Introduction
This project has helped me realize that I have to step up my mentally game. I couldn’t find a way to write this essay so I wrote it almost story like. I wrote this essay as though I am in the future writing to my past self a letter of improvement and the outcome of that improvement. As well as comforting myself and my current thinking ways because if all I get is a scolding I will get upset and that’s not what this letter is trying to do. I got a chance to be creative about my current self and how I want to be in the future. To do this I had to collect my thoughts for a whole day and write it out in a paragraph. After that I had to visually see these thoughts so we had to take pictures of these patterns that we noticed. After that it came out to be the letter to myself from myself.
Thinking in Writing
I’m reviewing my notes on my thoughts and one of the patterns I noticed is I’m always planning for the future. Since young I always had to do a list for the day in my mind. I like to know where I’m at and what’s left to do until I have accomplished my goal and how will I accomplish my task for the day. This includes my education and everyday life. It became a habit to think ahead the night before I go to sleep or from the moment I wake up. The next pattern of my thoughts is self-reflecting. I have to it is a must for me to self-reflect on my day. I wrote in my notes that during a class my mind wandered off to what impression I left on people I just met and whether it was a decent or horrible one. Last but not least are thoughts on my family. I always think about them no matter where I go. In my notes I wrote about how I look at an item and wonder who else in my family would benefit or like this item that is in my possession or within my eyesight view. Also how my future actions affects my family. For example I want to get a job and what is most likely to happen is me giving my paycheck to my mom who handles most of our money so she will know what to do with it. Another example is my sister in three years, if she decides to go to college, my notes might come in handy to her so I can keep them for her. I would like to think more of funny and less serious thoughts. I do have thoughts like these but they don’t last long enough for me to enjoy them. “Blank” thoughts do happen often and its a neutral feeling I have towards these moments. I would like to think more of politics and how to be less reserved.
Thinking Visually
Political picture URL
This picture represents (to me) the whole political word. This picture represents my thinking because I have my own opinion about laws but I don’t have a lot of knowledge on the perspective of the general public for its laws. Â
Family Picture URL
I tend to think a lot about my family wherever I go and when i go shopping I look at the sale the store is having that day. So a family dollar logo is a perfect picture to show buying for your family and saving at the same time.
Thoughts in General Picture URL
What I mean when I say “thoughts in general” I mean thoughts that everyone has and thoughts that only I have. For example, in my thoughts I thought “how does our body uses the bathroom” or “do I really want to follow this career?”. I really liked this picture so I wanted it to represent random and common.
Map Picture URL
My father whenever I graduated he would hug me and tell me, in Spanish, “daughter, you have made me proud. Not only that you have also completed one more lap until you have reach your career.” My father has implanted in my brain to picture my life as a race, and every time I have accomplished something to do with my future career or life, to see it as a lap until I have reached my destination, thus I think of a map when I have thoughts on my accomplishments.  Â
Reflection Picture URL
This picture is suppose to represent self-reflection. I personally don’t like taking a picture of myself so I took a picture of the reflection of a building. I took it before I went to English class, next to my bus station. Â
Creative Picture URL Â
This picture is to represent my creative side of my brain. I really like colors and when something catches my interest I like to analyze it but not too deeply that it becomes no longer fun to look at.
Thinking Reflectively
Dear past me,
   In five years, I am still pursuing my doctoral degree. I am determined to have a associate degree as a Chemical Technician and have a part-time job as a cashier in a clothing store. I drink until I drop with no worries for age identification. I can proudly say I am an independent adult, even though I am still living with my parents (or living in a dormitory or my own apartment, it is up to you past self to picture where I can be standing). However, a life changing note-to-self factor to you past self is to start change my thinking to include the world around me and to stop reserving myself. The way old Michelle is thinking is not wrong but if you continue to be fine with your current thinking, that only my own thoughts matter, I will not be able to grow mentally and live the life I am currently living.
First, I have to become less reserved. Not only that I have to stop bringing myself down. In my thought log, of five years ago I wrote about how I always think about my family. Thinking about my family is good but I let myself make them an excuse for me to reserve myself. I go to them for any matter. The same way I go to my family I can also go to friends and talk to them, that is what friends are for. They might find some things silly and I might get embarrassed but it is fine to feel that way, it is part of life. Nobody is perfect unless you are god but I am not. Next, I have to loosen up a bit. You are 18 now it is ok to go crazy, with moderation, every now and then. I have to live now and not in the future or else I will become another workaholic. Becoming less reserved has opened new doors to me. I can communicate to different people with different perspective. The skeleton can be you with the coat as the world if only you can take the first steps to becoming less reserve. Plus your family is not going anywhere; they will cheer you up when you come home with a disappointed face.
Second, I must start to become more knowledgeable on politics. To do this you have to change my current habits. When you hear about a new law that has been passed you do become curious and ask those that are close to me what is this new law and what do they think. This is where the problem begins. If nobody knows what I am talking about I drop the topic and never bother to do further research on it. I also only ask my family their opinion. Then I have cases where I try to make a point but I do not stand my ground. To fix these problems I have to get into the habit of researching. Researching not only politics but other things as well. After this I need to get others opinions. This is where a new door has opened past self. Now that I have become less reserved I can converse with people who are sitting close by me and stand my ground on what I say if you do research on topics that interest you. Also as we wrote in the description for the creative picture if we analyze anything to into detail we lose interest and that is no good for us. Another thing is it is fine to be average on politics because it can be an easy brush off but only when we get to an average knowledge on politics.
Last but not least, is to keep thinking the way we do. If we change too much we could close doors we do not want to be closing. A new implant is what we really needed and eventually everything will fall into place. Love your family but do not make them an excuse. Become more curious about the world around you and know more about what is it that makes your curiosity stir. Continue to map out your goals and pursuing them. Also do not forget to motivate yourself by loosening up and not to stress over small stuff. Best of luck to you past me.
