On the intellectual side, I left my job as a computer programmer to start
my own business
as a web developer and tech writer. There was nothing "extropic" about
my job, except the fact that I would never break more than around $100000
a year...being on my own has brought in a lot less money in the short term
but I am hopeful that it will pay off in the long run. It has also allowed
me to
go all around the world (speaking at Internet World) and expose myself
(ahem)
to a lot of new ideas and cultures. I've studied a number of mnemonics; one
in
particular is very useful for memorizing long strings of numbers (oxymoron
there).
I've also studied (legitimate) lightning math methods to increase my
calculation speed.
On the physical side, I began a workout regimen working out three times a
week
and inline skating every night. I have found this to reduce the amount of
sleep I need
and greatly improve my awareness and lucidity in the morning. I've shifted
the meat
portion of my diet down to about 10%, which I feel is good enough for jazz.
I've also
been practicing a breathing exercise designed to increase lung capacity.
It's a very
unscientific test, but the best evidence of its success was a trip to
Colorado. On a previous
visit, I was left wheezing and light headed at the top of Pike's Peak. This
time, I felt almost
no effects. I've studied the martial arts, in the form of Kenpo, a Chinese
rooted art with
some American accents. I still have a long way to go towards the physical
condition that
is my goal, but I feel that I'm headed in the right direction.
On the spiritual (or, if you prefer, emotional) side, I've made it a point
to carefully balance
my work life with my personal life. I am driven to an almost manic degree,
like many people
in my generation. I can easily code for 18 hours straight without looking
up. This lead to
poor diet, little exercise, and my 18 month old son hardly recognizing me
when I came through
the door. While this might benefit my professional life in the short term,
it destroys me in the
long term, in every way. I've had to come to two realizations: sometimes
somebody else has
to get the work done, and sometimes the work just has to wait.
If anyone has some input, here are some of the things (self-extropy wise)
that I'm researching:
sensory enhancement (visual, auditory, etc.)
memory enhancement (always)
meditiation - I should say that I've looked a little at the psychophysical
side of Hinduism. One of the principles of meditation (at least as it has
been explained to this novice) is locking out sensory inputs one by one,
and then locking out internal sensory inputs until there is utter silence
"in your head". I've never been able to experience anything remotely
approaching silence in that manner. It seems that that would be something
useful to have to "purge the buffer", so to speak.
Anyway, enough rambling on this end.
Chris Behrens
cbehrens@deltav.net
http://www.deltav.net
"Politics is the art of the possible. That is why only
mediocre minds are attracted to it; great minds seek
the impossible."
- Arthur C. Clarke
----------
> From: Hagbard Celine <hagbard@ix.netcom.com>
> To: extropians@extropy.org
> Subject: Extropy in the personal sphere
> Date: Tuesday, August 05, 1997 9:26 PM
>
> I've been self-reflecting a lot lately (summer job lifeguarding -- lotsa
> time to think) and I have a "simple" question for all extropians:
>
> What changes in your personal lifestyle have you taken to increase the
> amount of extropy therein (changes = mental, physical, social, etc.)?
> Or if not changes, per se, what have you always been doing to effect the
> same end?
>
> I'm most interested in ideas and insight into self-improvement from list
> members' personal experiences.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Hagbard