AlexTheGrape

Attempt III Day 2 Today has been another great day, I went around town and asked around at almost every store to ask if they had any part time jobs available, and handed out all the CV copies I printed for myself. It seems now it the worst time to apply for jobs in the whole year, but I can get around that. I started out the day getting rushed out of bed to go to the beach, but that didn't work out as I was only given 10 minutes to get myself completely ready. I showered and such during that time so didn't have a morning run today, but did do meditation and had an afternoon run to make up for it. I used the 30-20-10 technique again, but I felt I could have pushed myself further than I already had today. I was pushed to buy a 'zen garden fountain' today when I expressed interest in it in a zen shop I went into today, but I picked up on the sales tactics and politely declined. The guy running the store gave me green tea 'on the house', told me I could have some of the colourful rocks for free with the water fountain purchase, and he actually put a little bucket in my hand to get me started. I'm glad I'm not a compulsive buyer! I will be a saver till I die. Anyhow it was an interesting social experience nonetheless, as I have learnt from his hospitality and abnormally friendly nature how to passively convince people to change their mind about things or to encourage proposed ideas. I am writing this right at the start of 2016! I reckon it would be the perfect time to reflect on how my year has been and to plan on what I want to do in 2016. Reflection of this year: I started off the year with higher hopes and a better attitude towards school than in previous years, which was great! I inspired myself by meeting up with an old school friend who has been successful in almost all areas of her life, which was a main driving force for me to improve my grades for the year. I have worked my butt of for my school work, and those are bound to show when my results come back on the 13th this month. Perhaps I might even have a job interview sussed by then. In terms of co-curricular activities I did OK, I invested more time overall but I set myself up for failure after I pushed myself out of my comfort zone to join the school writer's club and be part of the United Nations Assembly team. I wanted to push myself but ended up dropping out so that I didn't have to make any commitments that I was uncertain about. This was a grave mistake I made as I know now that I can only truly grow by committing to new things, not just trying them out whilst they're convenient. Over the school holidays I had mainly been gaming, and hated myself for it afterwards because I had wasted so much time whilst not having a proper rest from school work (games really challenge you! It isn't a rest activity for me). This realisation was a key factor in me reaching out to find other game quitters and better ways to stay away from games (how I found game quitters). The most progress I have made this year has undoubtedly been within the past few months, and I am committing no fallacies here, this is not just because it is easier to remember. I have started many habits that have been undoubtedly beneficial to my health and well-being, the best ones being running, meditation, and most importantly, not playing video games! My plans for 2016: I just txted these to a friend, so these will be easy to recall. I shall start my own business within half a year, and develop it whilst I have the time in this busy year. I became closer to being the no.1 student in my school academically this year, but this time I believe I can do it! This is my last chance anyhow. On a smaller level I plan to be more outgoing, which I have been successful in doing in the past few days. I plan to make a performance some time during the year involving me playing the guitar, as I have enjoyed the one experience I have had of that in the past. I want to generally improve my programming skills. 3 things I'm grateful for: I am grateful for the wide range of stores available that I can apply for jobs at. I am grateful for the wonderful year I have had. I am grateful for Cam Adair and the Game Quitters community for setting me up on the road to success. One amazing thing that happened today: Today I played guitar and put my heart and soul into singing. It was a spectacular experience to experiment with my voice and sing how I like, as I had only previously 'said' the words to a song for fear of embarrassment. I will make sure I sing like I did today in future, even if there are others around, it will be a very good way to experience and deal with pressure and fear of embarrassment on stage. What I could have done to make my day better: I did a great job to push myself out of my comfort zone to ask for jobs at almost all stores available, but I could have done better to ask in the places I was initially wary of, such as fashion stores and big cafes. What I will do differently tomorrow: Get all my habits done!

Sounds like a great list of rules But it sure sounds worthwhile!

snip It takes a real man to be truly honest with himself and step up to move forward. Props to you man. Thanks Cam, if anything it was keeping a daily journal that kept me reflecting consistently. Admitting more flaws I didn't acknowledge previously was hard, such as that I cannot be successful in my life or stay in control of myself with gaming being a part of my life. It still baffles me about how honest you are about your own past, with lying to your parents about your job and all to game more. Props goes to you man!

Brilliant stuff! You always have some of the best advice. My path to success is a lot clearer now, so it does not matter that I slipped up again.

Attempt III Day 1 Today has been the happiest day I've had all year! What made this day the best? I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and was rewarded well for my efforts. I started the day with meditation session (it was very nice to do this after quite a few days of skipping it), then had my morning run using the 30-20-10 technique to get the most out of my time running. I then packed for the day and went into town. I spent my time in the library reflecting and posting on game quitters, which you may have read about in my last post. I then had lunch from a local bakery and sat myself in a small park. Here I pushed myself out of my comfort zone to meet two new girls I didn't know, and we became fast friends. I was baffled at the smooth nature at which everything took place, my easy going approach must have rubbed off for the better. I got to know them better, as well as another guy friend of theirs that arrived a small while later. He was a tattoo artist which was also interesting. I spent at least 2 hours with these people around town, going to stores we recommended for each other and hanging out on playgrounds. It was an amazing experience to have such fun with people that I could have never known, but because I took that leap of faith I had a blast today and with luck will have more long lasting friendships. I have achieved all my daily habits today (meditation, running, programming) with the exception of playing the guitar. I would have done it but I got home at about 5:30 and spent a significant amount of time with my family, which was well spent. I also took the time to thank them for today as part of the letter-writing gratitude habit I have neglected until now. Please remind me if I don't do this tomorrow! 3 Things I'm grateful for: I am grateful for the opportunity to make new friends today. I am grateful for the library and its 'air' that supports philosophical and reflective thinking. I am grateful for the game quitters community that have been relentless in their support to keep me out of trouble. One amazing thing that happened today: As stated in my 'intro', the most amazing part of my day was stepping out of my comfort zone and making new friends from people that I would otherwise never see again. After talking for a few minutes, I had the strangest sensation; my face was tingling because I was so happy and smiling so much! I don't recall ever having a sensation to top that. This will hopefully be the first step to making the most out of my life! What I could have done to improve my day: I could have started posting this earlier, it has taken a very long time and is cutting into the time I should be sleeping! Otherwise I have made very good decisions today, and so I will celebrate the small wins. What I will do differently tomorrow: Rather, I should be doing the same things tomorrow! I will start writing my post earlier, but I believe I have done very well today. Thanks so much Laney! I didn't think that me being an active part of the community meant that much to the wider community, so it was heart warming to know that you are grateful of my recovering from relapse. I wish that you gain the most out of my experience relapsing a second time! I can relate to how you view your future, as I know the qualities I would like to have. The thing is, I know that I will be a lot more successful in my envisioning (and therefore deriving motivation) if I have a solid desired outcome, as that can be a powerful driving force. In the past I have wanted to achieve a specific high end academic award at my school, and so envisioning myself on stage to receive it was a powerful driving force for me because I had envisioned it, whether I knew it or not. Thanks Django, I suppose I did need a relapse to get things straightened out in my mind: that I cannot be successful in my life with video games. You are right about wise time investment, and I believe I'm on the right track here in getting my habits right. The quote is amazing! I will save that one for later

Hi Primmulla, thanks for the support. I decided to try gaming after having been away from it for so long, and had done that for the past 2 days. It has not worked well at all; I had binged on gaming on all day for both days even when I wanted to only play for a certain amount. I have decided to start my detox again (and get rid of my steam account again) since I have come to the grudging realisation that I cannot be successful or have full control over my life with gaming being a part of it. I can relate to much of what you've mentioned, I was very guilty to play games even to start off with, and I hardly enjoyed the games at all. I would just race back to my computer whenever I had the chance, likely because my brain craved the stimulation and I couldn't bare doing something less stimulating like reading a book or posting on game quitters. Unfortunately I was still very adept at playing, but I did need to restart my game several times because I did things wrong. Regardless, my ability at playing them needs to play no part in how I view them (I don't want to be caught out by the 'sunk cost' fallacy). I will save your post to look at when I experience cravings again as it contains many good methods of staying away from games, so thank you for taking the time to comment!

Hi everyone, thanks for all the support. I decided late last night that I had had enough playing video games (again) as I know I wasn't having fun and from an observer's perspective I had just become a zombie. I must have played about 16 hours, which is on the level of a hopeless gaming addict. I just kept playing as it gave me a sense of purpose, and I was willing to put in the hours because it felt like I was making progress towards a goal, but obviously I wasn't making any progress in my life. Since I had quit games for such a significant amount of time and had made real progress in investing myself, I developed a lot of guilt in wasting my time playing games which is key to me bouncing back from relapse so quickly. I've finally built the picture in my mind that I cannot be successful in any form if gaming is part of my life, which was something I was hazy about in the past. Funnily enough, I am writing this in the library which I told myself to go to so many times; I'm finally here! So I am back on the journey to do more fulfilling things with my life. I have tried and tested to see if I can play gaming in moderation after almost two months of not gaming, but I have failed. This means I will need to stay away from gaming as it is detrimental to me in many ways whilst holding me back from achieving my goals. I know I only played for 3 days, but I reckon I will need to restart my detox counter. I will beat my last high score 'third time lucky'! of not playing video games, and hopefully never play them again. I hate to be the person who changes their mind often, I think of myself as someone with a stable personality, but it appears I am easily influenced by my surroundings. I read all these posts just now, and they all reinforce my decision to stay away from games again. I was so 'busy' playing video games all day that I didn't make time for even posting. This really shows how my priorities get terribly out of whack when I have video games on hand. Hi Laney, thank you for taking the time to post so much. You're right about me having no other goals at the moment, they all seem insignificant, distant, and unatainable when I have the option to do gaming instead. I haven't found many places to make new friends these holidays so it would actually be a really great idea to connect with some of my older friends and catch up with them. Earlier in the year I met up with a successful friend from my old school that was in one of my classes. After meeting her I was motivated to perform much better in school, and this motivation lasted for about 4 months, which is a long time! (I needed to see her again for more motivationafterwards). Likewise I should meet up with some other successful friends of mine to motivate me now. I don't drink coffee (haven't developed a taste for it yet) but going to a coffee shop would be a good idea for catching up with such people, so thank you for the suggestion. Hi Cam, thank you for sticking around to help out! I was certainly going over the 2 hour threshold of 'safe gaming' as soon as I had my hands on the games, so you're right about it being dangerous. It wasn't fun to play, and just embarrassing to say the least, as I had tried to get many people on board to stop me from gaming. I'm going back to 0 hours of gaming per day, so I won't need to worry about restricting the time I play anymore! I will pride myself with being a game quitter again. Thanks for the questions to think about, Tom. I have actually been finding my self-development activities much more interesting and fun than gaming, and when I played the guitar it was strangely much more enjoyable being outside and strumming away yesterday. I am currently not making much progress in where I want to go in my life, but now I know what I need to do to start my own business and do other things such as forming new habits. I don't have a vivid image of 'where I want to be' in the future, but I guess now is as good a time as any to solidify the type of person I want to be in my mind. I am truthfully not chasing my dreams, and have been playing games partially to please my brothers (who have been quite upset that I haven't been available to play with them). I will try to stay true to myself and my goals in the future. This afternoon I will restart my detox counter, and 'nuke' my steam account again. What I would like to know is if there is a way to prevent myself from contacting steam support to reclaim a lost steam account, or to enable something to disable me from contacting them. Cheers to all, I look forward to reading your posts and being an active part of the community again!

Thanks Cam, I will make sure to do that. Speaking of which, my habits did falter today to make way for more gaming: I fell straight back into old gaming binge habits instead. I will limit my time tomorrow to make sure that I don't overdo it: I will do a maximum of 3-5 hours (more than your average because I'm on holiday). I think that the accountability of an online journal will be paramount to success in the long term, as Cam pointed out. So I did do a run today, albeit it was short as I felt sick and it was in the afternoon instead of the morning. I didn't play guitar or program at all today, I was gaming all hours I wan't outside in the pool or throwing water bombs (which are brief times away from gaming). I talked to my dad over the phone today and he recommended limiting the time I play. I reckon this would be the best way to make sure I don't waste ALL my time. It has become apparent today that I can't help but game all day if I don't have any restrictions in place. I played basically all day and didn't go into town like I said I would. I have the notion this was the exact reason I quit in the first place. Tomorrow I will test to see if I can stick to a set amount of time playing. If I can't manage it I may as well quit cold turkey again because I really am not enjoying gaming anywhere near as much as I thought I would; it seems like my brain is just addicted to it rather than me actually enjoying the playing of the game. 3 Things I'm grateful for: I am grateful for not enjoying my game very much, it will mean I will be far less likely to give up on managing or quitting games. I am grateful for the dinner I had tonight, it was delicious! I am grateful for my long holiday. Hardly any people et a holiday as long as this so I am very grateful for that. One amazing thing that happened today: I had a two very refreshing pool swims today, I am finding it more fun to go in the pool because I have learnt to counteract my 'coldness' by staying overly active whilst in the pool. What I could have done to make my day better: I could have gone to town to get my bank card sorted and get some sunshine, as well as designating 'gaming breaks' to get productive habits done. What I will do differently tomorrow: I will only play a maximum of 5 hours of games tomorrow. I will not play more than 1 hour at a time before doing another activity for at least 3 minutes. I will go to town!

Today I had decided to play an hour of Halo on my brother's new console. It wasn't very fun, and nowhere near as fun as I remember it being. I also played some online Risk against some AI, but I could do essentially the same thing with people, just more socially. I have yet to decide what I am going to do: to continue (or restart) my detox, to have a 'last hoorah' to finish off my life as a gamer whilst finishing the things I've wanted to for a while, or to just set limits on the amount of games I play. I will decide in due course. I need to be honest here, I did request to have my steam account back from Steam Support since I locked myself out of it. There is only one or two games that I am keen on playing, so perhaps that may limit the time I spend playing in the long run. I don't have access to the account yet, but when I do I expect to jump straight onto it. I will make sure to do whichever choice I make whilst staying as an active member of the community. I don't want to be one of those users that is overly energetic whilst they are going well and then disappear from the forums when they presumably 'quit quitting'. One of the main reasons that backs up my thoughts towards gaming as OK is that I was never truly addicted. This is true in a sense that I hardly ever played video games during the school term, and left it for the holidays as a reward. I know that I will have next to no self control whilst playing the games I like the most, so that itself could define a gaming addiction. I may have gaming compulsion as it is defined as "an irresistible urge to behave in a certain way" but may be addicted as I depend on games during the holidays for a sense of purpose and fulfilment: "physically and mentally dependent on a particular substance". Today I had a very good run in the morning, implementing the 10-20-30 technique to make the most out of my run with progressive overload. It was very refreshing to jump in the pool once I had finished. I also worked on my guitar playing skills until I was sick of it! I didn't do programming today which is a bummer. I took the time to set up Risk the board game to play with any of my family but nobody did which was why I ended up playing it online against the computer. I took the time to envision and meditate this morning which was refreshing and was a reason why I managed to get in my morning run. Tomorrow I plan to register my bank card, purchase the 30 day challenge, and perhaps go to the library or some other place to meet new people. 3 Things I'm grateful for: I am grateful for the community being here to support those who need help. I am grateful that Cam, Tom, Joe, Travis and SpiNips has supported me throughout my journey and continue to do so. I am thankful for all the time you have spent generously. I am thankful for the clean water I can always drink. One amazing thing that happened today: I had a water balloon fight with my brothers and played in the pool with them immediately afterwards. This was wonderful because my twin brother hardly spends any time outside with us and so was a moment to be cherished. From me not gaming at all the past two months, my little brother and I have been spending more time together outside as we have been pushed to find new ways of playing together. What I could have done to make my day better: I could have been bolder and gone on an adventure out of the house when I had nothing to do so that I would have the chance to make new friends and improve my mental health. What I will do differently tomorrow: I will make sure to go to town and spend a significant amount of time there, and make at least one new friend. I will make sure to have finished all daily habits I have set for myself before playing any games or lying down on my bed to do anything.

Thanks Cam. I have put your advice in motion, and it doesn't feel wrong to play games for the last of these holidays. I will make sure to keep posted though regardless if I start playing, so I will stay part of the community.

I am on the verge of relapse, please read and comment on this post if you'd like to help: http://forum.gamequitters.com/topic/633-on-the-verge-of-relapse/

Hi all, I am on the verge of relapsing due to a number of factors. I have been stuck at home for a while and it looks like it will stay that way for the rest of my holidays. My brother has purchased and XBOX One and it has been tempting me to play games. My family are ok with me playing games since my brothers do, and upon mentioning gaming they have suggested I take a break and just enjoy my holidays. My gamer friends would like to have a gathering to play games soon. I have already set in motion new habits which I could continue easily. These and a new wave of nostalgia have brewed up some bad cravings to play video games again, and as a last resort I am asking the community about what they think. I believe that if I could limit my playing time during the day or make sure I get all habits done, I will be able to keep moving forward these holidays whilst still playing games. I haven't had many problems with not playing games during the year (I would just keep them for the holidays and some weekends), so perhaps I could have a 'last hoorah' like Cam did and just leave gaming after these holidays. Please give me your thoughts on what I should do in this situation, I would very much appreciate it.

Attempt II Day 56 Having gone so far through the detox has now been instrumental in ensuring that I don't play games again; I don't want to waste the time I've spent on improving my life! Today has been a better day than yesterday in terms of habit development as I have had a run (afternoon) but I am otherwise spending a lot of time thinking. I have had major nostalgia and game cravings today as my twin brother has purchased an XBOX One. Strangely enough all it did was give me urges to play my favourite PC strategy game, and I have been thinking about the good times I have had playing those games. I know that I cut out from my memory all of the frustration, loneliness, and time consuming that these games bring, and so have tried to shift my attention to the image of me sitting on a chair for an entire day. I think these cravings may be influenced because I haven't been very social with people other than family for the past week or so, and so gaming isn't far off in terms of isolation. I will have my own bank card working soon and I will buy the 30 day challenge to keep me occupied as soon as I can. 3 things I'm grateful for: I am grateful for being able to choose what to have for my own dinner. I am grateful for the beautiful sunset I saw this afternoon. I am grateful for the opportunity to shop on boxing day. One amazing thing that happened today: I went for a run this afternoon because I hadn't gotten any exercise and was feeling confused in terms of games. It helped to get my mind back on track momentarily. What I could have done today to make my day better: I should have started my day with my daily routine that included meditation and visualisation, but I woke up 'too late' for that. Tomorrow I won't let myself give any excuses unless something is urgent. What I will do differently tomorrow: I will make sure to have a morning run, meditate, play guitar, program, and start working on my business plan.

Here is my post for yesterday: Attempt II Day 55 No complaining Attempt IV Day 3 Today has been a wonderful Christmas day with both of my family sets. I was generous with my gifts to others and they were appreciated well. I experienced some gaming nostalgia because Christmas would often be a time where I would have new games to play and be very excited about these games. I was very grateful for the gifts I received as well, many of them were thoughtful to what I enjoy, and was thankful that none of these gifts included video games or video game related things. I didn't do my daily habits, it was Christmas after all. I had a great day though, and took the time to envision before sleeping (albeit not for very long). I attempted to connect with my cousins a little, but I suppose I could have done more to break the awkwardness. Overall I think I did decent today, but it was a special occasion so I can't be too demanding of myself. Thanks to the Game Quitters for the Christmas wishes! 3 Things I'm grateful for: I am grateful for the wonderful gifts I was given. I am grateful that I now have better opportunities to pursue my self development habits and skills. I am grateful for the time that I had to spend with my extended family. One amazing thing that happened today: Filming a video with my cousins was a great bonding time. What I could have done to make today better: I could have started off the day with a run. What I will do differently tomorrow: I can't answer that question as I am writing this the day after!

Hi Berry, welcome to the community! You have the right attitude to lead you far in the right direction, but you will need to replace gaming with other activities as soon as possible. I am 17, so I'm glad I'm not the youngest person on the forum anymore. I'd recommend looking into Respawn to get started on the path to success, and good luck for your recovery!

Here is my post for yesterday: Attempt II Day 54 Today has been full of Christmas decorating and preparing for the extended family to come over. I fared somewhat well in terms of my habit building: I played guitar for a good half an hour or so, I spend quite a bit of time programming in python, and had a morning run. I didn't meditate for very long but did spend some time envisioning. A Merry Christmas to all! I am rather busy at the moment so I'll end my post here.

I hope you have a Merry Christmas Tom!

In my opinion, board games are fine, as they are nowhere as interactive or addictive as video games. With chess you require another player, which will both restrict your time playing and will require social interaction, which is good. Just as long as you don't play chess online or on a computer, it should be a great way to engage your brain. The other games you mentioned should be fine. Have fun with the board games!

Sure thing!

If I were to learn to play another instrument, I think I would like to play the piano. I hope you're having a blast with the family!

Hi Matt, I hope you become comfortable here quickly, and Happy Birthday! Keeping your journal updated every day will keep you accountable for keeping away from games and for making progress towards improving your life. I wish you the best of luck, and we are here for you along your journey.

Attempt II Day 53 No complaining Attempt IV Day 1 Today has been a straightforward day. I finished the chores around the house like potting our new plants and finishing cleaning out the pantry. I meditated this morning and did some envisioning. I didn't 'feel' it very much, but if I repeat the words that I wrote through Think and Grow Rich I should have much more to think about and hopefully be more successful in my envisioning. I did my morning run, python programming, and started to do some HTML coding again so that I can start working on building the website for my client before the holidays end. I think what puts me off playing guitar is that I expect to put in the same amount of time into it as python, which is not proportionate. I will rearrange my schedule so I play guitar straight after getting ready for the day rather than slumping into my chair to do programming. Another thing that I believe might be putting me off guitar practice is that I am having to put in a lot more effort to learn and practice the new material, and not enjoying it so much. I know that I will be able to learn quicker and have more fun with practice, so I must have faith in myself. I realise that my journal writing has been leaning towards just recounting what I have done during the day, rather than what it used to be: a self evaluation. I will make sure to continue assessing how I have spent my day rather than recounting it. What I will do differently tomorrow: I will write a journal that is purely self evaluation of what I have done and how I have done during the day.I will play guitar immediately after getting ready for the day. I will envision myself during meditation tomorrow so that I am not only clearing the mind, but directing it towards what I intend to do with my time in the near future.I will make a start on my business plan, through use of trello to get this and other tasks done.I will spend at least 30 minutes learning to code in HTML and JQueryWhat I could have done to make today better: I could have done what I mentioned above. One amazing thing that happened today: Once I finished cleaning out the cupboard today I couldn't help but be amazed by the uniformity from which I laid everything out, now we have almost 1/2 of the cupboard empty with such space! Besides that, it was nice to finish a programming problem (a problem described on a sheet to write up and finish) today as I failed to yesterday with a much larger time frame. 3 Things I'm grateful for: I am grateful for the hot dog dinner I had tonight. I am grateful that my family here supports my diet choice I am grateful that Rubi the dog is always here to keep me company during the day.

Here is my post for yesterday: Attempt II Day 52 No Complaining Attempt II Day 1 Today has gone by very quickly, I started my day by getting ready to leave to go to my father's place, and a lot of waiting following that. I have done quite a bit of reading today, and although it is old, Think and Grow Rich has been one of my favourites so far! I had never understood faith in the depth that is described, and I now have concrete steps to take to develop faith in myself. I spent many hours scourging through the cupboard contents to throw out anything significantly past its 'best before' date, but found it somewhat fun to reorganise it all back into the cupboard in the most efficient way possible (whilst still being able to access and see everything). I hadn't made any progress on my daily habits, but I was being paid to clean the house so I was still making good use of my time. I also complained today, the amount of attempts I make on this will soon become funny if I continue to fail! On a brighter note, I have made great progress in terms of eating healthier: I now don't eat dessert, don't have many unhealthy snacks, and made myself vegetables for dinner. I will start making moves towards my business plan, as the best time would realistically be now since I have so much free time on my hands. I haven't done any envisioning in the morning for a while, I need to make sure I do that tomorrow. 3 Things I'm grateful for: I am grateful for having the ability to drive. I am grateful for having cats at my place. I am grateful for having vegetables to cook for myself. One amazing thing that happened today: Today when I was driving home from dropping my parents off, I used Waze and C3PO as the guide. He finds new ways to travel home which are interesting and can be a faster some of the time. This makes it as the most enjoyable part of the day because driving with C3PO as a guide makes it more fun and makes me feel as though my driving has more purpose, so I just enjoy it better. What I could have done to make my day better: I could have taken the time to envision myself as the person I want to be to help develop it as a daily practice and provide more motivation to do skill building activities. What I will do differently tomorrow: I will make sure to do visualising practice in the morning and when going to bed.

Attempt II Day 51 No complaining attempt II Day 2 Today has been great fun, as I watch the new Star Wars movie with some school friends. I have been very sick during the night though, so I didn't do my morning run (I probably could have done meditation though). I have started a plan to start my own business through Think and Get Rich; I know I can if one of my friends have! (Cam has and one of my old school friends set up his own business too). If I am to really carry through with this, this would be a big turning point in my life. I plan to produce personalised or mass produced (via 3D printing) consumer electronics that people would love, and have some other ideas which could lead to great success. I haven't worked on my daily habits since I travelled so far today and have not been feeling well, but I applied for another bunch of jobs, which might pay itself off. I have made a bit of improvement on reducing my sugar intake - I had coke zero instead of normal coke, had less snacks than I normally would have eaten in a cinema, had a vegetable burger for dinner, and had no sugary breakfast. I think I am getting better at this rather fast! But that's just my ego talking. 3 Things I'm grateful for: I am grateful for the opportunity to spend time with my old school friends. I am grateful for trains. I am grateful for the pets we have here. One amazing thing that happened today: Today I tried a healthier option in terms of burgers. I would normally get one of the greasiest, meatiest burgers available because that was what my taste buds were craving. I felt like eating vegetables as something healthier, so I had a vegetable burger. It was just as tasty as the other burgers, and it felt tastier in a way because I was guilt-free when eating it. Such a simply pleasant moment like this I will look back to for motivation to eat healthier foods. What I could have done to make today better: I could have meditated upon waking up. I could have done more with my time in the morning. I could have eaten thin chips instead of fatty ones. What I will do differently tomorrow: I will do my morning meditation, visualise, then have a run. I will plan out my day to make the most of my time. I will eat even healthier foods.

With that motivation and belief in yourself, you can make it! All the best for improving your life for the better.