One thing I hate, one thing I love.

So I've just finished with my Tony Robbins Personal Power Day 6 exercise (don't laugh). Actually I'm not done, because I still have to find one thing that's good for me that I hate doing and analyze my motivations. Anyway, the exercise is to write down one thing I hate, and one thing love, and then rate them according to the following six categories. And Tony's prediction: the thing I love doing will rate highly in at least 4. So without further ado...


Anthony Robbins Personal Power Day 6 Exercise:

One thing I love to do: Play Piano

Certainty/Comfort - 9/10
I have years of experience I've built on. The musical notation is familiar. The keys are familiar. Chords and notes are familiar. The posture is familiar. It feels good to just sit there. I know I can handle it. If I'm learning something that's difficult, I can always relax with something that's very pleasing yet simple.

Uncertainty/Variety - 9/10
There is variety simply between every time I play a song. That's part of what practicing is. It's the variety that comes from growth, so that new expression can be passed through the same notes. And there's variety just in the style with which I play a piece. Beethoven offers up wonderful examples of this. Tempo alone makes such a huge difference in the feel of individual pieces. There's variety in learning new pieces. And certainly there's uncertainty. A piece that is difficult, that challenges my comfortable worldview. The ones I really have to work hard on.

Significance - 8/9
This is something I'm good at. This is something I enjoy. This is something that means something. When I can share the glory of all these past figures. When I really learn to play something well. That gives a sense of accomplishement.

Connection/Love - 5/6
This makes me feel more connected with myself. Certainly allows an outlet for the emotional brain that doesn't seem to exist in most everyday life. And there's connection with my teacher. But perhaps I don't share my skill enough to get connection/love?

Growth - 10
Learning new songs. Constantly relearning old ones. Learning to express songs I already know better and better. Always achieving for that height of perfection. The perfection of expression, which is unattainable. So there's always more to strive for.

Contribution - 3/4
This again goes with Connection/Love in terms of sharing with other people. I'm not sure exactly how this applies since I've thought of piano as more of a solitary activity and not one my peers induldge in so much. But there are some opportunities.

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One thing I hate to do: Shop for Clothes

Certainty/Comfort - 2
I mean yeah, there is some familiarity with seeing the same stores and the same brands but how is that comforting? Big whoop.

Uncertainty/Variety - -4
God clothes shopping sucks. The only variety I see here is the time wasted spent analyzing the different fits and appearances of the clothes I wish to buy so I can find the one that hopefully won't suck too bad.

Significance - 0
Haha, whoop. Corporate America. I get significance out of choosing between the Relaxed Fit and the Comfortable Fit. WHAT'S THE FUCKING DIFFERENCE??!!?! God, that and finding 32x34 size jeans. IS EVERY MAN FAT IN AMERICA OR WHAT!?!?!

Connention/Love - -4/5
Reminds me I'm all alone, doing this by myself, solely for the purpose of my appearance. How depressing. I can only handle about an hour or two before I HAVE TO LEAVE.

Growth - 0
How is this growth?

Contribution - -2
I have too much cynicism and read too much about sweatshops and what not to feel like I'm CONTRIBUTING to ANYTHING by purchasing clothes for 20 to 40 dollars a piece at a fucking RETAIL CHAIN with their urban retail sprawl and their massive parking lots and shitty wages and how does it cost so much when the laborers get pain in cents and yet the retail malls still operate in the red most of the time? Seriously, WTF!!??!?!? Fuck AMERICA!! Jesus! And by the way, there's nothing pretty or stimulating, or any sense of variety or whatever by having all the fucking green space in a city plowed over for a bunch of fucking retail shops layed out haphazardly, with NO SENSE OF AESTHETICS, ACCOMODATION FOR BIKES/PEDESTRIANS, OR SENSE OF HOW THEY FIT INTO A COMMUNITY (not that that really exists anywhere here).