Tag: reading

Automatic payment posted from WP? Must be time to write something, so I don’t feel “Helpless”.

~ Malcolm Flex ~ Leave a comment

Greetings, people of the internet, my hubris has reminded me that WordPress’s annual auto-renew was due, so a nonzero amount of money was deducted from my barely above zero bank account. I am not crying poor, just I’m just poor (FR FR as the kids & terminally online say). Because, like a savvy savage with a degree in social science, I work as a teacher, and the money spent on a domain is a reminder of a story I tell myself:
If I subtract the “.wordpress”, I can add real-deal Writer to my (unmonitized) titles. But that’s a different concept from the one I have been motivated to write about today. For anyone who cares, it might be somewhat related to Sunk-Cost Fallacies, but that’s something that still needs to get outlined before I can write about ways thinking can go wrong. Since today I desire to review ideas that I hope to incorporate into a future lecture on he book “Learned Optimism”.

Back when I was still a mere undergrad during the Summer of 2010, after a harrowing Spring semester full of setbacks, I found myself introduced to the research of Martin E. P. Seligman, PhD. for the curious wiki link, for those who can imagine how fate has a sense of humor it wasn’t because I sought wisdom for the things too sad to talk about. No, I was just enrolled in — Research Methodology & Statistics Testing, with a Professor who published two editions of “Statistics for dummies”. So in the infinite wisdom of a professor who was teaching a Summer course required for Psych majors (strangely Prof. had his LinkedIn profile listed as “Data Scientist”, actually it wasn’t strange 90% of the course was Statistics, by hand) it was decided the best way to cover Experimental Design, IRB ethical guidelines & makes sure all the bright-eyed future education major converts he knew that he would weed out of the class once the refund period was over: We talked about Learned Helplessness.

Now, the strawman out there might be confused and wondering if I am confusing my terms. Since I introduced “Learned Optimism,” there is a tale that Martin shares regarding years ago, his Daughter observed how he came home from work with an expression that would make a Daughter want to remark. Asking him if he could change how he thought about the many problems he faced, maybe he could be a bit happier at home.

So he worked on it.
Without spoiling his other research on Helplessness, as I find it as depressing as reading “Old Yeller”. I would like to go back to my favorite format of communicating on the internet and share the takeaways that you too can benefit from, Martin going back and challenging old beliefs he carried about the world.
1. Challenge Negative Thoughts: Seligman emphasizes the importance of recognizing and challenging pessimistic thoughts. When faced with a setback, practice identifying negative self-talk and consciously replacing it with more balanced and positive alternatives.

2. Use the ABCDE Model: The author introduces the ABCDE model for reframing thoughts:
• Adversity: Identify the challenge.
• Belief: Examine your beliefs about the adversity.
• Consequence: Consider the consequences of those beliefs.
• Disputation: Dispute the negative beliefs.
• Effect: Evaluate the effect of changing your beliefs. This model helps in developing a more optimistic outlook.

3. Practice Gratitude: Seligman suggests regularly practicing gratitude to shift your focus from negative to positive aspects of life. Keeping a gratitude journal where you note things you’re thankful for can improve overall well-being.

4. Set Realistic Goals: The book highlights the significance of setting achievable goals that can lead to a sense of accomplishment. Break larger goals into smaller, manageable steps to create a positive feedback loop and boost motivation.

5. Cultivate Resilience: Seligman emphasizes building resilience through facing challenges and learning from failures. Embrace setbacks as opportunities for growth, and develop coping strategies that help you bounce back from adversity.

6. Surround Yourself with Positivity: The author notes that the company you keep can influence your outlook. Surround yourself with optimistic and supportive individuals who encourage a positive mindset, enhancing your own resilience and optimism.

7. Engage in Positive Activities: Seligman encourages engaging in activities that promote joy and fulfillment, such as hobbies, exercise, or volunteering. These activities can enhance your mood and reinforce a more optimistic perspective on life.

These practical lessons from “Learned Optimism” provide valuable strategies for cultivating a more optimistic mindset, improving mental health, and fostering resilience in the face of challenges. By consciously practicing these techniques, individuals can transform their outlook and enhance their overall quality of life.

5 for Friends 12/1/19

~ Malcolm Flex ~ 1 Comment

Quote: “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” Winston Churchill, a feeling as the days get shorter; it is often a simple reminder to know what view am I looking at the world. 

Currently reading: Extracted by R.R Haywood What can I say other than I love time travel! Because it often rides so close to being just another story, except for the science fantasy McGuffin, which can save or destroy everything that matters to the characters. A team-up story of three capable and brave in fictional British history who are extracted out of the timeline to prevent their deaths and hopefully prevent an even worst disaster. 

Article worth a read:  What I learned from my first powerlifting meet Lifehacker’s Health editor, over the last year, has become one of my favorite creators to read weekly. With this article and has been refreshing to see and be reminded of the beginner mindset and why this mindset is especially valid, as I come closer to another event and training with absolute beginners. 

Small Purchase: There is not much that comes to mind as a small purchase that has been worth sharing. With it being Thanksgiving, I am just going to note that after all the family gatherings, the most valuable investment in my week was heading up to Coolstuff Games with a friend and jumping into a 3 vs 3 Throne of Eldraine Draft. $12 that paid for 3.5hours of fun and catching up with one of my best mates.  

What am I working on:  The countdown continues as I’m delving into another Mud Run, and getting ready for the slog. So the work out of the day to ensure I am getting the explosive work in. 

12min AMRAP
12 Cal Bike
12 Deadlifts (155/105)
9 Hang Power Cleans (155/105)
9 Strict HSPU

5 for Friends 11/19/19

~ Malcolm Flex ~ Leave a comment

Quote:  “Be a practical dreamer, backed by action.”- Bruce Lee
This is the foundation of my life philosophy that captures sometimes big hairy audacious goals sound nice, but they still need to be grounded enough so I know how to take the first step.

Book currently reading: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson
Late to the game this was a refreshing read of the stoic approach to my own life, that has a modern sensibility, well very plainly states how we care too much about matters outside of our own control.

Article worth a read: Stop using public USB ports
That’s right, according to LA county district attorney advised against using the default data cable to charge your phone at these public ports, due to the risk your data could be compromised.
The silver lining to the doomsaying, the comments section did mention you can always use a charge only cable to ensure no data connectivity is an option.

Small Purchase: By no means is this an endorsement of this specific branch, but I took advantage of finally seeing a chiropractor. There was a chain called The Joint that accepted a walk in who commented on there isn’t so much as an apparent skeletal issue, which is a relief, but confirmed I do sit like a goblin while I hack away on my keyboard.
And for $29 for an assessment and adjustment is just the kind of arb
https://www.thejoint.com/

What am I working on:  One more competition down; Critical Fit put on another great annual tournament at Gett-it where the team I drafted got to experience their physical limits and go beyond, in an obstacle course relay race that was my wildest elementary school dreams. The stipulations of the draft with 5 friends who wanted to captain was to form a team with 1 male and 1 female with less than a year of weightlifting/training experience. Mostly to keep from doing exactly what the top 3 performing teams did which is like gamers optimize teams for the challenges.
Moving on with this team work kick in the next couple weeks the gang will be heading down to South Florida for a December Tough Mudder! So to train I broke down the demands and keeping my training geared towards building explosive pulls and stabilizing.

Warm-up 2min bike
5 Romanian Deadlift
5 Hang Power Cleans
5 Front Squats
5 Push Press

Mobility
10 Good mornings
10 PVC Windmills
10 Toy Soldiers
10 WGS
10 Cossacks
10 Scorpions
10 Crash Victims
:30 Pigeon
Weightlifting
Thruster (5-5-5-5-5)
building E2MOM
Metcon (AMRAP – Rounds and Reps)15min AMRAP
4 Bar Muscle Up
8 Deadlifts (135/95)
12 Alt. Pistols

5 for friends 11/12/19

~ Malcolm Flex ~ Leave a comment

Quote:  “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.”Henry David Thoreau
With enough years of experience this is far from rah-rah optimism, but an insight to how our minds work. The saying we become what we think about most.

Book currently reading:  Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari
A couple years ago the when the book was first released I was hesitant to pick it up, despite not realizing that my favorite genre is Nonfiction with a shot of self aware humor. But, it was recently on an Audible Sale and I had a drive to Tampa I was making. It spoke to the very real and often frustrating experience of rarely ever feeling like you’re being yourself or getting to know a person very well in the initial phase of dating online.
The biggest take away I recall was how in modern friendships making plans somehow requires being your own secretary with the other person scheduling time. Essentially requiring another skill and a degree of luck for people to interact with each other in the physical world.

Article worth a read: You might not actually be middle class [Fast Company]
In this 6 minute read the author highlights how a demonstrably large percentage of Americans (70%) believe they are in the Middle Class, and how that mindset itself impacts higher earners who report do not feel financially secure in their own position. From a cultural perspective this is interesting to me.
Small Purchase: A recent purchase I can’t believe it took me so long to get for myself has been a adjustable monitor arm for my home office desk. Now I do have the link of an Amazon Basic Model that when pulling it up is certainly not the price I paid, so I would like to make a non sponsored recommendation to download Honey as an extension so you can have AI search for the most competitive price of an item. While we live in an age of 6 Sigma reduced variability, spending more for an item really doesn’t make much sense.
Lol, as an after thought the real reason for the monitor arm is because I use my Laptop or Ipad for everything, but when working on a project having a second larger screen off my desk and rotate it with a twist is likely my favorite thing I didn’t know my soul was missing.

What am I working on:  My body has taken a back burner from the open after having a sprain that lasted a few weeks, and taking care to avoid doing anything strenuous as I keep on pace with my larger made up goal: building the stamina and mental toughness to conquer a Spartan Trifecta. Specifically the longer distance races, Super and Beast.
This week going into a Charity Competition that has a lot of demand for jumping, pulling and bounding today’s metcon brings home a lot of what I plan on tuning up:

Metcon (Time)18-15-12-9-6-3
Thruster (75/55)
Power Snatch (75/55)
T2B

5 FOR FRIENDS 10/29/19

~ Malcolm Flex ~ Leave a comment

Quote:  “Know your limits but never stop trying to exceed them.”

Book currently reading: Talking to Strangers: What we should know about the people we don’t know
By Malcolm Gladwell
Like many curious people, Gladwell is among my all time favorite writers and this book is worth it’s time to sit down and dig into. Like the fusion of Outliers and Blink, Talking to Strangers is home for so many interesting ideas about how humans “people” amongst each other and captures how all too often how mental shortcuts lead to major consequences when situations fall into just different enough parameters.

Article worth a read: Scientists may have found a structural cause of anxiety in this article the author addresses how certain cells and molecules are that produce/cause of anxiety (within rodent populations full study). The study by no means prove that they understand the pathology or the root cause of anxiety, but this does show aberrant microglia activity is associated with many neurological and psychiatric disorders, and that’s a meaningful step forward than ghost in your blood causing your mood.


Small Purchase: I am a sucker for a great deal, and during my freshman year of college spent my entire first paycheck at Express, just because I stacked discounts and got 90% off everything. This time I finally got to relive those thrifty days and finally opened the piggy bank for 4 new fitted dress shirts. The last 6 months has been struggle with all of my old shirts fitting too tight in the check and collar that I risk a wardrobe malfunction of akin to the 2014 Hulk out after my first few months getting into powerlifting.
There was a final sale of all of the clearance, and conveniently as their sizes have slimmed more and more over the years I know get to experience what it’s like to be a young Governator without needing a tailor, $4.95 for XXL extra slim fit shirts that I once used to pay 69.95 a piece for back in the when I was originally a Smedium and wanted to look fashionable with fitted shirts that I couldn’t afford.
The quality from how it feels is the same as shirts that have been since gifted to my older little brother. Since there’s 1MX shirts I’ve bought back in ’04 that short of replacing a button show no signs of fading.

What am I working on: This week post terrain race I need to work on slowing down! I mean that in so many ways: as if on cue in tandem with my over reliance on caffeine for the last few weeks in the middle of stretching for a 5k my back went on strike and decided everything was wound too tight. Current goal after spending the evening on a heat pack and feeling out a potential sprain.
The goal is to spend a little time cycling on a recumbent bike and catch up on some pulpy sci-fi novels and not lift any weights.

5 FOR FRIENDS 10/15/19

~ Malcolm Flex ~ Leave a comment

Quote:  “When you have confidence, you can have a lot of fun. And
when you have fun, you can do amazing things.”Joe Namath
There are truly amazing things you can do when you believe you can.

Book currently reading: Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb. Book one of the Farseer Trilogy was on my reading list for a very long time. It has been months since reading a book that reminds me of The Name of the Wind, The KingKiller Chronicles. It is an unfair comparison because the similarities begin and end with it being the narrator telling the story and taking pauses for some omissions from memory.
But I am a sucker for a coming of age story of a bastard trying to find his place in the world.

Article worth a read:  New typeface hides a secret in plain sight
I have a not so secret love for good design. And this goes double for new insights that help special populations. Reading about how designers are going against conventions and working with the Braille Institute of America to create fonts that are easier to read for the visually impaired warms my heart. On the nose naming convention aside, “Hyper-legible” typeface borrows from a smattering of fonts for the visually impaired better distinguish letters, such as “E” & “F” instead of keeping to aesthetic choices for uniformity.

Small Purchase: Instead of a small purchase, a small gesture that had very little cost for me except for sleep was leaving work and cooking dinner for a friend that keeps even worst hours than I do. But, for the costs of ingredients and prep time some tortellini and asparagus made for a great dinner.

What am I working on:  Last week was the beginning of the CrossFit open 20.1 and it was an aggressive time cap of 10 rounds of Ground to Overheads and Burpees reminded that even after 4 months of high volume you work, will not undo 3 years of strongman lifts.
My current aim is to continuing get faster and improve my endurance to be a great allrounder. In the meantime babying my elbow and making sure I don’t reinjure it.