I have these qualities but I know I do at times. I know I cam be impatient, I know I can be lazy, I know I can be cold-hearted. By identifying these opposites it's helped me realize some poor qualities I have and that I want to avoid or work towards removing from my life.

Exercise #6: See myself beyond my roles - 

I am not just a fiance, an account manager, a dog mother... I am so much more than all of these. Roles are different than qualities. I need to learn to see myself outside of the roles I take on throughout the day.

Exercise #7: Move beyond my masks -

I wear several masks. I wear one mask when I'm working, another when I'm with my dog, another when I'm with my fiance, another when I'm with my fiance's son, another when I'm with my family. Why do I wear all these different masks? I don't even realize I'm doing it. I need to slowly withdrawal these masks and find the "real" me that I can be without the need for masks.

Exercise #8: Challenge myself to be vulnerable -

There is nothing wrong with being vulnerable. I do not have to be strong all the time, I am allowed to be weak, I am allowed to cry. From that vulnerability I will learn more about my true self and the things that are important to me.

Exercise #9: Shadow

We all have a shadow, it's the side of our self that watches us constantly. It observes everything about us. What is my shadow trying to tell me? Is it trying to tell me to not overload myself so much? To relax more? To enjoy life more? I need to pay attention to that silent shadow which really speaks so loudly.


These are all goals for me to strive for. I may not meet them all, but they're ideas, good ideas to help me in my life's journey. I hope they give you thought as well and help if you're struggling with any of the above things mentioned. I'm excited to move forward keeping all of these in mind.