The Dream Dean

Sunday, July 4, 2021 (Day 185)

NEW Relaxing Music for the week: East of Full Moon: Deuter (8:33) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBdkb0suFFI

Question: How do you measure personal growth? How do you know when you’ve grown as a person?

Answer: I don’t know if I can actually measure personal growth, per say. But I know that there are things I can do to measure whether I’m growing as a person or not. For example, one of the not-so-desirable habits I had was to mix in lots of sarcasm in my comments every day. It was always easy to find something smart-ass to say to almost everything. Now, I may make one sarcastic comment a day; and it seems to make a difference, especially when I’m with Rebecca. Right now, one of the things I’ve decided to do is reduce the amount of sugar I take in each day, so I’ve been very conscientious about eating sugary foods, especially before bed. It’s my hope that by reducing my sugar intake, it will provide me more energy to do more things. Other ways I can measure my growth:

• How much I read each day.
• Did I get a workout in?
• The number of steps I achieve that day.
• The number of hours I slept the previous night.
• Five positive/affirming comments for every one negative comment.
• Did I spend at least 15-30 minutes doing something towards my dreams?

These are just a sampling of items I use to see whether I’m growing as a person or not. In addition, just hearing friends, neighbors, and/or colleagues tell me that they’ve seen a change in me for the better is letting me know that I’m moving in the right direction. I’m learning that it’s the small things that add up to big returns in the long run.

Other Stuff

On Friday night, Rebecca and I decided to watch a movie. After reading a few written and YouTube reviews, I thought it would be a treat for us to watch “My Octopus Teacher” on Netflix. If you haven’t seen it, check out the Trailer here:

• My Octopus Teacher Trailer (2020) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s0LTDhqe5A

All I can say is that it was one of the most touching documentaries that I have ever seen. It’s a great story, one of those stories that makes you think about your place in life. If you haven’t watched it, check it out, and leave a comment with your thoughts; if you have, would love to hear your comments.