I went for a jog today to clear my mind, and I just can't help but let my thoughts run wild with me. Lessons on how to live and really enjoy life became apparent as I sweated out all the toxins and stress from the week behind. I thought I should share my simple revelations, though nothing new or ingenious, just to be able to reflect back on them when I catch myself not enjoying the moment or getting too caught up in work.

1. Establish a daily ritual. By that I don't mean waking up late and rushing to class :P. Reading the morning paper, jogging, yoga, or strumming guitar, to develop a comforting and familiar routine helps balance my schedule and the chaos of school and endless studio hours.

2. Don't ever feel sorry for yourself. Spend that energy doing something to make it better.

3. Set achievable goals. baby steps...whatever it is that you can see the end of the goal and the necessary steps to take to get there.

4. Take time out of each day to pause, reflect, breath, and just be yourself. Forget about everything, and just feel yourself being alive and what that means to you.

5. Make everything you do worthwhile. If you are going to do something, for damn sure, make it count, and be proud of it. Otherwise, what's the point?

6. "Forgetting yourself, escaping the bonds of ego, losing the subconscious, opening up to your fantasies and a spiritual realm, surrendering to a larger ethos, losing yourself in time, even stopping time, can all liberate even greater creativity." -Douglas Kelbaugh from "Seven Fallacies in Architectural Culture"

Feel free to add to this list...I need as much help as I can get to free my mind while at the same time focusing on my goals. Not an easy task in the least.
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I think energy is an important point- that we don't waste it on silly things because once its gone its gone. Living in the moment is so important and I feel like this past week I am finally starting to practice this idea of valuing every moment.

Some days its hard to be positive but really does it get us anywhere being negative? Then we just become a sink wholes for more negativity to fall. Let build a mountain of optimism where we can be safe from the possibility of being drowned in bad energy.

Another thing i am starting to encourage in myself is my independence. Believing that I can be the person I want to be and more, and its all part of my free will. No one else's. I think I was scared of this responsibility before. But how can you be scared of shaping your own life? Thats damn exciting!! It goes back to what you said about making everything you do worthwhile. I am realizing how fast time goes by otherwise.

That's my 2 cents for today. Thanks for sharing! I think this is great =p