AlexTheGrape

I'd have a look at the 60+ hobby ideas that Cam has made, but otherwise have a look at your own aspirations and dreams for ideas. I knew I wanted to be able to perform in front of people and be able to produce electronics, so I renewed my efforts to play the guitar and learn programming. In saying this, you may be already doing activities that would be beneficial and engaging for you, perhaps you may just need to spend more time on them instead. If you don't have any ideas about what you should do and can't think of any possible ones, I'd suggest that you just find some ideas online or from the hobby ideas document and just experiment with them to see if you'd like them, and have fun!

Attempt II Day 43 Today has been great, I got a heap of guitar practice in, a run, and finished writing my CV. I am now able to spam employers to get a part-time job! My brother has gotten back home from a 3 day trip, but his distant behaviour that I picked up on reminded me of what I was like whilst I had games to fulfill my needs. He didn't want to do anything with me or my little brother unless it involved video games, and he was especially repelled from the idea of doing things outside. I was much like this when I had video games cluttering my life; gaming took priority and all other social interaction and commitments took a back seat. I didn't do my programming today which is a little frustrating to reflect on at the end of the day. I haven't started to work on my programming skills for more than a few minutes the whole week, which I am not happy about. I will make sure to do my programming practice before I play guitar tomorrow so that I don't leave it till last minute and then leave it for the next day. Three things I'm grateful for: I am grateful for the fertile soil where I live. The grass has no problem to grow and makes for great scenery. I am grateful for the opportunity to talk to Cam tomorrow. I am grateful for having time to spend with my family. One amazing thing that happened today: I felt I improved playing the guitar at a great rate today and was able to play through past exercises I had done about a week ago with ease. This type of feeling I need to remember to keep motivated to learn how to play the guitar. One thing I could have done to make my day better: I could have made the effort to find paper and write the list I proposed earlier, but didn't do it because I used the Trello board I use for the same purpose. In future I could simply not spend so much time on my computer to make sure I have time for important activities. What I will do differently tomorrow: I will do alternating sessions of playing guitar and programming with breaks in between to get the most out of my day.

Hi Alex, Video games are my go-to activity when I'm exhausted, and I usually play for around 4 or 5 hours a day. My reasons for playing for so long is mainly just to cool down from studying and writing, although I've started to notice I almost use video games as a form of escapism. I'm not sure whether I would be able to quit cold turkey, as sad as it sounds. Honestly, with my best friends playing games I feel I would be left out even more if I stopped. I recognize that 5 hours is unhealthy though, and I would like to cut down and possibly quit cold turkey if it goes well. I'm also considering a career in computing, and many games offer mods and level design environments I use to put my coding skills to practice. Cheers, Harry Video games have also been my go-to activity in almost all situations, and I would spend all my holidays playing them 8+ hours a day. It is initially harder to find activities that engage you, but it becomes easier quite quickly. I had the exact same reasons for playing, as well as rewarding myself for working hard. What it resulted in was myself becoming withdrawn from my social life with people other than my gamer friends, and holding me back from pursuing my real dreams. Please note that I assume you are a gaming addict that will have trouble playing games in moderation, as I cannot tell how well you have fared in doing this in the past. I know quitting games completely is hard, but there is no middle ground between gaming and not gaming at all for gaming addicts. You need to chose to play none whatsoever or you will eventually succumb to the temptations of playing 'just a little longer...'. By quitting games you will be prompted to find new activities to fill your time with that engage you, whereas if you game in moderation you will have video games there for you to fulfill those needs and you will not need to find other activities so much. If you rely on gaming hardware for your needs, you will inevitably be drawn to use it more, and eventually be using it as an addict again. I understand the want to play games in moderation, but in almost all cases where people with trouble gaming have tried this it has failed, including myself. If you have a problem with your gaming and have ended up on this forum, the chances are that you won't be able to hold back from gaming large amounts of time in the future. I have seen many people in this community, many of which I have tried to help, who have tried to game in moderation or to not completely forbid themselves from gaming (e.g. by uninstalling steam but not removing login access to the account). They quickly disappear from the community and into their gaming caves when the going gets tougher for them, and are drawn to the fun of gaming more strongly. They will likely have experienced an 'extinction burst' in which the brain creates abnormal cravings to do a previously rewarding activity in an attempt to satisfy your emotional self (which often stops people from quitting games or smoking from quitting for good, occurring after several days of not doing these activities), and as a result they install their games and lose their way to success. I wish the best for you, and if you do not want to end up like these lost game quitters, I'd highly recommend you read Respawn and then go through ALL the steps it shows you (including the quitting process...). That will be your foundation to changing your life for the better. This community is not all about quitting games (as it appears), but rather to live a more fulfilling lifestyle where people can achieve their goals with a better social circle. Think about this: If you could improve your life, would you? "If I could, I would." - Cam Adair.

Hi DasHarry, welcome to the community! There's plenty of young people here, I'm 17 myself. It's great you've identified that gaming is an issue in your life, but what are the consequences of only 'cutting down' on the time you spend? Think about it this way - is your relationship with games like food? When you play for an hour or so, do you feel gratified and do not need any more games for the day? Or when you play games are you subject to 'I want to play just a little longer' thinking? If you answer the last question was yes, perhaps quitting cold turkey would be best for you. If not, it would be wise to identify the reasons behind why you played games so much and how you can restrict such behaviour. Good luck for your recovery, and I look forward to hearing back from you!

Marchosias has a good point, and here is some advice I have given a couple of months ago on this topic: "Just leave your gamer friends be for a month or so. You will quickly find if they wish to be proper friends or if you were just a playmate for gaming; those who care about you will understand and hopefully support your decision to stop gaming. It is surprisingly easy to make new friends, I befriended a girl on the bus today, starting by talking about her iPhone." I don't think you need to cut all ties with gamer friends, but to just keep the relationships that are meaningful and with those who do not pressure you to be a gaming playmate with them. Anyhow, that's your choice to make.

Here's my post for today! I'm glad I have stopped my cycle of posting late. Attempt II Day 42 Today has been a relaxed day to say the least, I didn't have many things that I needed to get done other than my daily habits, and I had a positive outlook throughout the day. I posted a lot on game quitters, playing with my little brother and his school friend, and did the family shopping. It's 8:00pm, so I am definitely going to finish this post before I get to bed (I wanted to post at around this time as the goal I set yesterday). I did my morning run and meditation, working to strengthen these habits. As usual I felt refreshed after meditation, with all my drowsiness expunged completely. I am finding meditation very useful for after I get up in the morning, as it helps to clear my head of what I'd call 'sleeper's fog' which is the desire to continue sleeping or not get up because I would want to keep comfortable. I was excited today to find that I had been given the opportunity to talk to Cam through the emailing list. I was rather surprised to find that most of what it talked of was relationship related but I suppose one of the main reasons I quit gaming was to improve my social life, so this should be very useful to me. Later in the day I was very excited to have booked a time to talk to him! I have started writing questions to ask to make the most of the time we will have to skype each other. I am looking forward to Monday. Three things I'm grateful for: I'm grateful for having my own desk. Studying and using my computer would be much harder without it! I am grateful for the convenience of supermarkets. I know that in older times there used to be stalls for each type of good, and with the amount of food I bought today, I don't know how much more time it would have taken me; at least an hour I'd reckon. One amazing thing that happened today: When I received the email that I could talk to Cam, I literally punched the air to savour the moment. I feel privileged to do so as I know there will be a number of people that won't get the opportunity. I will ensure I make the most of this time. One thing I could have done to make my day better: I could have planned out my day to make sure that I got what I wanted to get done, done on time. Not that I had much that needed to get done, but playing guitar and learning programming I have procrastinated until the end of the day (which I will do as soon as I finish this post). What I am going to do differently tomorrow: I am going to use my trello account to list tasks of importance to do during the day, then out of those, the top priority tasks. I will then set a process list which will have the order I will do my daily tasks in. This way I can focus on the tasks I have set whilst knowing I can get all these done, and without any hesitation needed with choosing what I'm to do later. I will also get quicker at writing posts!

Hi Primmulla, welcome to the community! To keep track of how you're doing after you quit, I'd recommend writing a daily journal if you haven't already. Perhaps my own might give you a little inspiration to show what it's like further down the line: http://forum.gamequitters.com/topic/235-my-journal-alex/?page=1 I wish all the best for your recovery!

Great to see that you've gotten better so fast. What is Radical Acceptance about, may I ask? I am currently reading You are not so smart and by the way you're describing it, it looks like it would be a good read.

Hi wellAbiidared, I also come from and live in New Zealand (I can tell you likely live here from 'Kia Ora'). It's great you've made the decision to quit, and I wish the best for you. I wish I could say more positive, but from the posts you're writing, it seems you're having a lot of trouble with ridding yourself from gaming. I went for about 23 days without playing any games, then played Dark Souls II and had to restart my detox all over again because the point of quitting is to not play any more. If you'd like some fresh motivation for quitting, perhaps you could relate to Ryan here: http://forum.gamequitters.com/topic/354-follow-me-on-this-journey-of-success-ryan-pages-90-day-challenge-starts-now/ His introduction is also something worthwhile to look at. It appears that you're having trouble keeping yourself away from gaming videos and gaming in general. The best solution is to block yourself out of it to make sure that your emotional attachments don't get the better of you or experience an 'extinction burst' and relapse. This means that sometime after quitting your brain will attempt a last-ditch effort to gain the mental stimulation you've been used to by urging you to play games, and I would believe this is when a relapse occurs. Unless you actively block yourself out of gaming (leaving no way for you to get back into games), you will be very likely to relapse and this hard work to quit will be wasted. You only have to look at Cam and see that it is possible to achieve the amazing by eliminating all chances of turning back to gaming, so perhaps he could be a great motivator for you. I don't mean to point out failure, but this person had similar problems to you but did not fully commit to quitting, leaving his steam account accessible by not changing its password or associated email address, as well as keeping his consoles (therefore being usable). He tried hard but one day just disappeared from the forum, likely because he left the door open to future gaming and then indulged in old habits. His journal is a good one to look at as an example of such behaviour: http://forum.gamequitters.com/topic/255-every-journal-starts-with-the-first-post/?page=1 I hope this helps, and please take the time to see these past examples of how different approaches to quitting games have widely varying results. Don't forget to replace your old activities (e.g. gaming and video watching) with others that will engage you in a positive way. All the best for your recovery!

Hi Ryan! I can relate to you in an unimaginable number of ways. I am also 17 years old, in high school, and played video games since I was 5 where Super Mario 64 on Nintendo DS was my first game I made emotional attachments to. I have played most of the games you've mentioned, but more importantly, I'm also on the journey to recovering from video game compulsion/addiction. I wish the best for your recovery, just hold on to the values and ideas you have now and make them last! They are powerful and will help you on your road to success.

Hey Ryan, It's great to see another game quitter join the community with such pure determination to further the quality of their own lives and those around them. Good on you for removing every trace of gaming around you, it will serve you all the better in the future (but make sure they're completely inaccessible...). The community is here to help you in any way you need, so ask us, and the community will answer over and over again. I appreciate the effort you've put in to improve your life, and helps me to relate to how much worse my life was before quitting games. I have faith in your efforts, so keep it up!

Here's my post for yesterday: Attempt II Day 41 Today was a designated 'rest' day where I could take a break from my habit building (e.g. running, playing the guitar) but of course, not playing any video games. It felt nice to finally have a day that I could fully feel free to do what I liked, so I just did a lot of reading, and donated $50 to the world vision charity as part of a Christmas present. At the end of the day my ideas were reinforced that it is important to plan out my day; I didn't do much because I hadn't planned anything. Three things I'm grateful for: I am grateful for the time my parents are willing to spend with me. I am grateful for having a variety (however small) of foods to eat for my breakfast. I am grateful for the opportunity to donate money to those who need it most in other countries. One amazing thing that happened today: When I went to donate for world vision, the woman I spoke to came from the same school as me, and she was currently going through university. It was great to share our experiences and what life is life after high school. What I could have done to make my day better: I could have made sure to write my journal entry before I got to bed! I'll make sure to write mine before 8pm tomorrow so that I don't procrastinate.

It's good to see that you make no mention to gaming compulsions in your posts! Seeing that you're having a rough time, it appears that you may have overcome an old tendency to play games whenever you felt down (it surely was something I did). Keep it up and I hope you get well soon!

Here is my post for yesterday: Attempt II Day 40 It is a nice feeling to know that I am almost halfway through the detox, and that I will continue strongly from here (I have had hardly any thoughts about games at all). Today was the second (and last) day of Peer Support Training at school, and was great. It wasn't so interactive as yesterday because we worked with the same group and most of the students had other school related activities at various times throughout the day. I didn't shine as much as yesterday in terms of leadership and friend making, which I believe was due to the factors listed above and because I didn't put as much effort in. I was 'on a roll' yesterday by pushing myself out of my comfort zone consistently, but today I expressed my usual introvert behaviour because I didn't feel the need to and there weren't many people I hadn't talked to recently that were around. I know I could have pushed myself again, but I just didn't. I am disappointed with my own lack of improvement in the social area, but I suppose I can't act out of character consistently. On the bright side I got in what must have been half an hour of guitar practice, where I made up for yesterday's laziness (not playing guitar) by covering extra material. I have been getting into the habit of doing a morning run over the past week, and is almost automatic as long as I set an alarm for the morning. I haven't picked up on programming python yet, which I should have done by now according to my calendar. I don't have excuses for that, so I need to get in action! Three things I'm grateful for: My brother kindly bought me lunch today, and I was grateful for his gift even though I didn't eat it (the gesture was nice). I am grateful for the spare time I now have during these holidays I am grateful for having the freedom to drive where I need to. One amazing thing that happened today: I felt refreshed after playing my guitar for a while, and felt really on top of things because I was picking up on new techniques rather quickly. This was a key point in my day because I need reminding that 'there is light at the end of the tunnel'; namely that there is great reward as long as I persist in developing my musical skills. One thing I could have done to make my day better: I could have put more effort into being more outgoing I suppose. Thanks Cam, I'm sure I'll find much value in developing leadership skills. I think that I like sugary foods just for the taste, so it sounds good to know that other foods will taste better if I stop eating sugar. There are two tactics I use all the time. 1) Say it back. "Nice to meet you Alex!" 2) "Nice name! How do you spell it?" Thanks Tom, I'll try remember to use those, I'm sure the repetition of using the names must make them more memorable.

Attempt II Day 39 Today has been a rather fun and diverse day for me, mostly because I pushed my own leadership qualities. Thanks Cam for the metaphor, because I relate to that very well. Whilst I played games I could restrain myself from playing too much, but as time progressed I would let those standards slip until I started a new cycle starting from me being frightened at my own gaming usage. Speaking of sugar, I think I heard somewhere that you don't eat sugary food. I would like to change these habits of sugary food eating myself, but I am not completely sure of the consequences of sugar are worth giving up for healthier food all the time. So today I went to a training day for peer support at my school, where we are prepared to give guidance for new students entering the school (the youngest year group). I made sure to push my leadership skills by volunteering to perform and whenever I could. It was easier than I expected, the hardest part was just to start I suppose. I could have done better to try and learn people's names, but about 3/4 of the time I didn't know somebody's name that I wanted to know, I took the plunge to get to know them, which is a vast improvement from what I'd normally do. I made about 5 acquaintances today and about 3 friends (not included), which is much more than an estimated average of 0.1 new friends per day! I wish to keep this up to keep up both my confidence and social skills. 3 Things I am grateful for: I am grateful for the availability of petrol stations around where I live, it was a no brainer to find one today! I am grateful for the opportunities presented by the school to meet new people by getting us into groups of people we're unfarmilar with. I am grateful for the privelege to make my own lunch and to have pretty much all I need to make an interesting one. to add to this I am also grateful for my saving attitude because I know that I will do well later on in life by not spending money on things I don't need very much. One amazing thing that happened today: I led (indirectly) a group of 5 people to make a costume today and we made the best in the class because I had asked for each person to do a particular job. This worked well because it created accountability and pressure on that person because the costume wouldn't work without their help. This was a great feeling for me because I came to realise that my methodical approach to leadership may work out well and has given me a taste for being a leader. What could I have done to make my day better? I could have been even more outgoing and get out of my comfort zone to make even more friends today, but otherwise I believe I have done pretty well today! What I am going to do differently tomorrow: I am going to push myself to make even more friends and be more active once getting home.

Here is my post for yesterday: Attempt II Day 38 Today I met up with another student to collaborate together on making a website for a client. This is the first time I have worked on a project for a client which will in turn earn me money, so requires more of my attention. It has been a good day overall. Unfortunately I flopped down onto the couch to binge watch videos and snack once I got home for a few hours. I think this would be largely due to the lack of pressure on me from external sources to do well e.g. exam deadlines or project deadlines (there is no deadline for the website project). I have made a timeline of my goals, but is not that noticeable to me because it is on a piece of paper floating around in my room and on my google calendar, which I don't use very often. On the bright side I meditated in the morning and did a good morning run, and ran fast the whole way! I feel I am getting fitter by doing this repetitively. I procrastinated doing guitar practice until it was too late though... I musn't do this tomorrow! 3 Things I'm grateful for: I am grateful for having family that are willing to pick me up and drive me around if I need it I am grateful for recycling facilities. I would be a very guilty person if I had to throw away everything for landfill I would normally put in the recycling! I am grateful for the opportunity I have to improve my skills in almost any area I desire. One amazing thing that happened today: The student I was working with was open to ideas and was a nice person to collaborate with, so I devote my amazing part of the day to working with him because we were able to get a lot done together. What could I have done to make my day better? I could have had a run immediately after arriving from school and played guitar, that way I would have been more energised to play guitar and got more exercise done. What will I do differently tomorrow? I cant answer this because I am writing the post the day after!

Here is my post for yesterday: Attempt II Day 37 Today was an average day in terms of work completed, but I got most of what I wanted done. I wrote a critical analysis of a website, I continued doing a clean out of my room (my cupboard is full of old toys and school books that I don't use anymore!). I had my morning run, did some jobs for my family, and did some marvelous practice on my guitar! Something that stuck out to me from another post I read the other day was to 'compare gaming with hunger.' If you become full after playing games and feel satisfied, then gaming might be ok for you. If you never feel fully satisfied after playing games and hunger for more, even 'just one more round' or something, then you should probably avoid games. I had never thought of gaming this way, and I certainly fit into the 'never fully satisfied' category as I would keep playing games like an addict. This reflection has served to help solidify me in the path of recovery from the humble knowledge that I would never be satisfied playing games; I have uncapped potential outside of gaming whilst I put the effort in. One amazing thing that happened today: Today I was offered to have breakfast with my grandparents after I dropped off some keys at their place. It was nice to catch up with them and to have a wide range of fruit for breakfast., so I am grateful for this opportunity. I am grateful for: I am grateful for the abundance of spare time that I have I am grateful for sewage systems. My home and country would be a lot messier without it! I am grateful for having my own room, it is a nice privilege. What could I have done to make today better? I could have stayed off of youtube until I had finished the work I wanted to do. What will I do differently tomorrow? I will make sure I limit my time on youtube.

Attempt II Day 36 Today was worse than last in terms of daily disciplines, as I didn't play guitar like I insisted to, and ended up watching a lot of youtube. I had to do quite a bit of driving today and almost caused a crash, even though I try to drive safely as much as possible, so I felt emotionally exhausted when I got home and didn't do much work as a result. I watched some junk on YouTube after doing a small amount of planned work, and here I am writing my post past the goal time. I remember from earlier to not beat myself up about my failures, but to accept that I fell down and to just pick up from where I left off. I am going to tackle tomorrow with determination to set things right, no excuses this time! Looking back, I did get exercise in the morning and meditated twice today which is good. I just need to stay committed to my goals and remember them! I got some smaller activities done fast today from using trello, and I invested time into making a google calendar and writing a time frame from which a bunch of work was set out for me to complete. Unfortunately this time schedule was thrown off the rails when I needed to drive my Dad around, perhaps I could just write the time I expect an activity to take rather than what time I need to complete it by. What am I grateful for? -I am grateful for the skill to drive where I need to go -I am grateful for the water that I am able to obtain so easily -I am grateful for the nearby park to walk the dog. What could I have done to make my day better? I could have done guitar practice first because I needed to start again! One amazing thing that happened today: After meditating today I felt much calmer and could think a lot clearer after a shocking car experience. What I will do differently tomorrow: I will plan my work in terms of listing the things that I need to be doing, how much time each task will take, then estimate how much work I have to do during the day, as well as doing guitar practice first!

Attempt II Day 35 Today was better than last, possibly because I had some drive by meditating in the morning and had morning run. I mentioned earlier that I wanted a running buddy, and I had the opportunity today... A classmate from my old school was nearby when I was doing a morning run and I just said hi, kept on running. I was aware that I could have stopped to talk a little longer, but I didn't think the way I have been telling myself to, being "what is the worst that could likely happen? That's not very bad. I will take the plunge as the potential reward is much greater than the tiny risk." I don't have a way of reminding myself of such sayings or quotations other than recalling them in my memory, does anybody know a good way to incorporate smart ideas into daily life? I know I could just write them down and post them on a wall or something, but I have reason to believe I might just ignore it. I improved through the fact I achieved my goal for yesterday to meditate upon waking up and then having a morning run, which is great. The next thing that I need to work on is consistent guitar practice. I have fallen out of the daily practice because I hit a 'road block' and haven't tried very hard to work my way around it. This will be in what I will try to improve tomorrow. What am I grateful today? I am grateful for the splendid lunch I had today and the chance to meet family again at my great uncle's 90th birthday! He's so old that he forgot it was his birthday... I am grateful for the running shoes I have. I am grateful for the resources I have on hand that I can use to help me learn. What could I have done to make my day better? I could have done my daily guitar practice as soon as possible rather than procrastinating as long as possible. I will cut is short today, on the condition that I finish my journal entry tomorrow by 9PM!

Hi Bryan, welcome to the community! I can relate to much of your experiences, as I played video games from the young age of 5. After getting over the main hurdle in my recovery though, thoughts of gaming seem to be getting further away from my mind, so have hope for the future that you'll be able to do the same. If you haven't already, I'd suggest starting a journal to keep track of your progress, reflect on your daily activities and to get advice and experience regarding quitting games. The daily journals section is the busiest of the forum, so you're guaranteed to get a satisfactory feed of feedback if you ask for it. I have found that keeping a journal online is hugely helpful through the recovery process, as it provides a clean slate from where you can clearly reflect on how you think and act at the end of the day, and receive crucial advice from fellow game quitters. Perhaps this may give you a little inspiration in how to look at things: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36m1o-tM05g I wish you all the best for your recovery, and look forward to journal posts from you!

Thanks for joining the community Alkan! I hope the best for your recovery, and look forward to seeing a journal started from you! Through my own journal I was able to reflect on what I had done right and wrong, and may have been the leading factor to what made me come back quickly after relapse: a record of my progress in recovery, and continuous support from the community within my journal.

Attempt II Day 35 Whoa! The days are whizzing by, now that I am not doing anything important that requires intense focus. Just by writing that sentence I realise I should be spending much more time working on developing the website I am making for a client, it is easy to forget about it because I have finished the school work around the project. Now for some self reflection and explanation: I had trouble with motivation issues again today, the lack of motivation to do productive things. I expected this to happen once I started my holidays, and at the start I averted it well by keeping myself busy by doing things such as going to the museum and doing photography. Now that I have stopped planning such activities, my days seem to be wandering off the path of progress, with my sleep times becoming later and daily disciplines failing. I also forgot to mention that I didn't do my guitar practice yesterday as well as today. My time has been filled with reading and other general time wasting. On the brighter side, whilst reading 'You are not so smart' today (I finished The Power of Habit not long ago) I came across a part of the book that briefly tried to explain why simple planning doesn't work. This simple planning was what I tend to do: set deadlines of when I want to get things done according to overall goals. Although this sounds like a good idea on paper, it doesn't work most of the time for me because I hadn't devised a way to carry out the tasks that I planned for myself. In short, I had the what but didn't have the how. Even though I plan to run every morning and play guitar every day, I hadn't taken into consideration the other 'opposing' forces such as procrastination that I would feel in the future. Now I have set myself the task of finding a running buddy to join with to make sure that I run every day and to meditate immediately after waking up to clear my mind. I also plan to get a few things that 'prime' me to feel a certain way, such as candles or air fresheners that would encourage a cleaner way of living indirectly (it's just an idea at the moment, I need to do a little more research before I dive into this stuff). It's late (I need to get my priorities right!) again to I will just have one other reflection: What am I going to do differently tomorrow: I am going to meditate immediately after I wake up, no excuses! Then have a run afterwards.

Attempt II Day 34 Here is my post for yesterday: Today was wonderful as I got to hang out with a large group (15 of us) from my current high school at an all you can eat buffet! My morning was ok, I procrastinated my morning run by reading when I woke up instead of meditation. Once I'd finished reading, I convinced myself it was too hot to have a run and so didn't do one at all. I set things right by having a midday run, as a 'punishment' for not doing my morning run by having to do it in the hottest part of the day. I didn't feel any more energised afterwards though. As I mentioned in the opening sentence, I got to hang out with a bunch of mates from school who were from different friend groups at a mongolian quisine. I had a blast meeting up with my friends after exams have been over; it was like getting off of a deserted island to meet people because I'd been studying by myself for so long. I ate too much, but it was a nice time all round. What am I grateful today? -I am grateful for living in New Zealand -I am grateful for the opportunity to see my friends -I am grateful for the abundance of food here What could I have done to make my day better? I could have meditated when I got up. It is hard to get into this habit when every instinct and muscle is aching to just go back to bed. One amazing thing that happened today: I tested myself again at making friends, and made a friend named Thomas that came from my school. We hadn't talked to each other before and hadn't been in any classes together, so although it seemed we had nothing in common, I used that fact as a conversation starter! "Hey, you're not in any of my classes are you? I don't think we've met each other before. " It wasn't smooth, but sufficed. Even so, I felt great for stepping up to challenge my social skills; that's how I will develop those skills quickly. What I will do differently tomorrow: I can't say this one, I'm writing this entry the day after! What I should have done was reflected on my inability to run in the morning as a result of not meditating, as I didn't do my morning run the next day!

Attempt II Day 33 Today was pretty much like yesterday! But good overall because nothing bad happened. I started the 21 day no complaining challenge yesterday (which I forgot to mention in my journal), and did well until this afternoon. I started talking to a friend about something I didn't like and it ended up as a complaint. Well, I must start again now! The rubber band I am wearing to remind me gets moved to the other hand each time I mess up, and the 21 day timer restarts. I did my meditation and run this morning, so that was good. I meditated under my own steam, listening to some wave sounds from my phone. It wasn't as good quality meditation as what I'd feel after the guided ones, but it was my first try by myself so I should be able to not let my mind wander off with more practice. I went to my service activity this afternoon, but thankfully the traffic was in my favor and all was well. Tomorrow I will be going to a dinner with some school friends (not the gamer ones from my old school that I normally hang out with) so I have a great opportunity to get the social interaction I have been lacking and get to know some new people. What am I grateful for today? I am grateful that other road users are considerate, I am still learning how to be more considerate on the road. I am grateful for the choice to do what I like with my time, as spending it in a good way makes it all the more rewarding. I am grateful for having a loving family who cherishes time spent with me. What could I have done to make my day better? I could have made a plan from the beginning, having time frames for each individual task. I downloaded a chrome extension called 'momentum' and its quote of the day was "a goal without a plan is only a wish" which I found quite relevant. I'll finish off my post in the morning, it is far too late at night.

Attempt II Day 32 Today was an average day, I got done what I needed to (minimum) and didn't involve much social interaction. I went to a volunteer event at school, which took me 1.5 hours to drive to the school and around the same time to get back it was the longest amount of time I have driven by myself but I did my job at the end of the day. It was nice helping out, but I will need to approach it in a better mood to see if I'm cut out for volunteer work. I didn't do my morning run, and I know exactly why! I was tired by being woken up by our dogs, and so when I got up to turn my alarm off I dropped straight into bed. I should have started my morning meditation, if I had I would have been motivated to run afterwards and start the chain reaction of habits that gets me ready for the day. Since I didn't meditate, I didn't run, I didn't shower, and delayed having breakfast. At least I know well now that running is being integrated into my mind as a habit through its involvement with my subconscious morning routine. On the bright side I managed to get outside to do my daily guitar practice. As I planned yesterday, I worked on a new page of content, and I loved it! I haven't worked on my picking skills in ages and so I was able to 'improve' it very quickly as I got back into the rhythm of picking strings of the guitar. I ended up having my run in the afternoon, but by then I had already wasted most of the morning. What am I grateful for today? I am grateful to be able to use my mum's car do get around. I am grateful for the opportunity to provide service to the community I am grateful for the freedom I have to pursue the dreams and aspirations that I have What could I have done to make my day better? Meditating in the morning would have made a huge difference to my overall mood and would have provided the clarity of thought to do my morning run. One amazing thing that happened today: As I was picking my guitar today I not only regained old skills, but I tested myself to develop new ones - namely picking and fretting without looking at the guitar. I could only do really simple things, but it will be really helpful to do this as I will be able to direct my attention and gaze somewhere else while playing guitar, which is important for performing. What I will do differently tomorrow: I will make sure to meditate in the morning under my own guidance (I am sick of pay to use meditation apps). This will help me directly to run and get my other morning activities under way. Something I underestimate is that morning meditation gets rid of drowsiness and the strong desire to stay comfortable in bed. I will also start a morning journal again, at the suggestion of Tim in the Tim Ferris Show podcast I listened to yesterday. Prod me if I don't mention it in my next post!