wookieshark88

I remember going on huge game binges and being thoroughly amused and stimulated. But at the same time I wasn't happy. I was depressed and anxious. I learned that being entertained and being happy are very separate things. I still seek out entertainment in various forms, but it's easier for me to get back to business when I need to because I know that going about that is what makes me happy and entertainment is my what I do to rest from that. Also, I love that you just put your frustrations out there. I can tend to hide mine if I'm not vigilant about staying honest.

Thanks for the mention! One small thing, my baby has progressed from newborn to infant and is nearing the toddler stage! I get very pedantic when it comes to my baby, haha. Django, please feel free to ask me anything at all. I have found a real passion for contributing in this community, and that includes you now that you joined!

I love the organized beads! A few weeks ago I was feeling anxiety so I organized my wife's sock/underwear drawer. Sitting still and putting order to things can really take the edge off!

Good job resisting that temptation! When I sold my Game Boy Color, I turned it on to make sure it was working first. That was my closest exposure to a game I've had since I quit. I thought about pressing start, but I knew that I'm too happy in life these days to do that.

I exhaled in relief when I found out it was a dream. I was seriously horrified for you.

Yeah, definitely. I do try to do that sometimes, although I admit that these days I frequently rattle off 10 things without feeling gratitude as fully as I should. I would venture a guess that taking the time to feel it fully is more important than the number of things you can come up with. That's undoubtedly true. Even so, I would hope that you find a sense of joy just from knowing that your mind can quickly identify things you are thankful for. I think that shows that you've been successfully training your mind to notice the good in your life!

I agree completely about the importance of driving safely. I've had that attitude since as long as I have been driving. I was flawless for my first fourteen years of driving, but not that one time. I felt an intense guilt about it, and have been so much more vigilant ever since. That vigilance will stay with me forever because it's supremely important to me that I do not have any negative impacts on society, That being said, I accept the blame, analyze what went wrong, and formulate a strategy to never repeat that mistake again. My family needs me, and I will do all that I can to be there for them. Today was a good day. I selected my book to read! I picked "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie because every time I saw somebody mention that book, I had the desire to read it for myself. It's a pretty short read so I'm going to have to line up the next book too. So far the advice that the author gives is straightforward and intuitive. It's the kind of thing that I feel should be obvious, but it's easy enough to not put all the pieces together until somebody points it out. I believe that it can profoundly change my life if I can internalize its message and live by its principles. I'm also taking notes on it because it's something I feel is worth condensing for quick reference. Work was pretty easy as it seems like everybody there is going into holiday mode. I've been keeping busy enough with my training, and I have some production work that I'll get into soon as well. I'm at the point in my training where I want to organize the knowledge that I have gained in an way that will useful as a reference guide. It's pretty much the same thing that I'm doing with Carnegie's book. I suppose that I have a natural inclination to distill and organize the information I find valuable. Of course that distilled information would not be very valuable to me if I didn't read the whole book or train thoroughly first. It just helps me to key in on concepts that I have learned and enables me to perform a function while I'm still in the process of internalizing that knowledge. I do the same with school too now that I think about it. I've been thinking about how my journal is getting quite long and encompasses a huge amount of change in my life. I'm thinking about reviewing my old entries and analyzing them. What was I like on a certain day? What were my goals? How did I do with them? How I feel? Why did I feel that way? This could be a good way of identifying what has been working for me and what I can change to continue to improve. Also, I noticed that I am so reluctant to read my old words and see recordings of myself. This means that I rely on memory to evaluate things, and memory is far from perfect. Also, it's good practice to do something that's a little bit out of my comfort zone. Does anybody have thoughts or experience with this? I'm thankful for: Reading with my eyes!Driving safely today.Having a lot of fun with my baby this evening.Skyping with my parents.Sending my wife an unprompted text telling her how supportive she is of me.Meditating. I can believe how important it is to me after so many years of thinking it was stupid.This community. It's such a quality bunch of folks, and it keeps getting better!My mother in law for being a vital support of my success this semester. I need to figure out the best way to show my gratitude.Feeling good about life. I spent most of my life without this feeling.Improving myself a little bit every day.

I definitely consider myself lucky. I'm also more aware so I won't need to rely on luck next time. Smoking was easier to stop initially, but I still feel urges no matter how long its been since I quit. Video games took a massive initial effort to stop, but I feel mostly free from their influence today.

Today was a very low key day for me. I spent most of the day expending as little energy as possible which is a great change of pace from my usual pedal to the metal style. It's important for me to relax and regroup so that I can get back to it. I also have been reflecting on how this semester went, and how I should approach next semester. This semester was academically a huge success. I scored over 100% on three out of four quizzes with a 99% being the worst grade I got. My midterm was a 100% as well. I'm positive my participation grade was fine, and my notebook got an A-. Besides being academically a success, it was enjoyable. This is hugely important because happiness is the key to success. Safety was not so good as I destroyed my car which also led to a car payment and higher insurance rates. Luckily I'm not injured, and I am much more aware when I drive. Health wise I have been doing well as I lost weight, improved my cholesterol levels, and am working on solving my stomach problem. Family wise has been great. I found time on a regular basis to spend quality time with them. Emotionally, things have been good. I hit some snags here and there, but I have been diligent about not letting things get out of control. Work has been good as well as I improve every day. Also, video games and nicotine have been avoided all semester despite having cravings here and there! I'm looking forward to building on this momentum in the winter semester! I'm thankful for: Having a very calm evening with my wife.My baby being content to just hang out and not be too wild.Having a low key day at work.The tasty salad I had for lunch.Left over pizza with more salad for dinner.Watching Seinfeld with my wife.Taking the high road with my coworker who was bothering me last week. She's a good person, and I'm glad that we can talk.My very comfortable bed that I will be climbing into very shortly.Not feeling my allergies too badly since stopping my Claritin yesterday.My cats for sitting calmly with me for most of the evening.

It's been a while since I've read your journal. I love the format you use for documenting the events of the day and the frank honesty you use! Also, congrats on your success on attempt 2!

I can see why you would come to that conclusion regarding the book, and it's nice to see that somebody is okay with going against the grain. Is there a book you have read that helped you out?

I am always so conscious of people being glued to their electronic devices in public place where interacting with the world around them should be much more gratifying. I've done it here and there in the past, but it's nuts how people seem like they need to have their faces buried in a screen no matter where they are and what they're doing! Also, great job on getting to day eight! It's no small achievement!

Don't forget to post in the 90 day thread once you get there!

I would love to see Italy, Greece, and Spain. I'm going to go one of these years!

Good luck on the exam!

Great job on the push ups! I've worked my way up to 10 in a row. I worked my way up from three in a row at first. It's kind of embarrassing to admit, but I'm still proud of it!

Today kicked ass! I finished the semester! I proved to myself that I can balance school, work, and family! I also got to read and post all over the forums! It's awesome how busy it's becoming on here, but it's harder to read and post on every topic I want to. I'll just have to apply the Slight Edge to catching up on everything around here, haha. It's been so long since I read anything on here that wasn't posted in my own journal. One thing I'm excited to do now is read a book with my eyes and not my ears. I just need to figure out what that book should be! I should check out that video that Cam made of recommended books. I don't think I read all of those yet. I'm going to keep this entry short because I need to get a few chores done, and I got to write plenty in other topics around here. I'm thankful for: Kicking ass this semester!Having a wife, boss, and mother in law that helped me kick ass this semester!Having a baby who did not scream at me this evening!Feeling awesome right now!Having a wife who is bringing home some celebratory pizza soon!Realizing that Christmas day will mark six months since I last played a game! Merry Christmas to me!Reading some great stuff on the forums!Knowing that I am advancing towards my goal/dream of finishing school!All the feedback and support that people have left in my journal all semester even when I couldn't read their journals.Learning to see that my life is full of wonderful possibilities and discovering the courage and strength needed to pursue my dreams.

Great degree and good luck! Don't make me scold you for not working on your cover letter!

I finally got a chance to read your journal for the first time in a while. I love the variety of subjects you touch upon in your journal! There's always something here that makes good food for thought!

Welcome aboard! What is your degree in if you don't mind my asking?

Should I play mobile games? Absolutely not! I'm not giving Candy Crush and other time wasters another moment of my time. It's probably better to just go to a casino and play slot machines. At least they'll give you a free drink or two while you throw your money and time away.

I'm finally free from this semester, and I read some of your latest posts. They are just as encouraging as I remember! Thanks for sharing!

All of the things you are doing are great! If it feels like things are getting hard, just write about it. Many of us here have encouraged each other and have been encouraged by others in our journeys.

How you view failure will really make a difference in how you deal with it. Failure after working hard is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. It means that you took on something challenging and gave it your all. It's a noble thing and a stepping stone to greatness. If you succeed in everything you do, it probably means that you're not really challenging yourself or growing. Failing at something does not mean you are a failure at all. If you want to learn how to view failure in a way that will help you achieve your dreams, read "Mindset" by Carol Dweck. She explains it better than I ever could.

John, you can do this! I'm 32 years old myself and am in school working towards my degree in architecture. I actually took my final exam this morning! This is the first class that I have taken since become a new father too. I love your attitude of not being satisfied with just an okay life. Every day you can keep this attitude alive, the less you will dread the 4-0. You have it in yourself to amaze yourself with how happy you can be by the time you get there! It sounds stupidly simple, but the best way to get there is to make all the good small choices in life that aren't really hard to make. If you're like me, you've tried this in the past, but found that it seems impossible to maintain this kind of lifestyle over a long period of time. It just doesn't stick. That's because there's more to making a good habit than just making yourself do it every day. You can use your willpower, but that always eventually fails. The good news is that you used to read every day, and there's a book that can help you figure out how to form good habits that actually stick. Get yourself a copy of "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg. It's not that long of a read, and it can really help you out. You can also read all the great stuff on this forum. Cam have written tons of good stuff on here and others here have added their own invaluable insights as well! Ask a question and I can guarantee that you'll get an answer. Share a struggle and somebody will share how they have deal with it. Welcome aboard!