Self-Educational Goals

I have decided to apply to the graduate program at UCF this fall, mainly because I have been developing more interest in writing and I would like to strengthen my background of knowledge in this area. It is a difficult desire to explain, because creative writing as a whole really does not serve a "practical" purpose in the world at large and especially within my own personal life. However, I am fortunate enough to be able to be in a position that allows me to explore my creative avenues and I want to be able to make use of this in the most practical way, which I think means finding more formal and traditional methods, i.e. higher education, to help me meet my own personal goals that at this point are still quite nebulous.

I have explored my reasons only casually thus far in some of my personal journals, and I am still trying very hard to organize them and my thoughts so I can really make use of what skills I already have at hand to make the parts of my life come together in the most peaceable and natural manner as possible.

2c. Education Pursuits of Children

I have decided on three possible branches of Education that I would like to focus on for my children. The three branches are unified by the goal of providing tools for children to survive in this world and express their thoughts in practical applications that

1. Language: I believe that communication is the most important tool that humans have, because this allows us to formulate new ideas for humanity based on what people who have come before us have learned in their lives. The first language of importance is the native language, but as soon as a child has achieved some mastery of that, foreign languages, both modern and ancient, should be explored so the child can connect meanings as a way to express their own.
2. Creative Arts: This is the most important thing for me, as I have already expressed my feelings on the importance of Art and Creativity in general. This branch will allow the child to communicate through the languages they have learned, the ideas that they think are important to the individual self first, and society at large second.
3. Science: Science comes last because like history I believe it is a "dead" subject. By "dead" I mean defined by events that have taken place in the past, and the knowledge that has been acquired through observation and experimentation. While science is necessary and a noble subject to study, most aspects of it are controlled by man's inventions and technology, demonstrating again that the knowledge already obtained has been dissected and put to work on its own, again demonstrating it is "dead." Furthermore, knowledge in this branch that a child will actually learn and put to use is heavily dependent on what the child has learned already, especially in relation to other subjects.

My next goal for this subject of study is to further define a curriculum through each of the subjects that I wish to specifically study, and obviously leave areas open for the interest of the particular student.

Investigating Objective 3aiii

Through much thought and a little "inspiration" I have begun working on some projects attached to my Personal Spiritual Objectives. At this point, I have decided on a main output goal that will be a nice conclusion to this phase of research.

I plan to create a CD with an accompanying booklet that will demonstrate the sense of focus in my spiritual life during this time period. It will be shared with members of my family and any other persons I think will benefit from reviewing it, and the feedback will be recorded and stored.

As a result, I will use my workbook and create a Microsoft Word document that will help me plan my vision for this project, and the process will be notated in this blog as this I work on this goal so that it may come into fruition.

Defining Relationship Types

These are descriptions (see work book pgs. 4-5) of the four relationship types I have come up with at this point:

1. casual/other: No specific emotional investment other than what is necessary in relation to the good or service in question. The person will be respected as a fully conscious individual.
2. mentor/support: A personal relationship where the concerned individual is treated as a source of knowledge and is respected because of that. While I am personally vested in this person's life, ultimately I am more interested in the help and support they provide and remain at a "safe" distance emotionally.
3. platonic: For whatever reason, a platonic friend has passed beyond a support level and I am much more interested in this person's welfare and ways I can personally improve their life. This level requires several points of interest through which a relationship is maintained. This level is also concerned with a viable future for the relationship.
4. romantic: This level is the most involved and exclusive, for that matter.
   

Typing about Type

Relationship type is an extremely loose and "dangerous" method of labeling a friendship, in my opinion. Nevertheless, for scientific study, it is a necessary evil to better understand the process behind it all and to differentiate in the future in order to benefit from this "dissection." The projected types of relationships I have come up with are labeled so far as:

• casual/other
• mentor/support
• platonic
• romantic

Now that these have been defined, it will make most sense to spend time on each type to further define what each category of friendship entails.

A friend is...

“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one'” -C.S. Lewis

Needed: A method to evaluate and determine relationship priorities and appropriate behaviors to keep all desired relationships intact and thriving.

Factors:

• length of relationship
• type of relationship (requires further discussion)
• future projections for relationship (requires input from concerned persons)
  

After the Math

It became clear the prioritizing my relationships would benefit me most, so after some thought and work (see work book pages 2-3) I came up with this numbered list.

1. myself
2. my husband
3. my child(ren)
4. my friends
5. my extended family
6. acquaintances/ co-workers/ colleagues

I find that the most subjective part of this list is the category "friends" and how to define one for myself and the actions that would be appropriate for each individual friend. The next step is to discuss this aspect.

Monday Musing

After speaking with my husband over the course of the weekend, we have now reached somewhat of a starting point for our joint efforts--this is mostly in relation to Goal One, but also affects Goals Two and Three, respectively. He will review this blog and provide input based on his own views and how they may concern our co-dependent lives.

That being said, my next area of concentration is to reach a starting point for my own individual effort, and this naturally will be mostly in relation to Goal Three and affecting Goals Two and One in similar manner as before. I do know that at the current time, my stress needs to be on the emotional aspect of the System, since that is where the majority of my "stress" comes from anyway. The next assignment will be to determine priorities within Goal 3aii and how to mitigate appropriately between the three subdivisions in order to make this goal work effectively.

3b. A concluding statement

Based on the nature and relation to input and output variables of the first two goals, the third goal will most likely be the main subject and focus of this blog, since it will also require the most individual exploration and revision through repeated tests and observation. The relevance and order of the three aspects of the Personal System will no doubt change depending on the current condition of my circumstances. At the date and time of this post, my most immediate area of concern is my emotional standing, followed by physical and spiritual. As I begin to explore these areas, I will no doubt take more of a free-form approach.

3aiii. Spiritual Personal Objectives

Goal: to tune into my sense of center in this world: to find a sense of design and control in an imperfect world of chaos and channel that energy through my own sense of identity.

Subdivisions:

1. by words
   
2. by music
   
3. by other methods

This time, the subject of the subdivisions are the same, but it will be noted that the preposition is changed, implying that this goal is more influenced by the inputs chosen or found, rather than focused on using an input to achieve the goal.

3aii. Emotional Personal Objectives

Goal: to form and strengthen relationships with myself and other people, as the need and desire is demonstrated by the involved person(s) in said relationship.

Subdivisions:

1. through words
   
2. through music
   
3. through other methods

The reader will notice through is the operative word here which demonstrates the methods that will allow me to achieve balance in this goal.

3ai. Physical Personal Objectives

Note: These divisions are less organized than the others, and will be subject to more revision. They are closer to a stream-of-consciousness process.

Goal: to develop a healthy body and body image.

Subdivisions:

1. Establish a healthy diet and food outlook for life.
   
2. Participate in pleasurable physical activities to maintain the desired figure.
   
3. Maintain the appearance through an appropriate beauty and wellness regimen.

3a. Personal System

The third objective is the most complex and subjective, as it is only related to myself as an individual and is the structure and practice that indirectly support the previous two objectives. This mostly involves the activities I find most pleasurable and the discernment of those and integration into the other two goals. I have previously divided this goal into physical, emotional and spiritual attributes, and each deserves its own aspect of division.

2b. Educational Pursuits con.

Three subjects of philosophy (branches of thought I would like for myself and my children to apply our combined education to throughout our lives) that I would like to concentrate most on are:

1. Creative Based - "Art" and products that hold to an aesthetic and enduring quality to both the self and society.
2. Physical Based - In-world practicality is the basis for this branch, a method of which again both the individual and society can make use.
3. Worth Based - Assigning an inherent value to both the combined cost of the inputs in relation to an output as a method of cost-effective strategy to both again, self and society.

2a. Educational Pursuits

While the second goal is directed for my children to benefit from, it also includes the education of myself in order to be able to impart values to them. It is expected that my most direct sources for educational material are from :

1. the computer and internet (sight and touch)
   
2. the television and movies (sight and sound)
   
3. books and physical objects for manipulation (sight, touch, and output)
   
4. music and aural input of ideas (sound and output)
5. environmental organization and manipulation based on the input thusfar (utilizing all senses to achieve output)

1. Economic Goals

As a first goal--to ensure our family's desired position of comfort within the material world, I have set forth this three mini-goals:

1. pay all bills in-full and on-time
2. plan and execute daily meals in meaningful and pleasurable way
3. allocate unnecessary spending in a graceful and practical way

Primoris Annus Content

As a first task, I have decided to outline the three course objectives into three smaller and more "refined" goals that will be more manageable in a shorter time period. While the number three is not a hard and fast rule, I have decided that it is an extremely logical choice to begin when hypothesizing about REAL and achievable goals. It can be a question of time such as past, present and future or a physical embodiment of the tasks chosen. For example, if ideas could be "held" you might be able to hold them one in each hand, and one in sight (or the mind). This task will be completed on an as-able basis in the form of a new mi lyfe post for each objective.

EDU 1101: Primoris Annus

As the first course in my investigation, I seek to establish three goals that are achievable and can be put in place in approximately one year's time. These three objectives will allow me to establish smaller, more specific avenues of study in order to bring those goals to fruition.

1. in coordination with my husband, maintain and improve our family's economic status, i.e. good financial standing and fiscal responsibility in the management of wealth.
2. establish and maintain a working philosophy and methodology behind the education and upbringing of our children, which will equip them with the tools they need to thrive as adults.
3. create and maintain a system that will allow myself to feel secure and present myself avenues to grow as a whole person--physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Within these goals, the reader will notice the emphasis on maintenance, which is in fact the deciding factor in an objective's success: the ability to continue to rely on it as a means of care and upkeep for my life and the persons that are associated with me.

mi lyfe

mi lyfe [ mahy-lahyf ] -noun : An investigational study into my life and the methods by which I can achieve and maintain a general sense of well-being in the midst of the current state of the world around me.

This blog seeks to both establish and organize the processes by which I can achieve goals that I explicitly set forth within my home framework and can maintain those ideas consistently throughout mi lyfe.