NEW VIDEO: I Quit MMOs and THIS Happened
wookieshark88
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Posts posted by wookieshark88
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I love my bird feeders too! I have a hummingbird one and a small bird one. My daughter got to see Nature in action as a Hawk got a little bird at the feeder. She shrugged and said "Hawks have to eat too". The one upset was my teenage son. LOL. Thankfully that only happened once in the last couple of years. We don't have squirrels we have raccoons. We got them their own feeder and changed the bird feeder to the type that the perches are weight based. Weigh to much and the perch folds down so can not get to the food. Pardon the amazon link but it is something like this. https://www.amazon.com/Perky-Pet-5151-Premium-Squirrel-Be-Gone-Breakaway/dp/B00PK3CU3M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1468129822&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=bird+feeder&psc=1 Good luck on your squirrel battles and I hope it is fine also.
Hi fellow bird lover! I actually got a really similar feeder to the one you linked. There are hawks in my area too, but I've never seen them near my yard. The squirrels and blue jays are the biggest jerks around my feeder besides the foxes that will eat any of the creatures around here that they can find. Newman the squirrel has survived and was being a big jerk again. I didn't have a chance to catch him though so he gets to terrorize the feeder for another week.
Yesterday was a rough day.
I my wife and I got into a bit of a nasty argument, and I re injured my back. We talked everything out and are fine. Sometimes those things happen, but we really prioritize working them out as soon as we're able to. Too bad I couldn't reconcile with my back because it's been hurting a lot all day.
Today was a good day.
We all went to a museum and had a blast together. It was really nice to have a good time to end the weekend on a high note. My baby loved the taxidermy displays of all the animals, and we practiced saying the animal names together. I also found a fun new bedtime story book in the gift shop for her. We read it together this evening.
I'm thankful for:
- The pork carnitas burritos with freshly made tomatillo salsa that my wife are going to eat in a bit.
- My wife and I being better at conflict resolution than my parents are.
- My baby making new phonetic sounds today. She had good practice at the museum.
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She'll be a teenager before you know it.
She's already run into her room and shut the door behind her a few times (she was just having fun). It's absolutely crazy to think about.
Today was a good day once again.
My baby didn't have a nap today which usually means a rocky end to the day. We got her all washed up and in her pajamas early so that she would be able to go to sleep when she decided she was ready. An hour before her normal bedtime she handed me her bedtime storybook and climbed into my lap. I read to her until she fell asleep and put her in her crib. I'm so proud of this because my wife and I were able to recognize an unusual situation and adapt accordingly. My baby had her fun, recognized she was tired, and communicated it to us. I'm proud of how we all worked together.
Because my baby was asleep so early, my wife did something that we haven't done in over a year. We watched a whole movie from start to end. It was really fun and relaxing to just take it easy.
I did my meditation this morning, ate well during the day, and will read in a while. My habits are coming back together, and it feels good. My goal this summer has been to take care of everything that fell by the wayside because of school, work, parenting, and marriage. So far so good, and I intend to keep up with it.
I'm thankful for:
- Having a successful week at work.
- The squirrel for making things interesting. He may be my nemesis, but I still like him. I think that the foxes may have eaten him because nobody saw him all day. If he turns out to be alive, I'll take him to the park across the river because it's going to be safer for him there.
- The improvement of my back. I'm so happy to have less pain in my life.
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I hear you about the hours. I probably spent about 50,000 hours of my life on games (2000 hours a year times 25 years). It's worth it. I promise.
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I use a Surface Pro 4 and I love this thing. I can hook up external monitors or whatever else I need when I need to be more productive. Look into it to see if it interests you.
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Looks like I might be coming back more regularly to see how the squirrel drama is going
If you love your work, you'll never work a day in your life! It appears your day flew by in the best way yesterday.
I've read The Slight Edge twice too
it really does help to have those ideas reinforced by reading over them again.Haha, my wife says that the squirrel is my Newman (from Seinfeld). I will not let him have the last laugh! I'm definitely working hard to find work that I love. Once I get my degree, I'm definitely going for a career change. I just noticed that there are a ton of recommended books at the end the Slight Edge. I might pick one of those for my next read or just reread The Power of Habit.
Today was a good day.
My baby had the checkup and shots today. She's completely healthy and is developing at the right pace. The doctor said that we can begin potty training now which is a crazy thought to me. I remember being so excited when she could sit up on her own. She's also developed a fondness for 50's rock and roll. She even does the twist now, haha. It's probably (definitely) the cutest thing I ever saw in my life.
Work was pretty much the same as yesterday which is good. One difference is that I had a bunch of phone calls to handle today. I think that I was helpful to everybody who called and got everybody one the same page. Were working on a first of its kind prototype while simultaneously validating the capabilities of our new software so communication is key.
The squirrel ravaged the bird feeder again today, but that's not a surprise at this point. I'm getting my new feeder tomorrow and am hoping that it can stabilize the situation outside, haha. For now, all I can do is shake my fist at him while he mocks me. It will be me who will get the last laugh! Mwahahaha!
I'm thankful for:
- My wife planning our upcoming vacation.
- The ridiculous variety of toilet training devices out there. My wife wants to get a throne that sings when you poop in it.
- Having a nice chat with my neighbor. He's a really good guy who really cares about the neighborhood.
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Congratulations @Viking! I'm glad your wife was happy about it. My wife was confused because I hid it too well (which I'm not proud of).
Today was a good day.
Work was confusing, but I still had my successes. I've been in my position for over a year now, and I'm still putting together the pieces of what my job actually entails. It seems like most of the knowledge needed to excel is guarded by four to five people. Piece by piece, I learn a little bit more about how to do it as I pull information from those people like pulling teeth. However it turns out at work is fine by me because I'm going back to school soon anyways. It's just my nature to give my job an honest effort until my last day of work. This job is so strange.
Baby time (my new term for the period of time after I get home from work and spend time with her one on one) was fun. She was very enthusiastic about making noise for my parents on the phone. They really enjoy hearing her laugh, babble, and say the occasional word. She's really been upping her splash ability in the bath tub. I was soaked by the time she was done, haha.
My squirrel nemesis has really damaged my bird feeder. He chewed a big hole in the side of it and it leaks seed now. I ordered a new feeder and may drop off the squirrel on the other side of the river if I have the time/luck to catch him. My wife is quite amused at my ridiculous feud with the local wildlife, haha.
I'm still reading The Slight Edge every night before bed. It's been a good reminder of how I made so much progress over the last year and a guide for continued success.
I'm thankful for:
- Connecting with the nature right in my own backyard like I never have before.
- Having a new chapter in life to look forward to.
- Seeing the smile on my wife's face.
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I wish you the best of luck on this journey! It's definitely not easy for people like us, but that's why we're doing it together. I knew that feeling of emptiness and sadness too, but I can say that it won't last forever! Keep it up!
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I haven't read your whole story yet, but so far, there is so much I can relate too. I also have children, and the following quotes is something I couldn't have wrote better:
Old me would have gotten the baby to bed ASAP, played video games, panicked when I knew my wife was going to be home soon, and scrambled to accomplish something so that she wouldn't suspect that I spent hours playing a game.
That's how my mindset is. Kids to bed ASAP and then game! Maybe put up a lie to my wife about how long time it took to accomplish the daily chores etc. It's a kind of a relief to read, that I'm not the only one who is having those thoughts..
I Am looking forward reading your whole journal !
I'm thankful for:
I love your "I'm thankful for" statements. I will start doing that too. How does it impact on you? When you write down what you are thankful for?
It sounds we certainly have a lot in common! Hopefully you can find success with all of us here. I also find it relieving that you know exactly what that kind of lifestyle I lived. Regarding the thankfulness statements, they're a great way to dwell on and build upon the small victories in our lives. I try to really think about my day and find the unique positives to write down. It's been good for me because it trains my mind to see things in a positive light. I sometimes tend to get cynical and making the effort to be positive keeps me on track. It also helps that my wife always points out the silver lining in most situations. The impact is actually pretty significant. It's a lot more than I would have ever imagined before I did it. Anyways, thanks for taking the time to comment in my journal!
Today was a good day again.
I was busy making steady progress at work for a full eight hours which made the day fly by. One of my cubicle mates moved out and I miss having her around. We were able to have some interesting conversations sitting in the same area.
After work, I got my allergy shots and went home. My baby was in a fantastic mood. We played princesses for a good long while, talked to my parents on the phone, and joked around. We all went for a brisk walk when my wife home which has been a good habit for us all.
Like I've mentioned in earlier posts, I've got lots of plants and a nice bird feeder out on my porch. The thing is that this really fat and aggressive squirrel has been spending hours a day tearing up the bird feeder, eating all the food, and scaring away the nicer creatures. I got him his own squirrel feeder today and put it up. Hopefully he can chill out a bit and let peace return to the porch. If he doesn't, I'm going to catch him with a trap, drive him across the river, and drop him off in a park. I'd rather he just be a little nicer so I don't have to do all that. Squirrel drama is fun, haha.
I'm thankful for:
- The delicious salmon that my wife brought home from the fish market. We grilled it up and had it with French fries.
- Viking taking the time to write me. I love finding more people to relate to.
- Eating pretty good today. I want to get more consistent with that.
- Doing my morning meditation. It wasn't very effective, but I want to rebuild that habit.
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Today was a good end to the long weekend. We all slept in and hung out around the house for a while. Eventually, we went out for a hike and then to the swimming pool. It was really relaxing.
While we were hiking, my wife and I spent a lot of time talking about our future plans. It was really good to make sure we're on the same page. Walking and talking is something I have always enjoyed. Being out in nature just makes it so relaxing and easy to think clearly.
I'm ready to get back to work and make more progress on my task. Knowing that I will be able to have success makes work so much more palatable.
I'm thankful for:
- Getting a squirrel feeder. I didn't know that they existed until today. Hopefully it helps keep that obese squirrel off the bird feeder.
- Seeing my baby have fun around a small group of people. Sometimes she gets very shy and doesn't want to do anything.
- Really getting a chance to unwind and reset.
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Today was a fine day.
We took it pretty easy this morning, finished the rest of our chores, and went to a 4th of July family party. I made a delicious pesto pasta salad to bring, and people gave me pretty good feedback for it. My baby was wild about it so I definitely need to make it again.
I've been really happy with the way my family life has been going. We're a tight knit bunch that love to laugh and spend time together. I'm never annoyed with them because I'm just trying to get back to my games. There's no guilt or secrets to hide.
I'm thankful for:
- Fun family time.
- Making a popular dish.
- Rereading books that made such a big impact on me.
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Hey nice to hear that your work is going better lately. I bet this improves your general mood by a lot!
It really does! I can't stand to waste 40 hours a week by accomplishing nothing. Since I quit games, I'm just not okay with that kind of thing.
Today was a good day!
I just found my story while I was browsing reddit. I never really thought that would happen to me. Typically, I don't like to draw too much attention to myself, but maybe somebody will benefit from it.
My wife and I got 90% of our chores done today, the first day of the long weekend. We're going to be able to be pretty carefree for the next few days! We still had a fair amount of fun today too.
I'm thankful for:
- My tomato plant. It has six little tomatoes now!
- My wife for being understanding of me.
- Reduced neck pain.
- Relaxing after a day of running around.
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Today was a good day again.
Work went by really fast because I was getting a ton of work done. It's such a turn around from just a few days ago. I have plenty to do and a plan to get it all done.
My family and I went out for dinner together, and it was fun. The food wasn't the best, but there were lots of laughs shared between us.
I'm super sleepy so that's it for the night.
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Today was another good day.
I was productive at work again today, and I'm feeling much better about going there tomorrow. Chances are that I'm going to head into the weekend on a high note.
Hanging out with my baby this evening was a challenge, but still fun overall. She didn't have a nap today which always makes things tough towards the end of the day.
I made a nice fried rice for dinner which is always delicious. It's not at all like the stuff you get from a Chinese takeout place. It was light and fluffy without a greasy feeling and had triple the amount of veggies that you would get in takeout rice. I love being able to cook for my wife especially because she made an awesome dinner last night.
I'm thankful for:
- Being able to improve my work situation.
- All the dead aphids that are falling off my tomato plant.
- The wonderful collection of people that contribute to these forums.
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Today was a good day!
I made measurable progress at work today which feels great. Work takes up 40 hours of my life every week, and it takes a toll on me when I can't see anything meaningful coming out of it. I also feel fairly confident that I will be able to make similar progress tomorrow. The last few mornings this week have been difficult for me because I was getting up and preparing to spend my day accomplishing nothing. Tomorrow will be a lot better in that regard.
After work, I did my chiropractor thing which has drastically reduced neck pain that I was feeling every moment of every day for the last 6 months. My baby and I played and acted goofy together before we went for a nice evening walk. She has been falling asleep on this walk most days which makes it easy to get back home and put her right in her crib. I then cleaned the living room and kitchen, fed the cats, watered and sprayed my plants, made some fresh pesto, and now I'm here! Old me would have gotten the baby to bed ASAP, played video games, panicked when I knew my wife was going to be home soon, and scrambled to accomplish something so that she wouldn't suspect that I spent hours playing a game.
I've noticed that I've been comparing my video game life to my game free life in my entries lately. It helps me to remember why I don't ever want to go back to games. The old me would not have enjoyed the things I did this evening because I would have just been anticipating game time. Now that I've gotten my mind out of that cycle, all of those things are fun or satisfying to me.
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Thanks for the mention! It's been one of the most wonderful years of my life! One thing that I learned is that changing something so deeply ingrained, like my old video game compulsion, is that the change does not happen in a vacuum. For me, quitting games required examination and adjustment of many different parts of my life. I had to challenge myself to do things I wouldn't normally do. Sustaining that kind of change is only really possible if you can be happy with it. I learned that entertainment and happiness are completely separate things which seems obvious in hindsight. I could be thoroughly entertained for 10 hours straight with a video game, but I would also feel anxious and disconnected from life.
I could go on and on, but it's time for bed. I hope to see this topic swell over time with posts of everyone else's successes!
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I would like to feel like I benefited humanity and fulfilled a bit of my potential once in a while.
Your story (and journal) contribute to this!
Thanks! It really helps to know that I can help out!
Today was a good day.
My work day and dealing with school administration wasn't very pleasant at all, but everything else was great!
My back porch is really awesome these days. I have my grill, some outdoor chairs and a table, my tomato and squash plants, and my bird feeder. The table is really cool because I found it covering in bugs and really rusty. I took the time to clean off the bugs, scrub the rust off, and give it a new coat of paint. It looks like new. It's a great place to hang out or simply see from inside! I have a new planter in the middle of it with herbs. The only problem is that I found aphids on my tomato plant. I got some organic insecticide coming in the mail to take care of that. When I was playing video games, my porch often had dead leaves all over it, no plants, and no bird feeder. All of that stuff was just distractions from my available screen time. Today, my wife and I sat out there, grilled, laughed, and enjoyed a beverage. No video game is better than that.
I'm thankful for:
- Getting a couple of walks in today. That's good for my exercise habit.
- Reading more Slight Edge last night before bed.
- People's old "junk" that I can make look as good as new.
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Today was another good day.
My wife and I hustled this morning to get all of our chores done then took the baby to a splash pad. She had so much fun, and all those huge smiles are the greatest thing to see. It was a great way to end the weekend.
I can't wait to get back to school full time. I've been in my company through many years, locations, and positions. That place just isn't for me. The lingering heaviness of work on Sunday evening just isn't the way for me to spend my life. I don't need to have rainbows and unicorns at work, but I would like to feel like I benefited humanity and fulfilled a bit of my potential once in a while.
I'm thankful for:
- Having a lot of fun today.
- Great summer weather.
- Having goals to reach for.
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Today was a great day.
We went as a family to go yard sale hopping after a nice easy morning at home. We only bought a few things, but we were able to walk, talk, and laugh. This for dinner, my wife and I went out to a fancy and amazing restaurant. It was so relaxing to just be a couple for a few hours without chasing a baby around. Don't get me wrong, chasing a baby is a lot of fun these days, but it's important to have grown up time once in a while too.
One of my new hobbies has been gardening. I've had some plants around for years, but they would always suffer during periods when I didn't have time to take care of them because of video games. This summer, I've been really consistent in my care for them and it's been really relaxing and rewarding. I have a tomato plant and a squash plant that look amazing! My mother in law has been giving me tips on how to properly take care of them too. My aloe plant is doing great and has multiplied into four plants now. My African violet that I've had for almost 10 years looks great and is now two plants as well! I want to trade one of my aloes with my coworker for one of her awesome plants.
The best thing is that I just finished my first year of being game free! I did plenty of introspection in my recent posts so I'm not doing that again today. I'll just say that as much as I loved my damn games, going without them for a whole year is so much better.
I'm thankful for:
- My developing green thumb.
- Laughing a whole lot today.
- Getting mentally far away from the work week.
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Today was a good day in the end.
My job and school were driving me nuts all day, but I had lots of fun with the wife and baby once I got out. Good thing I have a plan on dealing with both both work and school.
I started rereading the Slight Edge last night, and it really brings back memories. It made such a huge impact on me, and really gave me some vital tools for quitting games. The lessons in there are worthy of being revisited periodically. I made a lot of progress in the last year, but I know that I can go so much further if I keep on working on it. One thing that really inspires me is that I want my baby to have a role model in her life that can show her the way to live. My parents are good and loving people, but they are terrible role models. Maybe I can give my baby some advantages that I never had. So far, she and I do really good together. We laugh, play, sing songs, make jokes, and talk about how to get through her (for a baby) hardships. There's compassion, encouragement, empathy, joy, and love between us. I know for a fact that if I was playing games, it wouldn't be like this. I still remember ignoring her cries while playing games. If it weren't for that moment, I would not have come to a crossroads and chosen to improve. It's better that I got to that point when she was three months old, and spared her years of sub par parenting.
I'm thankful for:
- My bond with my baby.
- Having a plan to finish school and escape my mind numbing career. I'd rather love my work and never retire than waste forty years of my life doing something that has no meaning to me.
- The neck pain I've had for months slowly improving.
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So I guess that I missed a day, but that's going to happen. Today was a good day.
I have a really important milestone coming up on Saturday. It's definitely one of my top accomplishments ever. It marks a complete year of being completely video game free! It will be my first game free year since I was two or three years old! I didn't own my own video game until I was seven, but I do remember playing them through friends and family before that. I remember playing those games and freaking out about having to stop playing those games and begging my parents to buy me them. I guess that even from those early days, I needed to hit a crisis point to break free from games.
Today was a very normal summer day for me. I'm not taking any classes right now which is a big reason why I want to revive my journal. I prioritized my family first, classwork second, and my job third during the last semester. It worked well enough in that my family life is fun and healthy, I got an A in my class last semester, and I got a lot better at my job. When the semester ended, I immediately shifted into catching up on long neglected issues. I had leaky pipes in my home repaired, started getting treatment for some back pain that I ignored, worked on creating a will for my family, and a host of other things. The reason why I did this is because I know that living in the present is a key to success and having lingering issues keeps the mind in the past.
Now that most (about 32 out of 35 things) of my list is taken care of, I need to revive my habits that have brought me success. Journaling on here was my first habit I started when I quit games so it has become my first habit to reestablish. I remember reading in The Slight Edge that I can ride the momentum of past efforts, but that will only last so long. It's important to me return to the basics. I learned from a member of this forum that relapse can happen even years after quitting games, and I don't want that to be me. Life is too good these days.
I think that I should take inventory of my habits and their current status.
- Journaling - This habit had died, and is now being revived. It was the foundational habit that gave rise to the rest so I need to establish consistency with this first.
- Meditation - This habit is mostly dead which is absurd because I loved it so much. I do practice mindfulness throughout the day, but that's not a substitute for actual meditation. I'll shift my focus to reestablishing this at a later point.
- Reading - This habit had been going strong until a few weeks ago when I started reading a book that I lost interest in. I'm not doing the long commute right now so I lost my audio book time. I should listen to them at work. Maybe I'll reread the books that helped me so much in the last year. That actually sounds like an awesome idea now that I think about it!
- Exercise - I've been improving on this recently since my wife got a new job. She's home a bit earlier now, and we've been going for brisk walks while enjoying each other's company. This is good for now.
- Eating Well - This has definitely not been going very well. Actually I eat lots of awesome things that my wife and I cook, but I also have been eating a lot of crap. I'll work on this once I get some momentum from journaling.
I'm thankful for:
- Having a nice foundation to return to.
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It's been a long while since I've posted, but things have slowed down a bit so it's time to revive my journal. I've been spending much less time online because I'm much happier interacting with my wife and baby.
June 25th will be my one year anniversary of being game free, and my mind works so much differently these days. I don't really think about games more than once or twice a day. Sometimes I still have dreams of playing games, but I'm always so relieved once I wake up.
No matter how long I've been away from games, I'm aware that I can easily fall back into old patterns if I'm not careful. It was a lesson that a fellow game quitter taught me, and I'm thankful for that.
I'm going to resume my journal with daily posts, even if only small ones. It's much better to set a small goal and exceed it than to set a huge goal that becomes burdensome and intimidating.
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I don't know what you are doing but your journal to date has been incredibly inspiring as balancing parenting and growth. I like how you have bad days/times and overcome them and mainly just live in the moment in a joyous way. I don't know if you will ever read this post but may all the best come to you and yours.
I certainly will read it! I'm honored that you find my words helpful!
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The last few days have been good! I've been enjoying doing the accountability partner thing and have gotten back into a good workout routine! I took my first test of the semester, and I think it did well. My baby keeps getting funner as she likes to play fun little games with me. Work has been going fairly well even if it feels a bit pointless. Meditation this morning was really refreshing too.
I'm thankful for:
- Getting through my first test.
- Almost being done with my taxes.
- Having some good talks with my accountability partner.
- My neck feeling a bit better.
- Working on my wife's Valentine's Day gift.
- The weekend coming up.
- Having tasty leftovers for dinner.
- Driving safely today.
- Starting to pay more attention to my budget.
- Having a great family.
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Having a baby helped me a lot! You probably don't want to do that without really planning it out though, haha.
On a serious note, meditation has been great for me. Spending time to take care of my mind gives me a huge boost in my day and makes not playing games easier.
My Journal - Joe
in Daily Journals
Posted
Thanks! Just to be clear, I didn't hurt my back fighting with her. I reread that and it sounded like some sort of domestic violence case. Our home is happily violence free.
Today was a good Monday.
I had another day of steady productivity at work and was done with my shift before I knew it. I'm cruising along with my task. One thing I need to do at work this week is begin the paperwork for taking a leave of absence. I got my student loan approved so it's time to take the next step. I'm nervous about it which makes me want to procrastinate on my paperwork. It's time to just do it!
I went to my chiropractor today and he said that I have a sprained neck. Sprains are something that I've experience more than once in my life, but only in my wrists and ankles. The pain definitely feels familiar in that way. Thankfully, I already have been receiving care for my back. It's already improved since Saturday.
I played a lot with my baby after work and read to her from her new book. Now I'm making burgers for dinner.
I'm thankful for: