Welcome to The Amelioration Project
We all know we all want to to be the best version of ourselves that we can be. The question though is how can we do it! The Amelioration Project is my attempts to create the best version of me -E.K.Karn. The blog name comes from the word Ameliorate. Ameliorate is a verb meaning…
…. to make or become better, more bearable, or more satisfactory; improve: strategies to ameliorate negative effects on the environment.
And that’s what this blog is about getting better, and improving. The reason I need to become better and approve is I am quickly approaching the big 70! How that happened I’ll never know. What I do know is if I want to enjoy life into my 70s and beyond, I need to be the best me possible! Both mentally and physically.
The Project part of the name was taken from Gretchen Rubin’s book The Happiness Project.
The Happiness Project was Gretchen’s attempt to increase her level of happiness. It uses a three step process. Here are the steps…..
- identify what brings you joy, satisfaction and engagement and also what brings you guilt, anger, boredom and remorse.
- make resolutions to take concrete actions that will boost your happiness
- keep those resolutions
The Amelioration Project
In The Amelioration Project I am not trying to only increase my happiness but to improve many aspects of my overall well-being.
Obviously, our overall well-being is dependent on the well-being of our minds and bodies. Both our mental health and physical health are the keys to an overall good life. Therefore, the two key categories for The Amelioration Project are Mind and Body.
Now within both of the Mind and Body categories there are activities I engage into strengthen and improve both my mental and physical health.
Here are examples for both categories
Activities to Improve My Mind
- reading
- language learning
- listening to music
- using mental iPhone apps
- general life-long learning
- developing ADHD coping strategies
Activities to Improve My Body
- maintaining a healthy diet
- workouts
- yoga
- running
- cardio workouts
Activities to Improve My Spirit
- meditation and Kundalini Yoga
- caring and connection with friends and family (present and past through genealogy)
My goal is to use the above as step one in the process Gretchen Rubin used in The Happiness Project.
Advaancing to Step I anticipate developing resolutions or challenges for each activity. Finally, in Step Three I will keep a record of how I have kept those resolutions.
Hopefully, the end result will be a new and better me when I turn 70 next October! I hope you’ll follow my Project and maybe be inspired to create your own Project! Wish me luck!
