August 5, 2020

Notes by Arjun Patel

Today’s class was about determination. How do we get over the feeling of failure? Determination is the answer. Determination means to never give up. There was a poem that said that the next step is always the hardest step. We have to push through and not quit.

There are 3 steps we have to follow to before any activity:

1. Before we engage in any activity, say “thank you”
2. Close our eyes, set a defined goal, and visualize reaching that goal.
3. Always finish what you start

We watched a scene from Kung Fu Panda:

Poe is at the peach tree of wisdom eating dumplings. Master Oogway comes up behind and says “You are eating because you are upset.” Poe denies this even though it is true. Master Oogway knows this and Poe eventually tells him that he is upset because his training is going terribly and all of the rest of the students are better than him. Master Oogway tells him a saying: “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.”

We learn from this that whenever we feel like quitting, we think about the past and the future, while we should be thinking about the present.

We had to turn our bodies as much as we could without moving our feet. Then, we had to visualize ourselves doing it. When we visualize things, the same part of our brain activates as if you were actually doing it. There was a study on people that had paralyzed limbs after a stroke. One group of people just had all of the medicine and another group had the medicine and visualized their limbs moving. The group that visualized their limbs moving recovered faster. You have to visualize yourself doing well.

We are only allowed to quit when we achieve a small goal.

RAW: Build a nice bird feeder and read the book “Oh, the places you’ll go”.

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Notes by Sanna Luthra

Recap of last week’s class — Insecurity/Vision:

The virtue to overcome insecurity is vision. See our own growth and potential in the future. Feel confident about what you are doing instead of being insecure and not confident in what you are doing.

Topic: How to overcome the feeling of quitting

The virtue to overcome quitting is determination. This means always moving forward in the activity you are doing, and to never give up. Starting the activity is hard, but continuing it is even harder. Do not predict your future failures and do not remember your past failures. Focus on the present.

3 steps to practice determination:

1. Give thanks to express how grateful you are for getting the opportunity.
2. Visualize ourselves achieving our defined goals.
3. Finish what you start.

R.A.W. for this week is: Build a nice bird feeder.

Also, read “Oh, the places you’ll go” by Dr. Seuss. Lastly, next week is the last class.