Accountability: Meditation

Hello!

As you may have seen there has been one story I've had difficulty with throughout this entire process.

Spiritual
Stories	Tasks
As an agile Timelord I want to feel calm and confident through meditation so that I am less stressed	I will download the Headspace meditation app and work through the 10 day programme

So why has this been such a difficult story to complete?

Finding time to complete mediation has been difficult, I have also had issues by falling asleep to each session of the Headspace app. I have turned to my team to ask what they think I should do about it.

A coworker has suggested that I read a book on meditation and pursue meditation in a different form, not using the app. One of her main gripes with it has been the apparent hypocrisy in later stages of Headspace. It's difficult to believe in a voice telling you to give up all your worldly possessions when they're asking you to subscribe to a service.

With this in mind I believe I'm going to call this task dead, but not the story. I need to find a better method of daily meditation I can actively engage in.

Why is meditation so important?

Physical Benefits of Meditation

With meditation, the physiology undergoes a change and every cell in the body is filled with more prana (energy). This results in joy, peace, enthusiasm as the level of prana in the body increases.

• On a physical level, meditation:
• Lowers high blood pressure
• Lowers the levels of blood lactate, reducing anxiety attacks
• Decreases any tension-related pain, such as, tension headaches, ulcers, insomnia, muscle and joint problems
• Increases serotonin production that improves mood and behavior
• Improves the immune system
• Increases the energy level, as you gain an inner source of energy
• Mental Benefits of Meditation

Meditation brings the brainwave pattern into an Alpha state that promotes healing. The mind becomes fresh, delicate and beautiful. With regular practice of meditation:

• Anxiety decreases
• Emotional stability improves
• Creativity increases
• Happiness increases
• Intuition develops
• Gain clarity and peace of mind
• Problems become smaller
• Meditation sharpens the mind by gaining focus and expands through relaxation
• A sharp mind without expansion causes tension, anger and frustration
• An expanded consciousness without sharpness can lead to lack of action/progress
• The balance of a sharp mind and an expanded consciousness brings perfection

http://www.artofliving.org/meditation/meditation-for-you/benefits-of-meditation 

So with this information and the clear benefits of meditation outlined, what shall I do?

Hopefully I'll figure it out!

Thanks for reading!

AT

Accountability: The Wild Diet

Hello!

This sprint I've been reading 'The Wild Diet' by the Fat Burning Man, Abel James. I've listened to James' podcast; Fat Burning Man Show on and off for the past year or so. James is an engaging host with a friendly presentational style so it makes it an easy listen.

Sometimes his guests have made questionable remarks and he hasn't challenged them on their points, something he addressed recently and said he would be more proactive with in the future. It was following the show he had some anti-vaxxers on I gave the show a little rest and wasn't sure if I was to return to it, however Abel himself seems to be an intelligent guy who doesn't say anything crazy so I thought giving his book a go would be a good thing.

It has been.

Abel is an engaging writer, writing in a charismatic and simple way. He writes as if he's speaking to you having a few beers at a bar and not preaching. So what is Abel's plan?

 

Abel follows the paleo approach but instead of being hardcore in its execution Abel allows for real life to happen and encourages us to make smart choices when cooking and eating.

In the screen grab above you can see the typical plate make up of Abel's plan. Half of it should be vegetable based, quarter protein with the rest made up from natural sugars, starches and fats. Abel's main gripe is processed and 'unnatural' foods.

Most diets fail because they don't take into account real life. Of course you'll lose weight if you do the Beyonce thing of only drinking lemon water with cayenne pepper, but what happens when your friends invite you out for food? You'll put it all back on and then more. Abel's approach is much more simple.

His recipes all sound great and you can see why they would be healthy, because they're made from REAL food!

I'll likely refer back to this book in future posts, but so far I can endorse it and look forward to trying some of the recipes!

Thanks for reading!

AT

Toast, Toast, Master

Hello!

Since I've attended three Toastmasters meetings as an official guest, I now have to pay to play. You get three official visits as an individual to a Toastmaster group before you have to officially join.

From winning two 'Table Topic' sessions I was uncertain whether I needed to do this, riding a high of confidence following my previous sessions was I already a competent speaker? Potentially. However I need to understand how to speak better in public and slay my nervousness.

So, I've decided to officially join the Toastmasters group and work through their course to become a competent communicator. One day that ribbon will be mine!

 

So what lies ahead for me when I embark on this Toastmaster journey?

'Toastmasters International's Competent Communication contains 10 speech projects each focusing on a specific area, such as organizing your speech and using body language. An evaluator offers feedback on each of your speeches, helping you to improve. Earn a Competent Communicator award by completing all the speech projects in Competent Communication.'

http://www.toastmasters.org/en/Shop/Education/Manuals/communication-track/Competent%20Communication_225.aspx

• Speech 1: The Ice Breaker — The first speech of the Toastmasters program is about introducing yourself to your peers, providing a benchmark for your current skill level, and standing and speaking without falling over.
• Speech 2: Organize Your Speech — Introduces the basic concepts of organizing a speech around a speech outline.
• Speech 3: Get to the Point — Clearly state your speech goal, and make sure that every element of your speech focuses on that goal.
• Speech 4: How to Say It — Examines word choice, sentence structure, and rhetorical devices.
• Speech 5: Your Body Speaks — Shows how to complement words with posture, stance, gestures, facial expressions, and eye contact.
• Speech 6: Vocal Variety — Guides you to add life to your voice with variations in pitch, pace, power, and pauses.
• Speech 7: Research Your Topic — Addresses the importance of backing up your arguments with evidence, and touches on the types of evidence to use.
• Speech 8: Get Comfortable With Visual Aids — Examines the use of slides, transparencies, flip charts, whiteboards, or props.
• Speech 9: Persuade With Power — Discusses audience analysis and the different forms of persuasion available to a speaker.
• Speech 10: Inspire Your Audience — The last of ten speeches, this project challenges the speaker to draw all their skills together to deliver a powerful inspirational message.

http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/toastmasters-speech-0-competent-communicator/

10 speeches, each interesting, challenging and terrifying.

 

Wish me luck!

AT

Criteria? Accepted.

 Hello!

Today I'm going to evaluate my stories, tasks and habits present in the sprint and explain the acceptance criteria of which I'm holding these to stand against. In the agile world, when all the acceptance criteria have been achieved the stories would be marked as 'done'.

When everyone would be happy with the results the group would then mark the task as 'done, done'. In this framework of utilising agile for personal development I will review the tasks as done as I burn through them but it will be my scrum masters who will be marking the tasks as 'done done'.

So, how am I judging whether the jobs have been completed?

 Business/Career/Studies

Stories	Tasks
As an agile Timelord I want to read one non-fiction book a month so that I become more knowledgeable on useful and interesting topics.	This two week sprint I plan to read 'How to Win Friends and Influence People'
As an agile Timelord I want to read one fiction book a month so that I become more well-read and cultured.	This sprint I plan to read 'The Handmaid's Tale'
As an agile Timelord I want to listen to 4 business podcasts a week so that I learn more about business culture and best practices.	This sprint I plan to listen to Entrepreneur on Fire and Entreleadership podcasts

As I hope to never stop learning this epic will never be 'done done', however the individual tasks can work their way up to achieving that status. However I feel reading the book, may not be enough to gain all the information I need on it, so, here are my acceptance criteria for marking a book as 'done' and 'done done'.


Done:
Read the book / listen to the audiobook/podcasts in full
Read the wikipedia page (if available) and following references to understand the importance of the text (book only)
Feel speaking on themes and issues raised

Once these have been completed I will mark the task as 'done'. You may have guessed already how I mark the task as 'done done'...

Done Done:
Discuss the book with my scrum team giving an overview of the text and its wider impact
Discuss issues and tips presented in the podcasts

Spiritual

Stories	Tasks
As an agile Timelord I want to feel calm and confident through meditation so that I am less stressed	I will download the Headspace meditation app and work through the 10 day programme

Done:
Download the app and work through the programme


Done done:
Show progress to scrum masters of completion/workthrough of the app

Health

Stories	Tasks
As an agile Timelord I want to work out at least 5 times a week so that I lose weight and tone my body.	I will use a fitness DVD in the mornings, waking up an hour earlier to do so
As an agile Timelord I want to walk at least 10,000 steps each day so I set myself an active benchmark to lose weight.	I will track my steps using a Fitbit Charge HR tracking my progress using the app and dashboard. As such I will aim to have a weekly accumulative total of 70,000 steps
As an agile Timelord I want to chart my progress and set a target of losing 2lb of weight a week so that I can reach my overall goal.	My current weight is 200lb, by weighing myself daily and keeping up with my more active lifestyle I will track my progress

Done:
Performing the work out at least 5 days out of 7 day week
Walking 10,000 steps per day
Sustained weight loss - achieving a total weight of 164lb


Done done:
Proof of workout completion using FitBit Charge HR to scrum team
Proof of step count using FitBit Charge HR to scrum team - screen shot if necessary
Proof of weight to scrumteam - charted over time

Personal Growth

Stories	Tasks
As an agile Timelord I want to be able to feel confident in any situation so that I am comfortable	I will attend the local Toastmasters meeting to build up my confidence in public situations and learn greater public speaking habits
As an agile Timelord I want to be able to relax under the public gaze so that I can grow in my career	I will change my wardrobe and dress to the occasion, presenting myself as a confident individual will be easier if I dress as one.

Done:
Attending local Toastmasters
Purchase of new clothes

Done done:
Proof of attendance of Toastmasters and report back to scrumteam
Show new wardrobe and justify purchase to stakeholders - adapt work clothes

 Social

Stories	Tasks
As an agile Timelord I want a growing blog so that I grow my writing skills	I will update the blog daily informing of my progress, experiences and future plans.

Done:
Updated blog at least 5 days out of 7 per week


Done done:
Presentation of blog and progress to stakeholders (and of course, you guys)


So, this is what I want to do, and this is how I will judge myself and hold myself accountable.

With the first sprint underway I'm making good progress and feel confident that I can update you (external parties interested), my partner (key stakeholder) and co-workers (scrum masters/assisting departments) as the sprint rolls on!

Challenge accepted.

 

Thanks for reading,

AT