BirdTricks
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Achieving my personal goals (an update)
🕑 Added 2021-03-25 18:00:03 +0000 UTCMy latest reads that I really loved:
Try Giving Yourself Away by David Dunn
This book contains the same message throughout and was a really easy read for me. One of the things it suggested that I tried recently was the concept of not taking the closest parking space. At the gym, the cars are so crowded together and its a treasure getting right up close (especially when it's so cold outside) and one morning I watched as there was 2-3 open close spaces and I saw how happy the people were that got them. I parked a few businesses away and enjoyed the walk to the gym instead.
Its something simple I can do for others, while also being capable of walking from further away unlike some others who are making the effort to move better just by going to the gym. Like my own grandma. This book has opened my eyes to how much others give themselves away too. I really enjoyed it.
Another concept that stuck with me is how we thank people for things. But I will let you read the book and learn about it on your own!
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
This one was an audible book recommended by Dave and it's cool because Matthew had a cockatiel growing up and the story about him is AMAZING even though it's a small portion.
I really enjoyed how Matthew looks at life as red, yellow and green lights. Really cool concept and sooooo true. I remember thinking - not even thinking but being CONVINCED - my broken wrist was a red light. I had no idea it was actually a green light for stability, security, and a clear path to my purpose of birds.
Just a really enjoyable listen!
Goals I found a way to achieve:
One of things holding me back from reading more with Capri was that it felt like there was no place to put this new habit. Well, things changed. Capri recently asked me if she could stop doing Taekwondo and take up more tutoring. When I asked why, she explained to me that her BFF Halle is a better reader than she is and is on 4th grade words (they are both in 2nd grade and Capri was reading 3rd grade words at the time she told me this) Capri DESPERATELY wanted to catch up to Halle and be in her reading group.
I told her she would need to finish out this month in Taekwondo and then yes, we could put it on hold and take up more tutoring.
Well, in this same time frame the school gave the kids a goal to read 10 hours at home in order to win Silverwood passes which is a theme park about 20 mins from us. It made it so that Capri was seeking out every opportunity to read at home AND Dave and I had just made a new rule that Capri would not use her iPad to fall asleep at night - which some nights were harder than others with her. She began seeking out the reading time at night and I started the reading as early as between 7pm-7:30pm some nights.
Not only was she falling asleep faster, but she has been getting more quality sleep. Last night I actually said she could use her iPad in the evening as a reward and she used it for about 10 minutes before she came into my room and asked me to read to her instead.
I. WAS. SO. HAPPY.
I read to her for about 10 minutes or less before she was fast asleep. So our nightly reading has been consistent and helping her achieve her goals too. She's already in 4th grade words and has almost caught up to Halle.
What I haven't yet done:
I still have not set up her Osmo tablet but we do have a trip coming up and I think I will get Dave's help on setting that up for her to have on the trip as my goal. We all need DEADLINES to get anything done and I realize I hadn't set one which is probably why it kept getting pushed off! She has used it in the past but we are all less familiar with it than we need to be.
Thanks for being my accountability partners, guys! Leave your healthy living and book recommendation tips in the comments if you have any you'd like to share. xo
Comments
Kristen
You're welcome! So pumped you ordered it. I already feel like you do a great job of just assessing what is, but we can always get better! :-)
BirdTricks
Love that!
BirdTricks
Just ordered the first Nancy Drew book set and my mom gave me The Secret garden. Thanks for the tips!
BirdTricks
I ordered that book! I definitely could use tips on how to think less emotionally so thanks!
Carmen Griggs
Ooo, I love a good book recommendation like this. I can think of two. My most recent listen was read by the four authors, a group of YouTuber called the Try Guys called the Hidden Power of F*cking Up. It is told through each of their perspectives, how we all learn and grow through our mistakes not our perfection. And when we throw away the concept of perfection, there is no where to go but up. Each of them faces something that they fear in the book and work their way through it. I found it very powerful and relatable. My second recommendation I read in paper, although I see it is also narrated by the author and her family if you want to listen to it. Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver is the story of the author's family's journey through a year of eating only local foods. I loved it because the topic of growing and eating your own food is near and dear to my heart, but it shines an interesting light on what our culture has become used to - every food available to us regardless of region or season. And on small ways in which we can become more educated consumers and maybe take some of the pressure off while also eating healthier. Plus there is one chapter dedicated to a trip the family took to Italy for a month and their food tour through Italy. So good.
Holden Kendrick
Jamie, it's wonderful that you are taking the time for self improvement. That is something people tend to overlook in their busy lives. It's great that Capri is enjoying reading. I loved reading so much when I was her age. Of course there weren't so many other outlets for entertainment back then. She is so smart. She can certainly improve her reading skill and likely become quite advanced if she is determined. The right book can really help. At her age I really loved The Secret Garden and Charlotte's Web. I also loved Nancy Drew at that age but they are probably so dated now. I'm sure there is a more modern Nancy Drew type series. π There is a little book I really love called Joie de Vivre: Simple French Style for Everyday Living, by Robert Arbor, https://amazon.com/dp/1982157429/ . The author owns Le Gamin restaurant in NYC. The book is hard to describe. It is rather wistful in the way it interlaces the author's memories of growing up in France and descriptions of his current family summer vacations back home where he has an old cottage in a tiny french town. Scattered in the book are a collection of simple but fantastic recipes. The theme of the book is teaching how to slow down and take time to enjoy the small and simple pleasures in life. It's such a basic and almost silly little book but the way the author describes things is very soothing. I like to reread it when I feel stressed and overwhelmed by too much to do. It always reminds me to stop just for a few minutes to enjoy life. I can't believe the book is almost 20 years old.
Kristen
Hi Jamie! I just got done reading this. It's really awesome seeing this personal update versus your typical amazing parrot family and business amazingness. It's honestly encouraging to read something like you just wrote because it reminds all of us that we are human and can do great things and still not always get everything right. Congratulations on Capri's reading :-) that's so cool to see her want to dive back into the book because she's attached personal satisfaction and pride in pushing herself for better. I recently finished a book called It Takes What It Takes by Trevor Moawad. It's all about thinking in neutral instead of always feeling like you HAVE to be positive. I feel like personal development books sometimes lose this truth, that when really bad things happen, it's unrealistic to ask someone to "be positive," but it's never unrealistic to ask someone to strive toward being neutral. It deals in truth and asks "where am I and what can I do constructively with what has happened?" And it's been a blessing of a book for me and hope you get a chance to pick it up. I think some of your fans would enjoy applying it to their lives with their birds (especially in regard to training) because I think all of us can fall into that trap of getting too emotional and not operating from a neutral state of "HOW CAN I MAKE THIS WORK with my bird", because we allow ourselves instead to revert to discouragement quickly. The book also talks about success just takes what it takes, meaning if you want to do well sometimes it's better to look at it like you don't have a decision to give up, that you have to give the situation what is required, not what you feel like giving. I like hearing about your life as well as seeing the AWESOME work you do to helping humans and their feathered friends. I've been following your channel for maybe six months now and I'm so grateful for all you and Dave have done. I have a CAG and she's so picky and won't eat the pellets or fresh food yet but I'll work on that. Planning to buy a consult soon to get some help. Great job on your personal growth π
