What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0169

8401.  Our brain is wired to pick up negativity faster than positivity in any situation.  This has been a direct result of evolution, where our ancestors were neurologically conditioned to look for dangers or risks around them as the result of a deep-rooted survival mentality.  Everything that our ancestors did would revolve around their fears related to food, shelter and safety.  This is exactly why we are wired to sense the threat and negativity around us faster than the positives;

8402.  Consciously commit to avoiding the negative and focusing only on the positive;

8403.  The roast lamb pie from Kiwi Kuisine (KiwiKuisine.com) (at the Old Town Alexandria Farmers Market) is tasty;

8404.  Meditation is one of the best ways of conquering your internal dialogue;

8405.  Our minds are occupied by at least 70,000-80,000 individual thoughts per day;

8406.  Think of your post-meditation mind as a highly fertile ground, where you can plant just about any seeds for cultivating positive and receptive thoughts and dialogues;

8407.  Only when we bring about a sense of mental clarity can we condition the mind to override negative feelings or train the mind to think positive thoughts through repetition;

8408.  Affirmations are powerful, positive ways to reframe the subconscious mind;

8409.  Affirmations or positive statements allow us to replace negative thoughts with more positive or constructive thoughts;

8410.  Affirmations replace old and obsolete thoughts with fresher and more inspiring thoughts that allow the subconscious to drive our actions in the same direction;

8411.  Our speech, actions and behavior are a direct result of our internal dialogue.  They support or are an extension of the conversations that take place within us;

8412.  Our actions are a result of our thoughts, but it also works the other way around;

8413.  When you are more mindful of your speech and action, you pave the way for a refined, meaningful and positive internal dialogue.  Being conscious allows you to focus on behavior that invariably results in positive afterthoughts;

8414.  Separate your inner critic from you by giving it a distinct name and persona.  It isn’t a part of who or what you are.  It is simply a perspective from another person’s point of view.  It isn’t who you are or what you think about yourself;

8415.  When you create a psychological entity by speaking and giving the inner critic a second or third person, you reduce negative feelings of stress and anxiety.  It gives you the power to manage and regulate emotions while reducing discomfort;

8416.  The first step towards dealing with internal conflict is to identify that there is a situation of internal conflict;

8417.  One of the worst ways to resolve an internal conflict is trying to pretend that there is no conflict;

8418.  Accept conflict and find ways to deal with it;

8419.  Every time you experience a clash between emotions, consider the situation for a moment and notice your feelings.  Be mindful of the physical sensations experienced while feeling the emotion;

8420.  Once you identify the physiological feelings, it is easy to associate it with an emotion or conflict.  Once you have identified the emotion, give it a name.  Think about how the emotion is interfering with your daily life;

8421.  Choose a healthy way to release the conflict until you find a solution.  This will give you a good grip on your conflict for the moment and make it subside until you have a clear solution;

8422.  Avoid feeling guilty about your emotions;

8423.  While we often think our thoughts are right, your emotions aren’t always wrong or irrational.  If anything, they are reliable indicators of how you think and feel about people and situations.  Don’t feel guilty about emotions that do not match your logical thoughts;

8424.  Feeling ashamed of emotions that are not in line with your thoughts only increases conflict;

8425.  Once you’ve made up your mind, there is no need to ruminate over every decision.  Second guessing only increases the intensity of the conflict;

8426.  (Bob) Dylan doesn’t allow photo(graph)s or videos at his concerts;

8427.  I can say (that) I’ve seen (Bob) Dylan (and His Band);

8428.  I can understand (maybe) 20% of what (Bob) Dylan says/sings;

8429.  (Bob) Dylan is very bluesy;

8430.  Stick to your values rather than being influenced by others;

8431.  Listening too much to people can create a conflict of emotions, beliefs and thoughts.  People will offer you advice or suggestions from their perspective, which may not be in agreement with your core beliefs and values;

8432.  Don’t pretend that you are not affected by these events.  You won’t be in a position to get over it if you pretend that it didn’t happen.  Try to acknowledge and allow yourself to feel everything that you felt in the past (and still free);

8433.  One of the best ways to deal with conflict is to write it down in explicit terms.  This way, you unload the unwanted conflict from the brain and dump it on paper, which can provide you with great relief.  The act of writing can give you complete self-understanding by viewing things from a different perspective, which helps in conflict resolution;

8434.  The best way to manage a painful past is to tell yourself that it can’t be changed now, accept it and change the way you perceive it;

8435.  We can either live in the past and ruin our present and future or we can choose to learn from the past and move on;

8436.  The past cannot be revisited, but perception about it can be changed;

8437.  Direct your efforts towards accepting the past and offering forgiveness to the ones who have hurt you.  You don’t do this for them; you do it for you own peace and well-being.  You give forgiveness to let go of the past and move on.  Feel the emotions you want to feel and then let go after a point;

8438.  Spend time with different people.  Spending time in the same setting with the same people where you experienced negative past emotions will only trigger more of the same reactions;

8439.  When you see other people’s vulnerabilities, you become more thankful for your blessings and learn to cope with your troubles;

8440.  Before going to bed, don’t spend valuable time reviewing anything negative that you don’t want to be reinforced in your subconscious because the subconscious is the most active when we are asleep.  Focus on positive and constructive thoughts just before going to bed rather than harboring hatred;

8441.  If you have had an argument or disagreement with someone, talk to them and clear the air before going to bed.  Focus on ending it on a positive note even if you don’t wish to associate with the person in the future;

8442.  Focus on being kind instead of being right;

8443.  Don’t actively seek occasions to be offended;

8444.  Think about how no one is perfect;

8445.  Wanting positive experience is a negative experience; accepting negative experience is a positive experience.  It’s what the philosopher Alan Watts used to refer to as “the backwards law,” the idea that the more you pursue feeling better all the time, the less satisfied you become as pursuing something only reinforces the fact that you lack it in the first place.  The more you desperately want to be rich, the more poor and unworthy you feel regardless of how much money you actually make.  The more you desperately want to be sexy and desired, the uglier you come to see yourself regardless of your actual physical appearance.  The ore you desperately want to be happy and loved, the lonelier and more afraid you become regardless of those who surround you.  The more you want to be spiritually enlightened, the more self-centered and shallow you become in trying to get there;

8446.  Money is a means not a mission;

8447.  Sweet Fire Donna’s in (Old Town) Alexandria has $2.00 pulled chicken or pulled pork tacos every day after 10:00 PM;

8448.  The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves and not to twist them to fit our own image.  Otherwise, we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them;

8449.  Just because you love someone doesn’t mean s/he’s meant for you;

8450.  Everybody has tragedy in his/her life.  Everybody has tough things to overcome.  Everybody has his/her issues.  It's how you handle your issues that distinguishes you;

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8351.  The (official) age a child can open a social media account is 13.  This probably has less to do with safety and more to do with companies being able to use the data of a minor;

8352.  Tacos al pastor is derived from (Middle Eastern) shawarma;

8353.  The Portuguese ambassador lives at 2125 Kalorama Road, NW (in D.C.);

8354.  (I can say) I’ve had Portuguese wine at the Portuguese ambassador’s house/residence;

8355.  (I can say) I’ve shaken hands and spoken with the Portuguese ambassador (i.e., Domingos Teixeira de Abreu Fezas Vital);

8356.  (I can say) I’ve been to Portugal (technically);

8357.  (I can say) I gave (up) my seat to the Portuguese ambassador;

8358.  I’ve been to a concert (specifically cellist, Mafalda Santos, accompanied by a pianist) at the Portuguese ambassador’s house/residence;

8359.  I’ve had dinner at the Portuguese ambassador’s house/residence;

8360.  Dessert at the Portuguese ambassador’s house/residence (i.e., fruit) is a bit disappointing;

8361.  Rainbows can appear in the daytime or nighttime sky;

8362.  A rainbow that appears in the night sky is called a moonbow;

8363.  Optimum conditions for viewing a moonbow arise during a full moon because the moon acts as a mirror casting the most light from the sun towards the Earth.  Mix a full moon with a misty night and you have the greatest chance of seeing a moonbow;

8364.  Boba/bubble (milk) tea has more caffeine than (a cup of) coffee. . . . Who knew?

8365.  Trader Joe’s “chicken Balti pies” (i.e., tender chicken chunks & vegetable in a traditional Balti curry) are (pretty) tasty;

8366.  Just before you go to bed try to practice visualization.  When we sleep our conscious mind is at rest, but our subconscious mind is super active.  By practicing visualization just before we go to bed, we train our subconscious to be occupied by events as we want them to be.  The subconscious mind does not distinguish between imagined reality and reality;

8367.  When the subconscious mind believes something to be real, it drives our actions in sync with these thoughts and leads to the manifestation of our imagined thoughts;

8368.  Don’t think of disappointment as a catastrophe after which your world comes crashing down.  There is life beyond disappointment so think of it as a normal occurrence;

8369.  Learn to segregate situations that are within and beyond your control;

8370.  One way to get along with people for rapport building is focusing on the other person’s breathing;

8371.  Another great way to establish rapport on a subconscious level is to mirror the person’s body language including gestures, posture, expressions and words;

8372.  When you mirror someone’s actions, at a subconscious level you are revealing to them that you are similar;

8373.  To alter a limiting belief, gather all positive evidence in support of the situation or circumstances;

8374.  No one who achieves success does so without the help of others.  The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude;

8375.  The southwestern, grilled, chicken (breast) sandwich at Laporta’s Restaurant in (Old Town) Alexandria is (pretty) tasty;

8376.  Thanksgiving (Day) . . . check;

8377.  Things pretty much are what they are dealing with the world on that level is enlightenment;

8378.  Apparently, Shelli’s cousin (i.e., Robert Newton) was (an infielder) on the University of Virginia baseball team (in 2001 and 2002);

8379.  It sounds like my (late) uncle might have been schizophrenic;

8380.  Everything just is.  It’s our interpretation of it that creates pain or joy . . . fear or passion;

8381.  We label things as good or bad and then we create feelings based on those labels;

8382.  For the most part, we live with expectations and preferences.  When those expectations aren’t met, we’re angry.  When life around us unfolds in a way that doesn’t match our preferences, we create the darker emotions;

8383.  We hope that the external world will conveniently align and unfold in the way we desire.  Yet that’s rarely the case.  The world is a chaotic place.  You can’t control it;

8384.  Any control you think you do have over the world is generally an illusion.  It’s a construct.  It’s something you use in order to feel safe;

8385.  So many people are unhappy because they try to control everything around them . . . people . . . businesses . . . political beliefs . . . weather, etc.  Then when things don’t unfold in a way that matches their preferences, they’re angry.  The response is to try even harder to control things.  It’s to hold on tighter.  Develop a stronger grip.  Yet that’ll never work;

8386.  Good luck and bad luck are in the eye of the beholder.  It’s a subjective opinion;

8387.  Things are going to happen.  It’s up to you to decide whether or not they happened for a reason;

8388.  Surrender and trust.  Those words are the keys to actual happiness and not just the type of happiness you experience when things are “going well.”  So let go;

8389.  Apparently, Panama Geisha coffee is (currently) the most expensive coffee in the world;

8390.  Grits are made from ground corn;

8391.  Chicken tastes better when you cook/reheat it with the skin on;

8392.  If you like gingerbread, (you might want to) try Trader Joe’s “mini gingerbread men” (i.e., gingerbread cookies with white fudge icing). . . . They have a very sharp ginger flavor;

8393.  (According to Martine Rothblatt,) 10% of the (250,000) lung cancer cases a year are from radon (exposure);

8394.  Reality is nothing but attention or interpretation of an act.  The way you interpret a certain act becomes your reality;

8395.  Perception is more often than not derived through internal dialogues;

8396.  The internal dialogue is actually our ego conversing with itself.  It is the voice that combines reasons and feelings with people, situations and life events.  Internal dialogue is often the filter through which we extract meaning from our everyday life;

8397.  When your internal dialogue is full of negativity, frustration and gloominess, your reality or perception becomes equally gloomy.  Similarly, when your internal filter is filled with positivity, optimism and uplifting internal dialogue that becomes the frame of your life and, consequently, your reality;

8398.  Think of your internal dialogue as a blank canvas that can be painted with just about anything that you want to;

8399.  Gratitude is a potent mental state that leads to a complete transformation of our internal framework.  It shifts that focus for what we need or don’t have in our lives to our blessings, which places us in a more positive frame of mind.  All you need to do is affirm all the things you are grateful for by saying something like, “I am truly grateful for . . . .”  Recount all the things you are thankful for including things you take for granted such as your eyesight, the limbs you walk on, the clothes you wear and the roof above your head;

8400.  By counting your blessings, you are creating a positive momentum for a powerful internal dialogue;

What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0167

8301.  Get into the habit of intentionally doing things that induce a sense of happiness and joy within you;

8302.  Several ways to bring more joy into your spirit including performing random acts of kindness, practicing gratitude, being in the midst of nature, exercising, engaging in productive hobbies, creative visualization and reminiscing about past experiences that have brought you happiness;

8303.  Celebrating positive emotions helps you attract more of this positive mindset and it helps create positive experiences;

8304.  Try to establish a link between your emotions and the actions or behavior resulting from those emotions;

8305.  Ask people whom you’ve known for a long time to give you honest, genuine and constructive feedback about your strengths and areas of development;

8306.  You may agree or disagree with them, but you’ll get a good idea about the effect your emotions and actions have on others, thus, shielding you from blind spots.  You will recognize the effect your behavior has on others whether you intend to create that effect or not.  Sometimes even we are unaware of the effect we have on others;

8307.  Effort is sometimes the answer.  Other times it means you’re doing the wrong thing.  The things that are effortless are sometimes the most useful and important;

8308.  Don’t mistake yourself for the wave.  If you’re riding high and things are going well, don’t get cocky.  You’re not the wave, you’re on the wave.  Gratitude is the answer;

8309.  (I can say) I’ve been to a World Series game (with 43,910 other people);

8310.  (I can say) I’ve been to a (World Series) baseball game with a U.S. president (specifically Donald Trump);

8311.  Elizabeth likes Whoppers (malted milk balls);

8312.  The (2019) Washington Nationals survived 5 straight elimination games in October;

8313.  The 2019 World Series is the first (World Series) where the road team won every game;

8314.  (Apparently,) the Texas Rangers (also) used to be the Washington Senators;

8315.  The 2019 Washington Nationals are the 2^nd team in MLB history to win the World Series after being at least 12 games under .500 during the regular season (the other team is the 1914 Braves);

8316.  The 2019 Washington Nationals are the 1^st team in MLB history to win 3 winner-take-all games in a single postseason;

8317.  The 2019 Washington Nationals are the 1^st team ever to knock off 2 postseason opponents who each won at least 105 games.  They beat a 106-win Dodgers club that, by Baseball Prospectus’ (“BP”) third-order records, was the 3^rd-most talented in at least 70 years.  They beat the 107-win Astros who, according to BP, were the very best;

8318.  Releasing negative emotions from the mind is facilitated when you perform a physically demanding task such as exercising, kickboxing, running, working out at the gym, swimming and other similar activities.  When you get active and exercise, the body releases feel-good hormones and chemicals that help elevate your mood.  The feel-good endorphins promote a positive state of mind and act as a channel for venting out negative emotions;

8319.  You can use art or other forms of creativity for restructuring your negative feelings and emotions into something constructive and positive, thus, taking the focus away from these destructive feelings;

8320.  It is extremely therapeutic to sometimes give in and vent your negative feelings or emotions (towards yourself or others) through a specific symbolic ritual.  This is a tangible or physical way to release negative motional experiences;

8321.  Understanding, encouraging and supportive family members and friends can quickly change your mood and help you deal with painful emotions;

8322.  Talking to another person may help you gain a different perspective on your situation.  You may begin to see things in a manner you hadn’t considered earlier.  Sometimes it is important to get a different and fresher perspective on your issues to resolve them;

8323.  Reaching out to others is not a sign of weakness.  Rather it shows you are strong enough to ask for help to reduce your pain;

8324.  Ruminating about problems only worsens them.  Just try to understand it in a more objective manner.  Don’t make mountains out of molehills by focusing on negative emotions;

8325.  When finding yourself tempted to ruminate about an issue, schedule a worry period for a few minutes each;

8326.  French maid costume/outfit . . . check;

8327.  I can say I’ve been to a World Series championship parade (for the Washington Nationals);

8328.  Sweet vermouth tastes like condensed Riesling or ice wine (to me);

8329.  (And) dry vermouth tastes like “turned” white wine (to me);

8330.  A rocks/neat pour is 1 ½ shots (i.e., 2.75 oz. pour);

8331.  Apparently, famous musicians (will) answer the/their phone(s);

8332.  “The Weepies” live in Iowa City(, Iowa);

8333.  Apparently, Rachael Yamagata calls “The Weepies” “The Sleepies;”

8334.  The Milk Bar (crack) pie is tasty. . . . It tastes like a sugar cookie crossed with an oatmeal cookie (to me);

8335.  Just because you don’t look like somebody who you think is attractive doesn’t mean you aren’t attractive.  Flowers are pretty, but so are sunsets and they look nothing alike;

8336.  You practice forgiveness for two reasons: 1.  To let others know that you no longer wish to be in a state of hostility with that person; and 2.  To free yourself from the self-defeating energy of resentment;

8337.  Resentment is like venom that continues to pour through your system doing its poisonous damage long after being bitten by the snake.  It’s not the bite that kills you; it’s the venom.  You can remove venom by making a decision to let go of resentments;

8338.  Try to think about the issue for no longer than 25-30 minutes each day;

8339.  Try to recognize the triggers that lead to rumination;

8340.  Identify the worst that can happen in the given scenario and determine different ways to handle the issue.  Having a plan of action ready for dealing with the worst will put you in a more confident state of mind about niggling issues;

8341.  Don’t automatically assume the worst until you have clear evidence of it;

8342.  When you change your self-talk, you alter your mood.  Positive self-talk can completely transform the way you feel.  Whenever you find the negative self-talk rambling in your head, replace it;

8343.  If you have been thinking negatively for long, you won’t be able to switch to positive thoughts easily.  In such a scenario, you’ll find greater success with neutral or realistic thoughts;

8344.  Changing or altering the meaning leads to a change in our state of mind.  A change in the state of mind leads to changes in responses, which eventually reflects in our behavior.  Doing things differently can help us change our reality as well as our perception of the world or reality;

8345.  The thing about goals is that living without them is a lot more fun in the short term; however, it seems that the people who get things done, who lead, who grow and who make an impact, those people have goals;

8346.  It’s all about mindset.  From the moment you wake up to the moment you rest your head at night.  Everything is up to you . . . your emotions, your thoughts, your perceptions and your reactions;

8347.  Content reframe refers to offering a different meaning to a thought or statement by obtaining more content that completely changes or reframes the focus of your though;

8348.  Writing a journal can help your thoughts flow freely or unhindered.  Attempt to identify your problem in a single sentence.  Think of every possible solution that you can.  Allow your imaginative problem-solving skills to freely come up with different possibilities;

8349.  Every time you rise each morning and even before you move out of your bed, start visualizing your day.  How do you want the day to unfold?

8350.  (In 1963,) Ford tried to buy Ferrari;