MY HABITS-

BEFORE
AFTER
Habit: Texting/Talking on the phone on the way to class.
Change: I decided that I would put my phone away in my bookbag on
the way to class and enjoy the scenery and people. It is hard to provide
evidence of this because to show the scenery and people I would need to
take a picture with my phone.
BEFORE

Evidence: Its hard for this one to show evidence because it would
require my phone being out. So instead, I can talk about my experiences
on campus. I had seen the white and red roses before in front of the
Miami University sign, but I saw beautiful yellow roses walking past the
turtle heads statue. I had never noticed the turtles heads before, and
never knew where people were talking about when they said to rub the
turtles heads for luck. But when I paid more attention, I realized it
wasnt just a cool statue, which I thought was funny. In addition, I was
able to stop and talk to a friend from my hometown, which I couldnt
have done talking on my phone. We sat down on a bench to catch up and
that was when I noticed the flowers. I hadnt seen this particular friend
yet on campus so it was really nice to talk to a familiar face that I
wouldnt have caught if I had my face buried in my phone like I
normally would.
AFTER
This pictured was taken of a green space area called Oxford Formal Gardens. I found it by just
exploring campus and going outside my normal routine. I have a break from 10:00 to 2:50 on
Mondays, so I had time to go walk around and ended up on North Campus. I went and wrote
two letters two my family there. It was the perfect, serene place to go and reflect and journal.
Instead of being on my phone and not looking around, I put it away (except to take this picture
because I had to capture all of its beauty). I left feeling refreshed and it was something that I
never wouldve seen if I didnt explore and take a different approach to my routine. I will
definitely be back to reflect and I told a couple of my close friends about it, I even drew them a
map in case they want to go alone!
BEFORE

Habit: Keeping life simple by coming home from class and doing
homework and going to bed.
Change: I decided to try to get involved, even if it meant failure.
Unfortunately, the outcome of this risk was failure this time. I went out
for a business fraternity and had to make a resume and go interview for
an hour with 8 different people. The dress code was business
professional so I was able to get a feel for what it was like to dress for a
professional affair. It was a learning experience! I went to an interview
for Alpha Kappa Psi and had 8 sessions of 5-minute conversations with
the brothers and was asked about myself and my interests at Miami. I
was very nervous to put myself out there but I did my best. I will be
going back out next semester and trying again. Also, I will keep
considering other organizations this semester so I can get involved.
BEFORE : Habit: Always following the rules. I understand certain laws I
must follow, but I noticed my habitual actions never included taking a
risk and doing something that may not be allowed.
Change: Thursday night, my mother and sister came to meet me for
dinner and to bring me more clothes. They brought my dog, and we
planned to sit on a patio and eat or in a quad, but we decided we were all
craving Mexican. My sister and I went in and asked for a carryout menu
if they had one, and the manager gave us one. I asked if they ever have
any dogs come into the restaurant, because it was looking like it was
going to rain. He immediately said that dogs were welcome. I know this
is not the case, and he was just being accommodating to us, because
other employees look strange when indeed my dog came in and sat
under the table. I was glad I asked even though I was afraid of seeming
like I was crazy. Also, we snuck her into my dorm while I hung up my
new clothes and my dog had a great time! I was nervous someone was
going to come say something but I never heard from anyone, so all went
well and it was so worth it! (In the first picture, she is under the table).
BEFORE

Habit: A bad habit of mine is to straighten my hair every day. It is

harmful to my hair and dries it out. In addition, it is time consuming and
I could spend that time doing things that are productive like homework,
getting enough sleep, or going to office hours etc.
Change: I changed this habit by going a day leaving my hair curly. This
is opposite to what I normally do. It was bothersome but also good for
my hair to rest. Straightening my hair causes split ends and wearing it
curly lets me sleep in in the morning and not worry about the hassle it is
to use the flat iron. On a Tuesday/Thursday, I usually wake up at 8:30
for my 10:05 class to straighten my hair because it takes roughly 45
minutes. This Thursday, I woke up at 9:15 and didnt straighten my hair.
I could feel the difference. It was worth it.
BEFORE

Habit: Another daily habit that concerns appearance is wearing makeup.

Change: I, like most girls, put on makeup every morning. It makes me
feel more confident, but it is a pain to put on. I got even more sleep with
this change. Most days, I wake up at 7:30 for my 8:30 class, but when I
didnt put makeup on I woke up at 7:50 because it really is a 20-minute
process, on a short day. This also is something opposite of what I
normally do. I chose a Friday when I have an 8:30 am on a different day
than I chose to not straighten my hair, so I could see how much time I
saved individually.
 AFTER

After revising the Habits Project, I have started dedicating two days of
the week to leaving myself completely natural. I think that its important
to start somewhere. Going from full makeup to no makeup and my curly
hair is really a struggle for me. I was tempted every day to straighten
even a little bit of it. Pictured above are two days I chose. I chose Friday
the 22nd, and Monday the 25th. The date is only pictured with one
because it wasnt a feature I realized you could do until Monday. Either
way, I think it was refreshing to keep my face natural, even with the red
pimples. It was a risk because I felt insecure at first, but throughout the
day and throughout both days I became more familiar with the feeling. I
am going to increase this next week to three days and so on. I think its a
good habit to get into because it saves time and makes me feel more
confident.
BEFORE

Habit: My workout routine is usually the same. I go to the gym and do

30 minutes on the elliptical and then 30 on abs and strength. It gets
boring always doing the same workout.
Change: This Wednesday, I went to a Tabata class at the Rec, and I
went to a Kick Boxing class this past week. It is intimidating to work out
with a class with people who are more in shape than I am, and who dont
struggle with the workouts. I struggled with some of the exercises. First,
I had trouble getting the form down. Second, I was exhausted and didnt
feel I had the endurance to finish the workout but I didnt want to be the
only one stopping so it pushed me to work harder. I would say Tabata
was on the verge of my panic zone from my growth zone, because it was
a real challenge for me. However, I didnt regret it when I was done.
Kick boxing was a pleasant experience and I know I grew from it.
Below is a picture from after Tabata and we were exhausted.
AFTER: Habit: I found my friends from my hall and I made it a habit to
eat junk food before bed. In high school, I ate very healthy. I was
starting to feel gross about myself, so I realized I needed a change.
Change: I decided to go to the Market at McCracken on Monday the
25th. I dont have a receipt to show proof since its scanned on MuLaa
bucks, but I do have a picture of the Miami bag with all the new snacks.
I got healthy popcorn, chips and guac, quinoa sticks, and almonds. I
wanted something that would make me feel good about myself before
going to bed, instead of cookies, ramen, easy mac (not pictured because
it was all eaten), and Oreos. After one night of eating popcorn before
bed, and drinking water, I felt so much better about myself.
AFTER
Habit: I wasnt always a nail biter, but since college started Ive been
getting anxious and been biting my nails a lot. I know it feeds my stress
and is probably bad for me to do, but it was a subconscious thing. I only
realized it when I started to think about the little habits and kinks I have.
Change: Its hard to see any substantial change in one week, especially
because my nails have never been ones to grow very long. But in the
first picture is my right index finger (always my worst finger) the day
the portfolio was assigned. The second picture is my right hand on
Monday the 25th. There is a little noticeable nail growth, even if they are
uneven still from biting. I didnt have to even do anything different to
get myself to stop. I just was cognizant of the fact that its gotten bad
and that I wanted my nails to look better again. That was all it took,
which surprised me. It made me realized that some subconscious habits
are really mind over matter.
AFTER
Habit: I always text everyone and try to convey important or heartfelt
messages. Its a habit because it happens literally every minute Im on
my phone. I was tired of how much time I had on my phone and realized
I wanted to start reflecting more and taking quiet time.
Change: I started writing letters on Thursday the 21st. I wrote a letter to
my boyfriend, my sister, and my mom. Each letter was so different than
writing a text message. I actually teared up writing the letters. I say the
same types of things in a text message, which made me wonder, Why is
a letter making me so much more emotional?. I think the answer to this
is that a text is more a bunch of mindless words while doing some other
task, like homework or watching a show. I wrote the letters alone in my
room and they felt so much more special. I was so excited to mail them
out. I wrote about how thankful I was for each person, updated them on
my life, and added extra personal information. It felt so much more
interpersonal than a text, and I really enjoyed the experience. I
purposefully didnt focus the letters, for personal reasons, but there are
still all 3.
AFTER
HABIT: This first month of college I think I spent too much time on
work. I nailed the time management for studies but took no personal
time to relax with my friends or by myself. I worked until bed, and
worked in between classes. It became draining, and I called my parents
one day and told them about how my days had been doing and they just
asked me when I ever take time for myself. I hadnt thought about it, but
even my friends started telling me that I was always doing homework. I
did homework during movies, and at dinner.
CHANGE: I finally started taking more time for myself this past week,
and it has helped me immensely. I feel like when I do go to do work, its
better quality because I can collect my thoughts and dont feel a drained
mental block. I played cards with friends one night, watched Netflix
another night, took time to go outside and watch the sunset, and went to
uptown to pet llamas and goats. Also, I went to Formal Gardens and had
personal time. It was much needed.
AFTER:
HABIT: I always stick to the same food at the dining halls and cafes. I
get bagels for breakfast or a Starbucks sandwich, usually lunch is a
granola bar or snack, and dinner is either a burger, pizza, pasta, or
chicken. It didnt feel healthy, but it was easy.
CHANGE: I finally decided to branch out and try something new. I
tried sushi for the first time at Farmer School of Business, and it was
life-changing. I had never had sushi before because I thought it sounded
gross. My friend convinced me to try sushi and I even got it again the
next day with salmon nigiri, and it was all so good. I learned that I
shouldnt let the fear of something new keep me from branching out and
trying it.
AFTER:

HABIT: I have recently spent lots of time at Farmer, Armstrong, and

my room to do homework I noticed. I think that it becomes very boring
over time and hard to think when I feel like I just need to get out and
breathe. I was used to seeing the same things and people, and hearing the
same sounds of the stir fry bar at Armstrong or my AC unit in my dorm.
CHANGE: I decided to get out and spend time doing homework in the
quad. It was almost perfectly successful, except I actually had a tiny bug
crawl into my laptop. As of now, it still works but it was so fast I
couldnt kill it. Besides that, it was completely refreshing. For some
reason, being outside cancelled out a lot of the stress I was feeling. My
friend Hannah joined me. I preferred people watching outside and
listening to the breeze.
BEFORE

Reflection- How this impacted me:

I think it was healthy to change my habits for 24 hours because I could
learn that I am someone who truly prefers to be in their comfort zone. I
was nervous and hesitant to go to the workout classes, but I told myself I
wouldnt regret it in the end. Also, not walking with my phone out on
the way to class was huge for me. I fought the urge to pull it out about
every 15 seconds, literally. It was strange to not hide behind my phone
but also freeing. Miamis campus has so many beautiful buildings,
lampposts, and flowers. I really appreciated that scenery and ended up
putting my phone away again the next day. I think a temporary change
that causes a more permanent change shows how effective the change
was. In regards for going for quantity, I think 6 habits, when they are
all bigger changes, feels significant. Everything I did made me think
about the fact that I changed my habit all day. For example, when I kept
my hair curly and wore no makeup, I noticed it all day. However, at the
end of the day I thought to myself that it wasnt so bad at all. My hair
felt healthier and I realized I didnt care what people thought anyways. I
prepared as much as I could to get into the business fraternity that I
really wanted to get into, but I didnt succeed. I honestly think it was the
first time I was denied getting into something before, so it definitely was
tough. However, Im glad to be exposed to failure because I wont be
afraid to try new things in the future.
AFTER: REFLECTION AND EXPLANATION OF CHANGES IN HABITS
PROJECT
I had a fun time revising my Habits assignment. I originally was going to revise the
Rabbit Hole assignment and the Habits assignment, but I got carried away doing
the Habits and decided to just really expand it instead.
I changed it in multiple ways. Everything old has BEFORE and everything new
has AFTER. AFTER is all the things Ive just added. First, I went for quantity.
Instead of just doing for quality, I tried to push myself to think of every little thing
I did. So, in my new Habits project, I have 12 habits Ive changed, instead of 6. It
got hard to add 6 more because I started thinking What do I even do in a day?. It
was very refreshing to change some of the things I did the second time. I spent
more time outside, I spent time taking care of myself emotionally and mentally. I
came to the realization that I worry and stress way too much. Taking time outside
to breathe was much needed.
In addition, I tried to go for quality at the same time. Most of my new habits have
more than one picture. I tried to showcase more how I think and what exactly I did
because of how the thing affected me. To put that into better words, when I drew a
map of how to get to Formal Gardens, it was because going there affected me in
such a positive way, I wanted to show my friends.
I also expanded on some habits for more than one day. I challenged myself to leave
my hair curly and no makeup for more than one day. It was hard, but helped me to
realize that no one even cared what I looked like. My friends and professors still
treated me the same, so why care?
I tried to show before and after pictures if possible, like going from junk food
snacks to healthy snacks. I also added multiple pictures for how I spent time on
myself. Putting the project together helped me feel good about myself and reflect
on how I was going out of my comfort zone and changing. Some habits I changed
became more permanent. I studied outside two days of the past week, and never
wore makeup or bought my nails, I just didnt think about it.
My second Habits project is something I would be proud of turning in, because I
feel it is better in the quantity category, but also the quality. I used everything I
could to show how I changed and I saw self-growth.