Category: Brian’s Journey

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A Journey to Improved Oral Hygiene: Rising from Health Challenges

Embarking on a journey towards improved oral hygiene was not initially a matter of choice but a necessity born from a health crisis I never expected to face – kidney failure. Finding myself on the organ transplant list was a wake-up call, and one of the prerequisites I encountered was obtaining a certification from a dentist confirming the absence of any infections. This unexpected requirement ignited a newfound motivation, compelling me to view oral hygiene as an essential aspect of self-care that deserved my undivided attention.

 

As I navigated through this unfamiliar territory, I initiated a fundamental yet diligent routine, ensuring that my teeth were brushed thoroughly every night before drifting into sleep. It wasn’t long before I expanded my regimen, incorporating a water pick and mouthwash to further enhance my oral care. Eventually, adding dental floss completed my comprehensive suite of oral hygiene practices.

 

The journey to establishing this routine wasn’t without its challenges. I found myself in consultations with my dentist, delving into discussions about the sequence in which each task should be performed for optimal results. After numerous conversations and some trial and error, I solidified my pattern. The process commenced with dental flossing, followed by brushing, proceeding with the water pick, and culminating with a refreshing mouthwash swish.

 

Establishing this rigorous oral hygiene routine has been a source of immense satisfaction for me. My wife, a constant pillar of support, has openly acknowledged the visible improvement in the appearance of my teeth and gums. Her affirming observations serve as gratifying validations of my efforts, albeit with a hint of shame reflecting on my previous negligence. However, I continually remind myself that the past, with its failures and oversights, is unchangeable, and the future holds the potential for transformation and improvement.

 

This realization has been instrumental in maintaining my commitment to my enhanced oral care routine. Every step, every brushstroke, and every flossing session is a testament to my resolve to do better, not just for the sake of meeting medical requirements but for my overall well-being. The journey hasn’t been merely about avoiding infections or ticking off a box on the transplant list; it’s been a holistic exploration of self-care, health, and personal growth.

 

Reflecting on this transformative journey, I’m enveloped by a sense of accomplishment and a renewed sense of responsibility toward my health. The shame that initially accompanied my efforts has gradually transformed into empowerment, fueling my determination to maintain and further improve my oral hygiene. Despite the challenges, this experience has been enlightening, underscoring the importance of proactive health management and the profound impact of seemingly simple routines on overall well-being.

 

In embracing this change, I’ve discovered that our past failures do not define us. Instead, they present opportunities for growth, learning, and improvement. While my journey toward improved oral hygiene commenced from a place of necessity, it has evolved into a voluntary and gratifying pursuit of better health. It serves as a poignant reminder that it’s never too late to change, adapt, and thrive.

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Unleash the Power of Mental Triggers for Better Memory

Hey, wonderful readers!

Let me pull back the curtain on an ingenious technique I’ve been using to improve my memory. Initially, I began honing this strategy to keep up with my exercise routine but soon realized its potential for aiding memory in many situations. You may already be familiar with setting triggers for remembering routine activities. This strategy works similarly and employs mental cues to help you remember anything you want.

Here’s the low-down: It starts with identifying a specific goal you want to remember. Next, you choose a particular moment or setting to recall this goal. The last piece of the puzzle is creating a vivid mental image of what you’ll see or experience at that moment. This mental snapshot serves as your trigger—when the real-life scenario mirrors your imagination, it prompts you to remember what you intended.

Let me give you a slice-of-life example. Often, while out and about with my wife, she’ll mention something she wants to be reminded of when we return home. In such instances, the heavy lifting has mostly been done by her; she has already chosen what should be remembered and when it should be recalled. All I have to do is visualize us arriving home and walking through the door. This imagery then acts as a mental anchor, linking the envisioned scenario to what my wife wants to remember.

Now, I won’t sugarcoat it—this strategy isn’t foolproof. The accuracy of your mental trigger is crucial for the technique to work. If the actual situation diverges significantly from what you’ve imagined due to an unforeseen circumstance, the mental trigger might not go off. For instance, I’ve tried using this approach to remember items we must pick up from the grocery store. Suppose the store has decided to rearrange its layout or introduce a new display. In that case, the disparity between my mental image and reality can throw a wrench into the works, causing me to forget what I intended to purchase.

But let me tell you, even with these occasional hiccups, this memory trick has proven to be far more effective than any other method I’ve attempted. So, give it a whirl and see how it enhances your memory game. Think of it as fine-tuning your mental GPS to help you navigate the labyrinth of daily tasks and commitments. If done right, this little hack could become a life-saver—or at least a memory-saver—for you too!

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The Art of Routine Building Through Mundane Chores Like Cooking

Hello, dear readers,

Today’s post is dedicated to the unexpected but delightful art of routine building through what we often consider mundane chores. Take cooking, for instance—a chore for some, a passion for others. I’ve always had a soft spot for cuisine, an affinity that traces back to my childhood learning to make pancakes with my grandmother. I didn’t realize back then that cooking would later become a tool for optimizing complex, multi-step procedures in life.

The Complexity Behind Simplicity in Cooking

In culinary arts, one of the most essential skills is mastering the alignment of various tasks to be completed simultaneously. Even a simple dish like scrambled eggs or a sandwich requires a calculated sequence of steps, each executed at the perfect time. The difference between a skilled chef and a beginner often boils down to the knack for optimizing this workflow. It’s about knowing what to do, when, and how to do it.

Embracing Reflection: The Japanese Concept of Hansei

One powerful concept I’ve come to rely on for improving my cooking skills is the Japanese practice of Hansei, which involves deep self-reflection after completing a task. The core idea is to analyze performance, understand mistakes, and strategize for future improvement. If you’re repeating a specific recipe, it’s a golden opportunity to employ Hansei. Taste the food, ponder what you like and dislike, and consider why those elements turned out the way they did. The objective is to refine the recipe each time, adapting it to align with your taste preferences.

The Case of Mapo Tofu: A Personal Experience

To provide a real-world example, let me share my experience of making Mapo Tofu, which my wife taught me. When we first tried the dish, we found it too salty despite not adding any table salt. That led to a Hansei moment—time for some culinary detective work. After scrutinizing the ingredients, I switched to reduced-sodium chicken stock instead of the Chinese-style tori gara I had initially used. The change was adequate but not quite enough. I then dived into the sauce ingredients, reducing the quantity of one while substituting it with another, less salty ingredient. And voila! The saltiness issue was resolved, all thanks to the iterative process of self-reflection and adjustment.

Conclusion

Something as ordinary as cooking can be a playground for honing essential life skills like routine-building and problem-solving. It’s a space to practice, to reflect, and most importantly, to improve. So the next time you dread life’s ‘mundane’ chores, perhaps try to approach them as an opportunity to cultivate better routines. You may discover a newfound appreciation for the everyday tasks that make up your world.

Happy cooking and happy reflecting!

Until next time.

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The Power of Consistency: One Week of Daily Blogging and the Journey Ahead

Hello to all my wonderful readers,

Having successfully written on this blog every day for a week, I’m feeling increasingly optimistic that this latest endeavor will become a long-term habit. The methodology I employed to get this far isn’t new or complicated; it’s the same advice I’ve been sharing with you in my previous posts. To summarize, I established a clear objective, which in this case was to write a brief blog post each day. I designated a specific time to pursue this writing goal, opting for the early mornings before my day officially begins with breakfast. Lastly, I anchored this new practice to an existing daily routine—finishing my first set of pushups is my trigger to start writing.

Writing a book has always lingered at the periphery of my consciousness, but until now, it remained a vague idea that I’d yet to embrace fully. I would wait for that elusive ‘perfect’ concept to strike me like a bolt of lightning. I don’t know if such a perfect idea is even a reality. Still, my ongoing recovery journey since experiencing a stroke seems like a fitting subject to delve into for the time being. While I might venture into fiction at some later stage, the habit I’m nurturing now will undoubtedly help any future writing projects.

On this subject, one author I particularly admire is Brandon Sanderson. He is often generous with his wisdom for those looking to become writers, and one piece of advice from him strikes a chord with me. His counsel is straightforward but effective: write and do it consistently. The emphasis isn’t necessarily on the volume of words but on the practice’s regularity. Even if it’s a modest 200 words daily, the results will accumulate over time, and before you know it, you could be sitting on an entire book series or more. This principle mirrors the philosophy I’ve tried to incorporate into achieving all my life goals: Start small, maintain consistency, and the results will follow.

I look forward to seeing where this new habit takes me. Not only is it providing a platform for me to share my ongoing life experiences, but it’s also laying the foundation for potential future literary endeavors. So, whether you’re an aspiring writer or have other goals you want to pursue, remember this: Start, even if it’s with something small, but keep at it regularly. After all, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

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The Art of Ritualistic Routines: How Mental Tricks Add Value to Daily Tasks

A Mental trick I use to help me take all of the decided-upon steps of a routine is to think of it as a ritual. This is aided by the inclusion of additional behaviors that are primarily superficial. 

While creating these rituals may make some tasks more complicated than necessary, I find that when I complete a routine precisely as intended, I feel more of a sense of accomplishment. As I said, this is purely a mental trick I use and, aside from the additional feelings of accomplishment, adds very little of use to the routine, but it also costs extremely little.

An example of this is my drying off routine when I finish showering. It begins with turning my left foot toward the shower head and drying off my face, then I turn my right foot, dry my hair, and mentally count 1. Each step involves rotating a foot, 1/8th of a turn, and counting upward. Next, I dry my arms. Left inside, then outside, Right inside and out. I dry my back on the 5th count/ foot rotation, and the 6th is my buttocks. 7th, I dry my left leg and then my right leg. On counts 9 and 10, I pat dry my face and hair a final time before hanging my towel up on count 11. On count 12, I step out of the shower and dress myself. My counting continues through this process, and if I do it right, it ends at 20 when I step into my right slipper.  

I know that facing specific directions and counting is unnecessary, but it feels right to do it that way. It also ensures that I complete all steps, which could be annoying, even though it’s not very likely to happen. Most of my rituals come naturally after I notice that I do things in a certain way. Only after thinking about the process do I decide if that’s the best way to do things. Sometimes, a budding ritual might need to be tweaked a little to make it fit with a count better or to align with something else.

You might fall into rituals as you form longer routines, and I encourage you to adopt them intentionally. They cost exceptionally little and may add some additional satisfaction to their completion.

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The Power of Routine: A Personal Journey of Supporting a Loved One

Hello, Dear readers,

After experiencing a stroke and losing my job, I made a heartfelt commitment to support my wife in any way I could. She transitioned into the role of the primary earner for our small household, excelling in her work far beyond the call of duty. Her hard work has not gone unnoticed; she’s earned numerous corporate awards and sees significant raises nearly yearly. Given her dedication, I make it a point to shoulder any chores or tasks she might otherwise feel obligated to do. This decision has allowed me to hone habit formation and routine building.

While I still need to fill my week with tasks, the possibility looms. There might come a day when I have to scale back or adjust my routine, perhaps rotating some monthly chores instead of tackling them weekly. I recently had an affirming moment when I returned from a week-long vacation with my sisters. My wife exclaimed those certain chores had gone undone in my absence. Although she managed to cover most bases, routine tasks awaited me. I saw this as a triumph, indicating that my efforts lighten her load. My system successfully achieves its intended purpose, which is as much as one can hope for.

Periodic evaluation of my routines is crucial. I need to assess whether they align with their intended goals or if some need to be modified or scrapped. This doesn’t require constant attention but should be an annual exercise. Over the past few years, my wife and I have discussed our significant goals for the coming 12 months around the New Year. This reflective moment is an excellent opportunity to review the efficacy of my established routines and habits.

Thank you for joining me on this journey, and I hope my experiences offer you some valuable insights into the importance of thoughtful habit formation.

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Two Proven Methods for Identifying Habits You Actually Need

Hello Dear Readers,

One of the challenges in establishing good habits is figuring out which practices you need. There are many strategies to spot these gaps in your life, and I’ve tried a few. Today, I want to share two methods that have worked well for me.

The first approach is straightforward: pay attention to your immediate environment. Look for tasks, especially repetitive chores, that need doing. Once you’ve identified an assignment, the next step is to decide how often it needs to be done.

Sometimes, determining the frequency is easy because experts have already provided recommendations. Take, for example, the air filters in our HVAC system. I talked to our HVAC technician about routine maintenance to extend the life of our heater and AC. He recommended changing the air filters monthly. Based on his advice, we set up a recurring Amazon order for inexpensive air filters. I also created a monthly reminder on my phone.

There are times, however, when you have to determine the frequency yourself. In such cases, you might need to revisit and adjust the interval to fit your life circumstances better.

The second method I use for identifying habits involves listening to those around me. Specifically, it grabs my attention if I hear my wife or anyone else complain about the same thing three times. I consider whether it’s something I can take action on. Using this approach, I’ve established some beneficial habits. For instance, I’ve gotten into cleaning our cat’s litter box, scrubbing our toilets, and calling my parents more regularly.

These strategies help you identify gaps in your routine. Building a complete set of habits is a gradual process. It’s usually better to let them accumulate over time rather than trying to establish them all at once.

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The Power of Small Steps: How Breaking Down Goals Leads to Big Wins

One lesson I continually learn in my journey of habit formation is the power of small, consistent goals. Achieving startling results can sometimes require herculean efforts. For example, last year, I ran over 1,000 miles. It might sound like a lot, if I only intended to run it in a month. Instead, I broke it down into smaller, more manageable distances. This approach allowed me to hit that considerable number over time.

I’m naturally inclined to try and accomplish goals in one giant leap, but this often leads to failure. For instance, I recently committed to better caring for our front yard. My first task was to weed the planter areas. Initially, it seemed like an overwhelming job. However, by dedicating just 20 minutes a day to it, I found it more manageable. I expect to finish the tendering of our front yard sometime this week without being subjected to a back-breaking, all-day endeavor.

If you need help to achieve your goals or even to get started, consider breaking them down into smaller tasks. The temptation to tackle everything all at once is strong but only sometimes effective. Intellectually, I understand this. Yet, the urge to “do it all now” still pops up.

When setting my goals, I make it a point to remind myself to break them into smaller tasks. I plan to work on these smaller tasks over a more extended period. Starting earlier and extending the timeline can be a safer and more effective approach for various activities.

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Goal-Setting 101: How to Use Rules and Triggers for Habit Building

t helps to determine rules and triggers to develop and maintain your habits. As with my running goal last year, I knew that sometimes events would conspire against me being able to meet my 35k per week goal. As such, I needed to determine some rules to play by. I had to ensure that my rules supported my plan rather than excuses I could fall back on. The first step I took in crafting my rules was to investigate what my goal was.

 

My goal was to run 35k per week, but I wanted to regain mobility endurance and support my health. Recognizing these as my real goals helped me create appropriate rules. For example, one of my rules is that I will not run if there is snow/ice on the ground. This rule would conflict if my true goal were the 35k per week. However, since my true goal is mobility, doing something that has a substantial risk of decreasing my mobility via a broken ankle from slipping/falling is counterproductive.

I tested all of my potential rules against my goals in this manner. Setting up rules like this is crucial because otherwise, I would be relying on Ad Hoc decisions, which are too easily influenced by current emotions.

As much as I wanted to achieve my actual goals and that I became focused on reaching 35k each week, there were plenty of days when I dreaded running, and it took great effort to force myself to go out. If I had not established a strict running schedule on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, I probably would have made excuses and failed to achieve my goal by missing too many days.

The other half of this equation is setting up triggers. Triggers are events or times that prompt a response or when to apply a rule. Every run day, my trigger for getting ready for running is after I use the bathroom. Every morning, after breakfast and coffee, I’ll eventually have to use the toilet; I use this as my trigger for running. After I use the bathroom, I change into my running clothes instead of returning to my computer. My no running on snow ice rule is triggered by looking out the front door when I get my second cup of coffee. If there’s snow/ice visible on my ground now, I cancel my run.

So when trying to develop your habits, First figure out your actual goals and test your habit ideas against your real goals. Second, build your ruleset so you’re not relying on feelings or motivation, and be strict with your rules. Don’t give yourself any excuses for ignoring your rules. You might need to create a new rule if you can’t do the desired behavior. Just ensure you test this new rule against your goals. Finally, make your triggers. Use alarms on your phone if you can’t find commonly occurring events.

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Running Through Rehab: How I Built a Consistent Running Habit

I’ve been running regularly for the past five years. I began my current running program when we still lived in Portland, Oregon. My wife and I had been walking nearly every day since I’d been released from rehabilitation, and I felt I had progressed enough to try running.

A few years before this, I had attempted to get into running but hadn’t committed to it, but I had learned about the couch to 5k running program (c25k). I had enough commitment to maintain my running schedule and found an app for my phone, which allowed me to import some of my music into this program.

 

Couch to 5K (C25K) Program

C25k fit me quite well; it starts relatively slow with short-run segments with walking segments between them. Each week, the run segments get longer and the walk segments shorter. After five weeks, I ran for the entire time, about 5 kilometers. I went through this program several times, and each time, it got easier, and I got faster.

 

Zombies, Run!

Then my wife heard about a running app that was gaining popularity at the time, Zombies, Run! It’s an app that uses game concepts to motivate running. It’s set during a zombie apocalypse, and you play a character helping a small settlement of survivors by running. During each mission, you collect or deliver items while randomly acquiring materials to build your settlement. I found it quite interesting, and motivated me to run more and more to find out what happens next in the story.

After running 5k three times per week for a year, I was ready to push myself more, and I found an extension program by the same group that made the c25k program, which smoothed the transition from 5k to 10k using the same concepts of increasing the duration of run segments and shortening the walk segments. Again, this worked well for me, and I was proud of being able to run 10k. I won’t say it was easy, but it was possible.

 

An Added Challenge

I kept with this as we moved to Nashville, Tennessee; however, this move added a challenge to overcome. The average climate in Nashville is quite different from Portland. It is quite a bit warmer in Nashville, and I needed to keep myself hydrated while running. Luckily, my habit of counting steps helped me figure out a schedule for sipping my sports drink.

I use the schedule every 400 steps; I pause for a few seconds and drink. Conveniently, I discovered that 400 steps is roughly half a kilometer for me.

Now equipped with a rehydration schedule, I ran 5k nearly every day. It took me a while to get used to the new environment. After running 5k at least three times per week for a year, I aimed to push myself further by increasing my run distance by a kilometer each month. During the first month, I ran three 5k per week, then gradually increased to three 6k per week, and eventually, I was able to run 10k three times per week. My goal was to improve my endurance and speed.

 

1 Month: 3 x 5K (to get used to running)

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.

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End: 3 x 10K

 

While I was faster at running 5k, I wasn’t as fast as I wanted to be, although I doubt I ever will be; however, as long as I’m getting better, I should be content with my progress. I repeated this sequence a couple more times and then set a new goal: I will run 35k per week for a year.

3x10k and 1x5k. Some weeks were harder than others, and I had to figure out how to balance my running schedule with other activities and impediments like weather.

 

I had to set up rules so every solution to a complication wasn’t ad hoc but part of a comprehensive plan. First, I made a goal statement: to run 35k per week. Then, I made a list of likely impediments, which included inclement weather and other obligations like birthday parties or doctor’s appointments. Scheduling appointments was easy since I set running days separate from appointment days.

 

The other complications were more brutal to balance, but I found that if I couldn’t juggle the days to fit my schedule, I could spread my anticipated missed days running over the other days so, instead of 3x10k + 1x5k, I could run 2x12k and an 11k. I was happy as long as I accomplished my primary goal of 35k.