Fin.

That’s it folks. The project is at its end. I didn’t post anything for May because the focus was to stay off the internet for anything unnecessary, with ‘necessary’ being the online class I was taking. When that was over and I rolled into June… I realized I really didn’t need to take this all the way to my birthday.

Over the past year, I’ve met incredible people, checked off a few silly bucket list items, saw parts of the world I did not expect to see, fixed some things about myself that I wasn’t happy with, and recognized a few more areas of improvement to take on. I spent time focusing on patience, frugality, spirituality, lightening up, and beefing up my body and brain. I ditched bad habits like nail biting and picked up a positive habit in meditating.  Most importantly though, I worked on collecting all of the tools I’ll need when life is more or less getting me down.

I won’t belabor the point in saying more than ‘this was a good idea.’ I’m happy that I actually did it and kept up with it more or less for twelve whole months. That’s tough for most attention spans.

So. That’s that. Unceremoniously ending.

-Jamie

Crown on the ground.

Music by Sleigh Bells.

Oi! (Haven't been able to stop saying that since Australia poisoned my mind).
It's been way too long.

The project is almost over, which I am kind of looking forward to.

This month has gone exceptionally well though, at least as far as 'doing what I told myself I would do' goes. Every day, I've been diligent in learning something new. It's not hard to do though, when you're taking an anatomy/physiology class. Every day I end up shocked that I didn't know something so simple about the body... At least I'm getting educated now. Better late than never?*

I've also been making up for the slack of last month's workouts. I started a workout program through Gym Jones (online). The men in 300 were trained under this company, so I'm excited to see what I'll get out of it. So far, I've been abused in ways like 'row 5000m for time' or 'do 100 Turkish get-ups.' It can be brutal, and this is just the foundation month. But since I love working out, I'm happily sweating away in a small corner of the gym.

On top of studying anatomy every day, I'm also in Tokyo to brush up on my Chinese. It's been so difficult with the non-English speaking teachers we have, but it's already helped my speaking tremendously. Plus, living here for the month is amazing. I'd stay in the Navy if they gave me orders to Tokyo. Checked out Tokyo's gay pride this past weekend, and it was... packed. I was pleasantly surprised by the turn out, and I even ran into some people I knew from my home base.

Tokyo has also been great for meeting people. I get to play ultimate with an awesome team (Kuru) and a smattering of other super friendly, talented people. The people are kind, the food is delicious, and the women are beautiful. I just... don't know that I need anything else in life. Oh, maybe for some of those women to be gay. And to be fluent in Japanese. That would help.

I love Japan. I love this month.
-Jamie

*Not applicable for everything.

How did I get here?

Music brought to you by ODESZA.

Wow, whirlwind week (say that a few times fast). For the last week of March, I was in Australia. Towards the end I realized my mom was having a retirement party on a date I was actually free. With my dad and sister, we organized a surprise for her.

I got back to Japan from Australia and hopped on a plane back to the states two days later. Spent the night with my sister, worked out with my dad the next morning, and surprised my mom at her school that afternoon. It was a beautiful moment; she grabbed me and squeezed my arms while looking me up and down to make sure I was really there. Then she cried, obviously.

So for the past few days I’ve been in Tennessee hanging out with my family. I got to meet my brother’s wife (absolutely lovely lady) and brand new baby girl. I saw some old friends, met some new ones, and ate comfortable American foods.

Didn’t focus very much on the project; I feel like that’s been gradually slipping since I don’t need it anymore. But I did learn something new almost every day- a few of which were debated hotly in the Fleshman household.

Overall, it was a lovely weekend; first time in four years that all the family was in one place. Crazy.

-Jamie

April: Get smart(er).

April:

Get smart(er).

- Learn something, anything, every day.
- Incorporate Luminosity.
- Research instead of accept.

Yeahyeahyeah, I get told I'm smart all the time; all my life it's been that way. Studies have shown that children are affected negatively by that praise. It's more beneficial to their development to say something like, "Oh, what great work ethic you have!" Rewarding them for working hard reinforces the habit, therefore producing a child that strives to dig at everything. Telling a kid they're smart only makes them feel the pain of failure times a billion. So they're afraid to fail and try to skate by on this natural genius they've been told they are in high supply of.

I suffer from the latter affliction.
Also, when someone tells me I'm smart, I feel like Ricky Bobby in that interview. I just don't know what to do with my hands.

This month, however, I would like to put a spotlight on learning. Every day, I'll learn something (doesn't matter by what method or from which learning medium). I will incorporate the luminosity app that promises to expand my thinking, just to see where it goes. And normally when someone says something with enough conviction, I'm quick to accept it as truth. Not this month! I will try to research things on my own accord and arrive at the meaning myself.

That's all I've got on my plate this month. Should be easy enough since I start my Anatomy and Physiology course next Monday as well as language training down in Tokyo the weekend after that. Learning should occur... or there is something wrong with my braiiiin.
-Jamie

Wildest moments.

Welllllllll, looks like March was a semi-failure. Worked out a ton at the beginning, snowboarded a lot, and generally was careful with food.

Then I went to Australia.
Vacations are not conducive to healthy eating and exercise- got it. I understand.

But I had a blast- saw pretty beaches, met a koala, stared at many gorgeous Australians, and feel like my accent is really coming along now. Overall, it was a good vacation, and I intend on going back.



As for the month of March?... meh, could've gone better. Could've eaten fewer cupcakes, drank less alcohol, and brought my heartbeat up more often.
But today I was asked, "Will your uniforms even fit anymore? You've lost hella weight."
So that's a win.
-Jamie

Blue Hawaii.

Music by ASTR.

This week was amazeballs.

That is not a word.

So because I deploy a lot, when I get back from deployment I get what's called post-deployment leave. That's up to three free days of leave. Yes, I said free. What that meant for me this past week was that I worked Monday and I worked Friday - I did not have to go in for that obnoxious middle part.
Whaaaaat?! Yes. That happened.

What did I do with all that time? Oh, I just went snowboarding every single day. Yeah, I did that. And it was a much needed vacation.

Suffice it to say, I met my workout quota of the week.

Also, I spent a majority of the time with a GoPro strapped to my chest or in my hand. I got a lot of video footage of myself and some friends boarding (read: wiping out) that I am now piecing together in an epic montage.

(Huge thanks to youtube for providing me with how-to videos)
Alright, back to my corner to work on this editing bit.
-Jamie

Gooey.

Music by Glass Animals.

Why doesn't everyone love exercise?! I don't get it. It's hard, I get that much. You tire easily, you don't want to lift heavy things right now, you don't want to get sweaty, you don't have the money to be part of a gym, etc. I've heard so many excuses. But.. but.. it's FUN. Well, not the act of it.

The results. I absolutely love seeing the results of my hard work. They make themselves known when I set a personal record during a 5k road race. They show up when I don't get out of breath walking up ten flights of stairs. They appear magically when I have to lift a 50-70lb box off the ground to put it on a shelf. It's not even about looking good... though that certainly is appealing to me. It's about knowing my body will carry me through life and not break down through non-use. It's knowing that I did everything I could to make my body work to its design.

I got into a bit of a tiff with my younger bro over Skype last night. He works in a kitchen as one of the top guys and claims that his shifts there are definitely workout enough. I disagreed, to which he got very offended- because I "don't know the half of his job." No, I know little to absolutely nothing about working on the line in a kitchen. But I do know the physical demands of working on a flight line and in a plane for about 14 hours a day. I know what physically demanding jobs are. Though now that I'm reviewing the conversation in my head, he did have a point. My brother doesn't spend an hour almost every day at the gym a week. He hasn't been working out consistently for the past two or three years like I have. So maybe this job is as demanding as he can take right now. That's okay.

The conversation actually started because I think he should be doing something else in his free time other than going into his job early. Cool that you love your job, bro, but you need a hobby.

Gettin' ripped is my hobby. For now.
Anyway, progress update- set a personal record for my deadlift (#245).

And for the next week, I'll get to snowboard four times. How lucky am I?!
Go fitness!
-Jamie

March: Get fit(ter).

March

Get fit(ter).

- Work out at least five times a week.

- Incorporate more cardio.

- Vary between biking, running, and swimming.

- Monitor weight fluctuation.

- Keep tabs on personal records.

Okay okay, so this month will be an easy one for me. I love working out. I love getting sweaty, walking around the sweaty gym, staring at all the sweaty people on their sweaty machines, etc.

A few years ago I got into crossfit because a friend of mine had his certification to instruct. So I went. I spent an hour learning how to throw a kettlebell around, squatting as they say people in third world countries do naturally during every day activities, and participating in my very first miniature WOD (workout of the day). I walked away from that building with a desire to be fit.

Skipping all the other things that led me into a life of fitness, since I'm saving that speech for when I complete my first marathon (this December), I will say that the path I've traversed has been a fun one. Living in Hawaii taught me appreciation for things like hiking and surfing, while my last relationship found me participating in cycling and running events. These days I'm much more into free weights and Olympic lifting, and I just set a PR for my deadlift at #245... My fitness world is varied.

Since I started cutting out wheat products last June and dedicating more time to consistent workouts, I've lost roughly 15lbs and stay around that weight normally. However, recently I've begun slipping from that controlled 'diet,' and the workouts are no longer as intense as before.

Not this month! I will not promise to workout every day, because I've already broken that, and sometimes a girl just needs some rest. But I do promise to make my absolute best effort in working out at least five, if not six times a week. These workouts will be intense some days and light on others. I just really need to get back into that dedication and hard work frame of mind.

Plus, I'm going to Australia at the end of the month to visit a friend.

I need to look fit.

Oh, and I signed up for that silly marathon at the end of the year... should probably really get into running shape.

-Jamie

Weekend of hearts.

Tara Simmons.

Ooookay. First time skipping a whole week, but I’ve been busy. Not a big deal.

I’ve meditated every evening, I’ve contemplated if psychology is really the field I want, I’ve stopped biting my nails (for the millionth time), I’ve consciously done something for someone almost every day, and the list goes on.

But something was off last week. I stopped working out as religiously as I had been and stopped eating as healthily as usual, because I felt down. Other than this being obviously related to female monthly blues, I knew something was up.

Then it hit me.

For my birthday last year, a friend of mine gave me the book Into the Wild. He knew I liked the movie, but I hadn’t read the book. Inside the book, though, he wrote a note that essentially said, “Remember, happiness is best when shared.” (I say essentially because I don’t have the book with me right now.)

That’s it. The whole thing. The whole project. It comes down to people. I’m happiest around people, I’m happiest in the moments shared with another person.

Turns out, all I’ve really learned from re-focusing is that happiness for me simply means being social.

This month has at least shown me that. From here out, I’m going to not just focus on fixing myself by looking inward. When I spend my month working on getting fit, I’ll share that with another person. When I focus on getting smarter every day, I’ll bring someone else into the learn-vest. When I disconnect from electronics, it’ll be to spend time with human beings that I genuinely enjoy being around and meeting new people.

I was dumped by someone who valued being alone to solve problems more than being with someone else. I’m not like that, and I never will be.

I’m too social.

-Jamie

February: Refocus.

February

Refocus.

- Get back into morning routines.

- Stop silly bad habits… again.

- Contemplate ideal career path.

- Consciously do something for someone else, every day.

- Dedicate time to myself every day.

Alright! Another month down, only five more to go.

This project has kind of wandered about, not taking root like I had intended. However, I’m not discouraged. I set out to obtain a healthier outlook and gain insight on things I really needed in my life. I pretty much knocked that off the list after the second or third month, but I kept going because I knew there would be much more to learn from it in the end. After seven months of picking different parts of my life to focus on, I can honestly say that I’m doing a lot of good things now that I would not have done without the project (not going to list them now).

Originally, I had February as ‘contemplate careers,’ but I’ve more or less figured that out since starting this. So instead, I will take February to catch up and refocus on what I might have been slacking on for a while now. The plan is to get back into my morning routine of push-ups and sit-ups, stop biting my nails (for the millionth time), amp up the positive talk towards others and myself, consciously make the effort to help someone else every day, and actually set time aside to focus on my personal needs.

The word February is frustrating to say. I try saying Feb-roo-airy, but it sounds weird. I could say Feb-yoo-airy like most of the population, but it feels wrong.

I really wish I knew how to spice up these silly notes. Every night, I write in a journal, so all of my witty comments just go to myself.

Whatever. There you go. This will be Feb-yoo-airy.

-Jamie

1957.

Music by Milo Greene.

Oooookay. I skipped writing one last weekend because there's really been nothing new. I've still avoided going out to eat, I've still spent most of my time at work or the gym, and I still have money invested.

That sums up January for you.

Actually, to really get into January, I've changed a lot of things about myself and have started focusing very hard on areas of my life I haven't put so much focus on before. It's kind of exhilarating.

But that update will come with February.
-Jamie

Acetate.

Music by Volcano Choir.

Phew, this month is blowing right by. So many great things have been happening! First, the idea to stop going out to eat all the time has been what I needed for a while. I have more time for just me. Second, with time for me, I've been focusing on my online college adventure as well as working out every day. The college bit is a money saving practice, because I'm using tuition assistance through the military. Taking these classes is free for me up to a certain amount each semester. Not a lot is better than free education. As for working out, I never feel better about myself than I do right after a killer workout. Okay, that may be a slight exaggeration, but it's not terribly far off.

In short, throw free education on top of released endorphins on top of home cooked meals on top of a pile of money... and you'll have the positivity I'm experiencing.

But that's silly, because you've got your own life. You may really dislike two of the four of those. So...
Go live your own life. And make it as good as, no better!, than mine feels right this second.
-Jamie

Our time.

Music by Wolf Saga.

Hold the phone!! Everyone, don't freak out, but... it's official. I am an investor.

When I read the Happiness Project, the author mentioned that every month, whatever she was focusing on was brought up externally (i.e. casually by a friend, coworker, the universe, etc.). Well it just so happens that that... happened. To me!

This month is all about finances and saving money, but finance is a topic avoided in most conversations. Imagine my surprise when the subject came up organically with a friend I've known for a few years. We often joke about her 'savings account' being money stashed under the mattress, but it turns out her sister's husband got her to invest this past year. And she's doing well. Thankfully, she was feeling generous enough to pass on her knowledge. I gave it a few days of thought before taking the leap of faith, but so far I'm happy with the results. I decided on a relatively low risk/low reward investment situation. Instead of investing in a single company, since I know almost nothing about this industry, I threw a chunk or two of change into accounts that are spread to the kind of middle-of-the-road companies. This theoretically gives me a more solid chance for healthy long-term growth.


Soooo excited right now. I feel like an adult... with real-live investments!
What is happening?!
-Jamie

Moneymoneymoooney.

This month so far has been fantastic... okay okay, it's only been five days, but still- fantastic.

What makes this month so fantastic is that it's easy to keep track of money. The failures or successes are obvious. The progress is quantitative. That's what I've been missing the past few months; it's hard tracking progress on concepts like spirituality and patience. With money and saving it, I just have to make a conscious effort to, well, save it. Duh.

Also helpful about saving money is that I have an excuse to not go out to dinner with the crew after a flight. That cuts down on the crap I'm putting in my body, since I'm forced to cook those meals with my own choice foods. I love a good home cooked meal. (I would love even more if someone home-cooked it for me, buuut I'm short a personal chef right this second. Or girlfriend.)

This all helps fuel my 'new' obsession with going to the gym. Now after flights, I don't get dragged into drinking or going out with friends, I drag myself to the gym. It's been great.



Alright. Off to not spend money.
Though it is kind of an addiction... impulse buying is a hard habit to kick.
-Jamie

January: Save money.

January

Save money.

- Stop impulse buying

- Weigh need vs. want

- Cook vs. go out

- Put more into savings, possible CD or something similar.

Alriiiiight, the new year is here! And I am sooo ready for it. Most of 2013 was really amazing for me, I'm just excited for the chance to make this entire year count- not just part of it.

Starting off strong with the intention of saving money... kind of a big deal for me. Thankfully, I'm lucky  to have a job with a steady paycheck. I'm even luckier that almost the entire paycheck is expendable, since my needs are covered by the government. My problem lies mostly in impulse buying. I have this money that I could do anything with, but I choose to spend it on whatever catches my attention in the moment. I've been better about it since deciding to get out of the Navy, but I'll need to up the ante.

A big problem where I work is going out to eat. It's so easy after a 16hr day to look around the room and drained faces and say, "Let's go out, we deserve it." This can happen anywhere from 4-6 nights a week. This month, I will make the genuine effort to decline invites out to dinner. In turn, I will be forced to cook more... you know, so as not to starve. Spending the money every week to cook will be much thriftier than eating out at places spending anywhere from $15-30 each on lunch and dinner. Buying my own groceries will get me right back into cooking, which I really enjoy when I do it. And that will just help me out on my overall health goal for the year.

Another thing I'd like to look into and possibly try is putting money in a CD. That or some other program that isn't just savings. Believe me, I've already started pumping plenty of extra money into the savings account just in the hopes of making more than a buck a month. It's a nice system for me, because the money is still accessible while accruing a bit more the whole time. I'm sure my bank has tons of options for me to put money away and make it untouchable for a while. I'll have to do some digging.

I will make exceptions for going out to eat for special occasions, and special occasions only. Such as tonight... I dog-sat for my good friends Christine and Ford, and they've offered to take me to dinner as a treat. That, I can do.

Happy New Year, everyone! I wish the best for everyone, and I hope that at the end of every day, you can sleep peacefully knowing you hold no grudges and regret nothing.

Also, I encourage you to take steps towards your own happiness this year. Find what makes you beam, and roll with it.

-Jamie