Unrealistic New Year's resolutions and beating my "crack" addiction

Anything that can be exemplified with a kitten should be

For Santi

 It's 2013 and I wrote a grand total of 4 blogs in 2012! That probably works out at a couple of words a day!

I still feel like writing is a big part of my life but with everything else going on, it's unfortunately fallen by the wayside.

Finding motivation to write (or do anything creative) can be quite difficult sometimes.

I blame entertainment technology. It's both a fantastic tool and a terrible curse. It gives hours of joy and in my case often squashes my creative impulses.

My heart - "It'd be good to (run, read, climb a mountain, go to the gym) today"
My brain - "You could do that.. or you could just have one more hour of (Tekken, FIFA, YouTube)"

And of course everyone plays games exactly like this..

Screen addiction is this generation's crack.

Try swearing off computers, TV's and cellphones for a week - you'll be sweating and shaking in no time!

When you actually fight your urge to do something you know is not really good for you and go for that run or write something - it feels good!

New Years resolutions are a good yard-stick to measure your life against. It's like a theme for your year.

2012 was year of the job-hunt.

All the way back in Jan 2012 ny major aims were to settle in Wellington with my girlfriend and find a good job. I was fortunate to achieve those things.

The bottom of my feet

As far as itchy feet are concerned - my feet are past the point of itching they are on fire. Thankfully I'll get a month of travel this year. Hooray!

New Years Resolutions Fail

A few years ago I pledged to drink 8 glasses of water a day. It was working out great for the first two weeks, my skin was looking better and I did feel a difference.. But my fucking god, drinking that much water on top of all the other beverages I had throughout the day was difficult. I lasted about 8 days.

You have to be realistic about what you want to achieve.

It's be nice to have:

"Get discovered by a writing scout for Lonely Planet. They will quickly realise my supreme awesomeness and pay me to travel the world in a golden Learjet"

But more realistically I could write:

"Get some paid writing work this year and submit a few articles for publication"

Here are the things I hope to achieve in 2013:


Try Scuba Diving (will try end of Jan 2013)
Try surfing (can't believe I still haven't done this)
Pay off my student loan (done)
Save $20,000
Travel somewhere I've never been before (having a trip in July)
Take guitar lessons (will start tomorrow afternoon)
Go to gym 3-4 times a week
Read an hour a day 
Take a creative writing course

I basically want to do well at my job and find a another nice place to live with Wim for the coming year. Earth shattering huh!

What do you want out of 2013?
If you read this and have any comment what-so-ever please write.

Ciao

Are we there yet? Fed on the promise of a better tomorrow

Just a quick post.

It's been a while since I've written and feel I should at least put something on here.

I am about to leave Christchurch, my job and head to the North island. For me, it is a bit of a leap into the unknown.

My plan is to get a great career job in Wellington, find a flat and settle into a new life. I have my mind set on a particular position and have just sent in my application.

These last few months, I have been bored out of my brain. My life hasn't been quite where I've wanted it to be.

What has kept me going is the idea: "things are going to get better." I wonder how people sustain themselves when they find themselves in a life rut? If you don't have hope that your situation will improve, one would ask: what's the point of it all?

A bit of optimism is essential. If you find yourself in a boring job, in a semi-destroyed city, doing a long distance relationship for five months, with a less than ideal social life and thinking endlessly about your career and everything under the sun, there is a simple remedy: hope.

Western society, including movies, books and our roll models like to feed us feel-good slogans about how we can all achieve our dreams and live a fulfilling life. I am starting to think that not all of us can. I get the impression a lot of people find themselves trapped in situations they hadn't anticipated. Perhaps they are working a job they don't like and can't decide what their passion is. As the years tick by, it might be harder and harder for them to pull themselves into a different direction.

What if you felt that all you had ahead of you was a boring, unsatisfying monotony? A groundhog day of the mundane and mediocre?

A lot of self-help books say that happiness is an inside job and I suppose they are right. Even when things seem tough or boring or you're disinterested in what's going on around you, at least you have the power to change your attitude. There are always things to feel grateful for. Writing down goals has helped me too.

Here is an interesting link to video about finding your passion. 


What keeps you going in a tough time?