Archive for the 'Resolution Experiment' Category

December

Published
by
Richard Mondello
on December 1, 2008
in Resolution Experiment
. 2 Comments

My November goal was to better moderate my work and play time. And fortunately, I think I pulled it off! It was just a change of mindset in how I used my time. As in, “I’m going to hang out for a few hours, but then I’m going to go study.”

Simple, profound, successful.

My December goal is straightforward. I’m dedicating these next three weeks to doing as well as I can on my final exams and papers while not forgetting to have a good time. It’s easy to make the weeks leading up to and including finals miserable, so my goal is to avoid that pitfall.

It’s a very similar goal to November, to practice moderation. I’m certain it’s worthy of a second month.

What are your goals for finishing up the year? You didn’t forget your 2008 New Year’s Resolution, did you? If so, you should read up on my alternative and give it a try.

November

Published
by
Richard Mondello
on November 2, 2008
in Resolution Experiment and Tufts
. 2 Comments

Let’s talk about November, briefly.

Election day is here; please vote for change.

My Resolution Experiment continues. In October I said I would cut down on meat consumption, which was a huge success. I’m much happier and will likely continue down this path of moderation - which leads me to my goal for November.

At Tufts so far, I’ve had the habit of dividing my life into big chunks of work and play. I’ll spend an entire day doing nothing productive, and then suffer the next day because of it. In November, I’d like to moderate my work and play time to be easier on myself - smaller chunks of work, smaller chunks of play.

Join me, won’t you?

Pushing Forward

Published
by
Richard Mondello
on September 30, 2008
in Resolution Experiment and Ricky
. 0 Comments

Time is flying here at Tufts. In fact, it’s already the first day of October!

I know I’ve picked up a few readers since my last Resolution Experiment post, so I’ll explain the game I started playing on January 1, 2008. It’s easiest for me to quote myself from nine months ago.

A year is a long time. It’s around three hundred sixty-five days on our Gregorian calendar. By my unscientific estimate, most people forget their new year’s resolution a few months into the new year. Wouldn’t that time be better spent spacing out several small-scale resolutions - temporary efforts that add up to much more than the sum of their parts?

I think so. At least, it’s worth a shot.

I’ve had some successes and yes, some failures with this experiment. Here’s the way I look at it: with this experiment, this harmless effort, I’ve done more good for myself than if I hadn’t started it.

September was my month of adjusting to college life, which I think I’ve done a great job at. I made a conscious effort to be as sociable as possible, and I’m happy to say I now have an awesome group of friends. I plan to take it up a notch in October, however. I’ve decided to alter my diet somewhat and try an experiment that I never would have seen myself doing nine months ago.

I’m going to make a conscious effort to reduce the amount of meat that I eat on a daily basis.

To you, that might not sound like much. You’re right, it isn’t for lots of people. For me, however, it’s a paradigm shift. I come from a household where some type of meat is the cornerstone of most meals. Challenging that assumption, which I’m able to do with the ridiculously large selection of food at Tufts, opens doors.

Yes, I realize that this monthly resolution may sound exceedingly lame to you, but we all have our personal shortcomings and goals. For this reason, I call on you to try something new this month. Volunteer your time, go on a diet, make an effort to get organized, read more, start an exercise routine, or try anything to be an even better person than you already are.

And please, let me know how it goes.

New Direction, New Beginning

Published
by
Richard Mondello
on August 26, 2008
in Ideas, Resolution Experiment, Ricky and Site News
. 9 Comments

I’m sitting in a hotel room in Boston with my family, ready to move in to Tufts tomorrow morning. I’m very excited, but predictably scared. It’s a huge change for me - from the countryside of Dover Plains to the urban sprawl of Boston.

In the beginning of this year, I vowed to set a new goal or focus for each month and work at it. I’ve done it before and I’ll do it again - I messed up. August was noticeably missing a resolution, but the most important part of accomplishing a goal is getting back on track when knocked off course.

Let’s get back on track. I’m dedicating September to trying new things, meeting new people, and immersing myself in new experiences. Although this is what college is all about, I plan to put special effort into this endeavor. I won’t lay back and let these experience find me; I’m going to go out and seek them myself.

Besides the changes in my life, you may have noticed a change on this blog. Because this is a very symbolic time in my life, a time of transition, I changed the color scheme of the blog to something much more refreshing. It’s only one of many changes that I have lined up for this website when I get some free time.

I don’t know how my blogging will change now that I’m starting college, but I assure you that I will continue to write. I’m not sure how often or about what, but I will always write about the important things in my life and how they may relate to you, especially when it comes to bettering our world.

I hope you’ll stay with me on this journey.

July Resolution

Published
by
Richard Mondello
on July 5, 2008
in Resolution Experiment
. 3 Comments

In June, I enjoyed the time I had left in high school. I’m so glad I made that the focus of my month. No regrets.

For July, as part of my Resolution Experiment, I’m going to go for a jog once a day. I’m setting no other regulations other than that I’m going to go out and move my body.

Let’s see how this goes. Lord knows I can use some more exercise.

June Resolution

Published
by
Richard Mondello
on May 30, 2008
in Resolution Experiment
. 0 Comments

You may have noticed that I didn’t do a post in May for my Resolution Experiment. I took the month off. I’ve been going though a lot of trouble with the problems in school and I decided that my best course of action was to drop some non-necessary endeavors. That doesn’t mean, however, that I’ve given up on my New Year’s Revolution.

June’s resolution, for instance, is to enjoy my last days as a high school student. It may seem silly, but I won’t regret this.