kortheo

I guess my reaction to your post is that you shouldn't worry about whether being successful means being an entrepreneur or not. Success can mean many different things, and financial success doesn't necessarily translate into a successful life if it means neglecting your family. You clearly care about integrity and family - in fact you say that the most important thing for you is family. So you're going to have prioritize that in order to be successful in life by your own definition. So can you be a huge success by working a regular job? Of course! Not everyone wants to be a CEO. I certainly don't. Success is leading a life that fulfills you, IMO. That could take many forms. Some people don't care about money that much, and prioritize other things in their lives. I think you could start by really reflecting on what matters to you, and what you want to your life to be like, rather than allowing yourself to be influenced by what society's idea of success is, or what your parents led you to believe success is. I know that's not easy, and I'm not trying to knock you as I struggle with the same thing. But think about it :).

Day 47 Started feeling a bit sick yesterday. Nothing terrible but enough to throw off my schedules. I left early from work and rested for half the day. I was feeling better in the evening, so I went out to a trivia event as I had planned. It was a meetup event where I knew 2 other people, met 3 new people. It was really great! Our team came in second and ended up befriending the trivia master guy. We will be back next week. I missed trivia nights... they were a staple of my life in college so I'm glad to be doing it again. It's a place to find like-minded people, I think. Haha, when the question category was science, the trivia master would say "SCIENCE!" really enthusiastically and then everyone in the pub would do the same after him. It was great. My kind of crowd. Woke up this morning feeling pretty blah, but came into to work because I was really needed and also didn't want to miss a full day. I'm feeling a bit better now. Unfortunately I didn't exercise this morning because of how I felt. I didn't start the day off with the same momentum that I usually do. It can be hard to keep to habits when you're not 100%. Nonetheless, I can't lose sight of how much better I am at sticking with my habits now than I was when I started, and of how many new habits I have created. I use coach.me daily and usually get most of my habits checked off the list. Yesterday I came across this podcast: www.thematinggrounds.com. I have been trying to learn more about dating recently, and this seems like a really good resource. It's very interesting to me because the two main hosts are as opposite as can be (to speak in stereotypes, basically a frat-boy alpha type who's slept with hundreds of women and a research scientist who is more soft-spoken), yet they get along very well and both have unique perspectives to present on the dating world. So far, it's some of the best dating info I've come across. It is making me think more intentionally of what I want in life in terms of women and dating, and what the options are. Game Quitter's Challenge I also have lost a bit of momentum with the GQC. Because I wasn't feeling great I didn't get around to the challenge yesterday, so I'll try again today. Gratitude I am grateful for... Hot tea.Hot showers.Warm bed.Easy solutions to work problems.My increased focus as I have used the internet less and less.The people I met at trivia last night.The friends I will be seeing this weekend.That my RSI symptoms are improving.That I came into work today.The makeshift footrest I just made that improves the ergonomics of my workstation setup a lot! Ha.

Yeah, hopefully I will make friends with rock climbing! And I agree that being vulnerable with my dad is a good challenge to work towards. Being vulnerable with my family in general is something that I'm working on, but my dad in particular is difficult. Definitely had fun with the rain experience :). Day 46 Short update today. Feeling a little down because my RSI symptoms are still aggravated. I had been overdoing computer time, for sure. I've stopped all non-work computer activity for the moment and have returned to my stretches, exercises, and self-massage. It helps, I just need to be consistent with it. I'm making it part of my daily routine from now on. Whenever I do it consistently, I'm find. When I stop, then I eventually will have symptoms return. I notice that dealing with these symptoms causes anxiety and makes me lose the confidence that I had previously. It's unfortunate, but it will pass. GQC - Day 16 Social Intelligence Making friends is a science, eh? You have my attention! Cam, I'm curious, you mention not enjoying clubs because you're an introvert - so why do that for 3 years? I mean I guess you must have enjoyed it at the time. Did it just strike you as the best way to learn social skills? Or maybe you didn't understand your introversion until after going through that experience?Cool challange, will report back on this one tomorrow.Gratitude I am grateful for... Having the knowledge to manage my RSI symptoms.Coffee in the breakroom.A manageable pace at work.Having clean air to breathe and water to drink.The office plants at my work that are dark green and calming.The rain we've had the past few daysSunlight this morning on my way to work.Rick and Morty, because it's hilarious.That I'm on a path to success in life.The endless array of quality podcasts I listen to.

As you're gathering, this forum is very supportive and the community support is a big part of why people here have been successful. Community keeps people gaming, and it can help them stop, too.

Hey Joe, Sorry to hear that you're feeling depressed! I hope the vitamin D will help. Your gratitude items are great and I find them encouraging. I also need to be still and let my body rest, and to learn to back off more. It's strange how it can be so difficult. Hope you have a good day.

I'm going to spend some more time thinking about this, but here are some initial thoughts. I think Phoenix/Thomas makes a good point - moving gamers from Group 2 to Group 1 isn't necessarily easy, and it may be a journey that each person just has to make on their own. And when they're ready to quit, then gamequitters will make sense to them, but not before. This may be true. And to take a step back, our priority should probably still be reaching people in Group 1, since I'm sure we haven't exhausted that market yet. So simply starting out be spreading the word, as it were, might make sense as a place to focus our efforts first. Nonetheless, thinking about Group 2 is important, and there's no reason why we would couldn't be messaging them as well. I'm not sure what narrative would work best, and maybe there isn't a single best one. My intuition is that trying to emphasize how bad gaming is isn't going to work, since they like gaming and it's part of their identity. Rather we could focus on the positives to be gained from gaming less or quitting gaming, or have stories of how people's lives changed after they quit. I like your suggestions of "Why you should consider taking 90 days off gaming" and "If you're playing more than 21 hours of gaming/week, read this." Or maybe, to follow the click-baitey trend, "I quit gaming for 90 days and this is what happened", or "How my life changed after I quit video games". Basically anything along the lines of "The benefits of quitting gaming". We don't want to tell them they should quit, but to just get people to start thinking about the role gaming plays in their lives. Rather than just thinking in terms of recruiting individuals to the forum, I get the sense that Cam probably has a grander vision that he would ideally like to have play out. Part of that is going to be starting conversations that aren't currently being had. If you can get people to start reflecting and talking openly about their gaming habits and their lives, their goals, you can start getting people to take an honest look at how gaming affects them. If you plant that seed, the rest should happen naturally. If "quitting gaming = healthy" is an idea in people's heads, they will probably pay attention to it or at least think about it. I mean, obviously easier said than done. But it's a plan. R/gaming has 9,012,662 subscribers. R/stopgaming has 4,696. Video games are relatively new historically, and video games as a mainstream cultural enterprise that plays a role in people's identities is even newer. I think as a culture we haven't fully had time to process what that means and what the pros and cons of the lifestyle are, which is why there isn't a broader conversation. I guess sites like gamequitters are the start of the conversation.

Day 45 Half-way to 90! Woo! At this point I'm pretty confident that I won't go back to gaming, but 90 days still sticks out there just as a good milestone. I don't know what it is about 90 days, but it just seems like the right number. I wonder what I'll use to motivate myself after 90 days hits. Feeling good this morning. I did the GQC Day 14 meditation last night and that was pretty fun. Definitely a relaxing experience. I went out for a run last night and it started to rain and got really windy, but I didn't let it deter me and persevered through my 5k training run. Discipline! After I got home it struck me to take a selfie of my rain-drenched self and post it to facebook. This was a small moment of vulnerability for me, which I'm realizing are so important. Before gamequitters I would have been self-conscious and myself talk would have told me that I look ridiculous in selfies and no one would like the picture and it would just be awkward. But, I posted it with a little smirk on my face and it got several comments and 25+ likes, which virtually never happens for me. In Models, Mark Manson talks about how you shouldn't focus on changing your behaviors directly- if you change your beliefs and your self worth and all that, the behaviors will follow naturally, and your confidence will be present in everything you do. I think this is a small example of that. I didn't consciously know how to take a confident picture that people would like - I just followed my instinct, and my sense of self showed through in a way that people recognized and appreciated. Hell, one of my friends even texted me to say how happy and great I looked in the picture, and a coworker I'm friends with told me this morning when she came in that she thought it was a great photo. All for a 10 second selfie! It honestly feels pretty good to get that kind of attention, because I rarely do. Game Quitter's Challenge - Day 15 Halfway mark! Let's do this. *reads* Hmm... this is a good challenge. Great idea. Ten things I'm afraid of (man, this is tough!): Heights.Rejection.Off-leash dogs (I got bitten 6 months ago and that changed my tune...)Poor Health (I'm slightly hypochondriac / have health anxiety)ConflictBeing vulnerable with my dad.Being lost.Getting caught in a riptide while swimming at the beach.Making mistakes at work.Food poisoning.OK, so not all of these are viable to create challenges out of. Haha. Heights might be stereotypical, but it's also #1 on the list for a reason - it's my most strongly felt fear. It comes to mind most easily. Cam, you went bungee-jumping to face your fear of heights. I think I'm going to try rock-climbing. Even just in a rock-climbing gym, the last time I tried it it freaked me out. But it's something that sounds really cool and I could see myself doing; it just sounds really scary to me. So I'm just going to do it anyway. I'll find a local rock climbing gym and make an appointment to get a lesson. This might sound tame compared to bungee-jumping, but personally the intensity of bungee-jumping just isn't something that I crave. Gratitude I am grateful for... Rain and wind.My ability to stay disciplined.My morning routine (I've been sticking with the exercise)The ergonomics of my workstation.Sunlight filtering into my office.The hum of my server room.The Chrome browser.Google.The opportunities to learn that my job provides me.Free pumpkin bread at work (delicious).

I definitely want to see the community grow and I would like to contribute to that. First, I agree that outreach to gaming communities is going to be really important. This seems to be like the #1 way we're going to get new members, frankly. I don't know what outreach you do currently or have done in the past. How did you first start building an audience? I guess it came from the surge of interest that the original article generated? Ultimately it doesn't matter how much content you create if no one is being linked to it (although good content will spread naturally by word of mouth of course, but both factors are important). I read over the first page of the thread you linked, and that is very enlightening. Granted, it's a pretty hardcore gaming site, but the first page is chock full of skepticism. Cam, I think that you're fully aware that this is a controversial issue amongst gamers, and as you say we have to approach it compassionately. I think we have to be careful how we do outreach because if the issue is framed the wrong way it won't be received well, and people will be turned off. It seems like a delicate thing. We want to avoid coming across anti-fun, or dogmatic, or irrational, or preachy, etc. Gamers are intelligent, and thus good at rationalizing and argument (I know, because I'm like this). Also, people don't seem to like the word 'addiction', and it sparks a lot of controversy and confusion ("Can you even be addicted to games? What is addiction really, anyway?" etc). Ultimately it's a red herring, and people don't like to be told that they're addicts or that they have a problem. When something is a core part of your identity, even if it's negatively impacting you, you're going to resist any suggestion that you should be giving that up, because it's perceived as a personal attack. And ultimately of course it's not our place to say that someone should stop gaming; we just want to raise awareness surrounding the issue in a polite and respectful way and let people make their own decisions. To brainstorm, I think we can break down different demographics of gamers with respect to quitting: Gamers for who gaming is a problem, and they know it.Gamers for who gaming is a problem, and they don't know it (haven't thought about it, having connected the dots, haven't been exposed to research on brain changes, haven't spent time thinking about what they want out of life and how gaming might interfere with that, or people who think that they have problems but don't see how gaming distracts them from addressing those problems, etc etc)Gamers for who gaming isn't a problem (epistemological status irrelevant :P).How to tell if gaming is a problem for not in someone's life is an entirely different conversation, of course. But for this discussion, let's consider these three groups. I think that your "How to quit video games forever" article appeals to Group 1. It took me a while, but ultimately I slipped from Group 2 to Group 1 as I became more aware of how gaming affected me. I had known about r/stopgaming for a while, but I only started reading it after I realized that gaming was problematic for me in a serious way. Then the content appealed to me and here I am. So the top priority for growing the site would probably be to market to Group 1 since they're low hanging fruit and just need to be connected to us. And Group 3 of course just isn't really the group of people we're trying to reach. If they game and they're happy with their lives, then who we to tell them that they should change? But I think Group 2 is important and interesting. I'm not sure that Group 2 would be receptive to the article. It's a "how to quit video games" not a "Why you should consider quitting video games" article. If they see it they might think "well, I don't need to know how, because I don't have a reason to quit". There certainly people out there who are a silent group who game out of habit and comfort but don't have a ton of direct awareness of how it's playing a problematic role in their lives. This was me for years. I've always been drawn to self-improvement, but I just honestly didn't understand how gaming was negatively affected me, socially and physiologically/neurologically. I didn't realize they were keeping me from my goals, because I had never stopped to seriously consider what my goals were. I told myself I was happy, even if I wasn't. Had there been a message of "here's how you can benefit from quitting video games" out there, I would have probably been receptive to it, and that would have helped me. Currently, I don't know that that is a clear message from this site - it really only caters to someone who already knows they have a problem, someone in Group 1. Group 2 is probably the most defensive group about the topic when it's brought up, because they have an issue but haven't admitted it to themselves on some level . For Group 2, I think the goal should be to create content, maybe an article or a video, that makes it clear why video games can be problematic. In your original article you state: But I'm not sure that we can all agree; I don't know that I would have agreed a with that 6 months or 1 year ago. I think an article that spelled this out instead of just assuming it as a premise would be helpful for some. You do have this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XblubKPP8zI which raises a lot of good points, but if I were trying to convince someone on a forum, for example, I don't know that linking this video would be a successful approach. In the video you sort of dismiss the question of why someone should quit - understandably, if someone is emailing you that question, I can see why you might chuckle because it's almost like they just want to be convinced to quit or like they want permission to do so. But if we do outreach on a forum and someone asks why they should quit, they probably don't want to be told that their question is 'hilarious' as that might come off as condescending (and not really compassionate). I feel like you obliquely come at why someone should quit in all of your materials, but you don't have a definitive, dedicated resource detailing how gaming can be harmful and problematic and why someone should consider quitting. Based on your background, where you were gaming 16 hours a day - yes, it's clear how gaming is a problem. If you're that person, you're either already in Group 1 or really lying to yourself. But I think most people aren't at that extreme end of the spectrum, and it's easier for them to rationalize it to themselves and not see the issue. In this article http://gamequitters.com/why-you-should-quit-gaming/ you do have this section: I think this could be expanded upon and fleshed out, and turned into a new resource somehow. I think this line of thinking is what I sense is a missing component from the current general message of the site. IMO, this message should exist in some form on the home page. Anyway, I hope this makes sense. I know you have spent waaaaaay more time thinking and talking about this stuff than I have, so I could be off base here, but this is my current impression of things. What do you think? Do people agree/disagree? Ultimately, getting people from Group 2 to Group 1 is going to be super important to continue growing the site, so I think it's something that deserves real thought.

Hey B1ggl3fty, Welcome to the forum. I can really relate to your story, especially this: "My life isnt in shambles, but I feel like I'm missing out on so much." I joined Gamequitters roughly 1.5 months ago and it has had an a significant positive impact on my life. I know it's hard but if you know you want to quit, you have to start by making a commitment. If you don't feel like you can quit forever right away, start with quitting for 90 days and seeing how you feel. I didn't think I could quit for good when I started, but now that I'm halfway through I know I'm not going to go back to games. The mindless browsing, netflix/youtube binges, porn, and general screen addiction can all improve. It doesn't go away overnight, but slowly bit by bit. And it isn't done through willpower, but rather gradual changes in habit, environment, and mindset over time. I mean, yes, you have to put effort into it, but if done right there will come a time where it won't take effort anymore. At least that's been my experience. Also if porn is an issue, I would encourage you to check out r/nofap or nofap.com or yourbrainonporn.com. They have helped me a lot, too. Life gets better if you choose to follow a different path, you just have to have the courage to take the first step. Good luck!

Hey Cam, First, I didn't know you did this each month, so I just wanted to say that I think this is very cool. I respect the transparency as it's something I value as well. Thanks for putting this together. Second, if I'm understanding the report correctly, it sounds like you only have 1 month left of runway left at the moment (you said you had 2 left at the end of September?). Does that imply that if Gamequitters isn't cashflow positive by the end of the month, it won't be viable? Or does it just mean that your strategy will have to change? I understand if you don't want to address this at this time, just curious about what the reality is. Sorry to hear that October was rough for you man. When you're the one dispensing the advice that I find so useful, it's easy to think everything is smooth sailing for you, and lose sight of the fact that of course you're dealing with your own challenges of having to run a business. But of course that's life. I'm sure you'll address it in the future, but I am eager to see what the way forward will be for Gamequitters. Hopefully our community will continue to grow. And if there is anything that I can do to help, let me know.

No! This is an easy one :).

Day 44 Nearly half way to 90! No stopping now I had a great long weekend and I'm kind of sad to be back at work today. I need to take a proper vacation in the near future. Ended up hanging out with some friends and watched another movie last night. We're planning on making movie nights a regular thing. At this rate I'm going to have 3-4 social events reliably happening each week. On top of the party I went to on Friday, and the games event on Saturday, I'm starting to feel like I have a life again. It feels great to replace time I would have spent gaming with time spent socializing. It's what I need in my life. Before my previous relationship began, I was more active socially; a lot of my social life faded away after I started dating her because we just spent all of our time together. Lesson learned... while it makes sense that I might not be quite as active at social events after starting a relationship, I really still need to prioritize my own life and make sure I'm doing what I want to socially so I don't have to keep starting over again. This is a potential weekly schedule for me socially: Sunday: Board Games Meetup Monday Tuesday Wednesday: Trivia Night Meetup Thursday Friday: Movie night (tentative) Saturday: Buddhist Meditation Group Outside of this, I have a friend I usually skype with once a week or so, and other new friends that I could end up doing other hangouts with. And there are still other meetups that I could join in the area. I think I'd like to find a hiking group, or maybe a book club (although I already read a lot). After feeling for so long that it's so difficult to make new friends, it's almost funny how quickly I am able to build a social life if I just put myself out there and try. Granted it's still early on but I'm making great progress :). Daily realization: I'm making progress in terms of being vulnerable and accepting myself/being true to myself. For so long I was afraid to be seen who for I am because I was ashamed or afraid of judgement and rejection. The simple act of journaling here each day is another step along the metaphorical path, and it's me being vulnerable and sharing and being seen, and learning that it's OK to be who I am around other people. This is turning into tangible benefits - I can tell when I'm encountering a point in the day when I can choose to be vulnerable or not. It just jumps out at me! For example, if my mom or sister asks me what I did over the weekend, where I would have to used to say "Nothing much" I can now tell her what I actually did, and have a real conversation and be seen. These little decisions all add up. A vulnerability slight edge, where I slowly become more confident in my true identity around other people. Game Quitter's Challenge - Day 14 45 minute meditation! Can't wait. That is longer than I have done before in my meditation practice but I think I'm ready for it. I certainly have days where 10, even 20 minutes isn't enough. I will schedule that on my calendar for tonight and report back tomorrow morning. Gratitude Maybe it's the coffee, but I feel super good right now. I am grateful for... Coffee Getting up on timeSticking to my morning routine of meditation (10 mins) + exercise (7 mins app) + visualizationMy relationship with my friend Thomas, which is improvingMy therapist, who has helped guide me for many months nowMy mom, for texting me even when I haven't always texted backMy brother in law, for including me in family eventsMy friend Nina, who is like a sister to me, with whom I have the absolute best conversations about lifehttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt1935156/ This fascinating documentary that I watched last night.Dune, for being a great book and inspiring above documentary.Having a quiet morning at work.Not feeling sick from caffeineRain clouds that will bring rain tonightFeeling upbeatPodcasts on my commuteResearch around bringing the woolly mammoth back from extinction, because it's fascinating to me.

Thanks! Yeah, I feel that I am definitely on the path now. I feel like I've had so much growth in the last week alone. I think I'm doing all the right things and just need to keep on doing 'em. I'm realizing now that I have lots to gain from putting myself in social situations... and just getting as much social experience as I can. I think before quitting gaming if I was bored it was easy to turn to gaming for fun - now I'm getting that fun from socialization, which is much better. Models is full of gold. I find myself wanting to highlight like every other paragraph haha. I think Mark Manson really gets it when it comes to dating and pick-up (i.e. its flaws) and attraction. I love his analysis of how it all works and what confidence really is. I'm only 25% in, can't wait to read the rest of it.

Day 43 Yesterday I ended up going to a board game event with the 3 people I had met at the party Friday. We hung out for a few hours and played games with some other people. It was pretty great, I'm glad that I'm making some new friends. After these couple days I find myself fairly attracted to one of the girls in the group. I got the sense she might feel the same way, but I can't quite tell. Anyway, this puts me in an interesting position. I've been single for about a month, and I'm about 30/90 days through nofap. Realistically I think I want to take more time single before I start pursuing new people. Plus, if I were to ask her out or something that might change the dynamics of this friend group, and right now I think I need friends more than I need a relationship. I'm also pretty committed to getting through nofap 90 days on hard mode. After I finish nofap, I think I will start dating again, in whatever form that takes. I finished reading Daring Greatly and I've moved on to Models: Attract Women Through Honesty. Loving Models so far, and it seems to build on vulnerability concepts I've learned from Daring Greatly. Models talks about how invested you get in someone and how invested they are in you. In the past I would always over-invest in relationships early on. And I find myself wanting to do that almost automatically with this girl. It's like I get the slightest sense that they might be interested in me, and then suddenly they're all I can think about. I know that's not healthy, so I'm taking this moment to slow down, be mindful and objective, and just observe the attraction I feel for this person and what's driving it, rather than obsessing about her and trying to find a way to date her. I don't have to pursue everyone I'm attracted to, or cling to the first thing that comes along... I did that in the past, and I think it's due to a scarcity mindset driven by insecurity. All in all, I think this is a perfect opportunity to reprogram myself with respect to how I approach relationships. I'm sure I'll learn more with time. It's like I have to tell my brain: if she rejects you or isn't interested and nothing ever comes of this, the sun will come up tomorrow, you will meet someone else (someone better), and you will be happy. This person isn't that significant in your life at this moment. It's someone you just met and barely know. Etc. I also had two realizations recently: I don't have time for video games. There are so many things I want to do in life, and habits to fill my day with, that I just don't have the time. Quite the 180, no?My tacit, unstated goal in life used to spend as much time comfortable and entertained as possible. My goals were to take care of my obligations so that I could relax and play games and consume entertaining media, eat food, sleep, etc. If I had a goal in front of me (a relationship, a class grade, a job interview) I could do what needed to be done to get there - but those goals were ultimately in the service of getting all my obligations out of the way so I didn't have to worry about anything and could do what I wanted (which never involved discomfort or challenging emotions). I now realize that the only way to grow in life is actively embrace discomfort and persevere through it. To seek out your weak spots and work on them. The path to personal fulfillment for me is through growth, and this is the only way to get there.Game Quitters Challenge - Day 13 Completion List - great idea! I'm not going to write much on this challenge today because my hands are hurting a bit typing all this on an un-ergonomic keyboard (see above blog post), but I will definitely do this challenge today. It's a Sunday and I was planning it as a catch-up day anyway. I totally relate to the concept of regaining energy, and unfinished things draining your energy. Gratitude I am grateful for... The courage missions, which I see as directly causing me to take social risks that are leading to new friends in my life.The new friends in my life Pair A Dice games, for hosting a great Halloween board game event yesterdayMy friend Thomas, for hosting a Halloween movie night yesterday.Halloween itself, for being a cool holiday.This attraction I feel towards this woman, as an opportunity to examine unhealthy relationship impulses.Day light savings! and the extra hour it gives me today.My friend Nina who I'm skyping with later.My friend Megan, who is going through a hard time right now.My mom, even if she bugs me sometimes :). I'm working on being more vulnerable with her and hopefully improving our relationship.Have a great day everyone!

Day 42 Had an awesome time last night. I ended up going to a Halloween party where I knew essentially no one. It was through meetup.com. There were 50-100 people there (hard to say) and I talked to a lot of people throughout the night! I was nervous before going but once I got there that nervousness faded away and it was fine. It ended up being a really successful time for me socially. There were a few cool moments that stick out. I made a point to approach and chat with women who I thought were attractive, and ended up having some good conversations. I consciously decided to compliment certain people (I'm going to make this a habit I think). I complimented one girl on her lip/nose piercings and then she proceeded to show me her collection of piercings and tattoo's that were all hidden by her costume hah. I introduced myself to a group who turned out to be study abroad students from Germany and had a great conversation with them, and got a chance to use some of my German (I can speak it conversationally and I've been there twice). And then it turned out that they live like 1 block away from me! I got to chatting with one guy who is a counselor for military personnel and he had really interesting things to say about his job. A number of people there had only recently moved to the area and it was fun to get their impressions of what they thought of San Diego. Finally though, there was a core group of about 4 of us who were all more introverted and hung out most of the night and had a great time. We already go to some of the same events so I'm sure I'll see them in the future, and we're going to do a trivia night this Wednesday. Also, my costume, which was just a t-shirt that says "Error 404 Costume Not Found" (stole idea from the internet and made it in like an hour), which I was afraid would be super lame and dorky, actually got a lot of laughs and compliments throughout the night and even started conversations about me and my job. Given that I was basically starting from scratch socially going into it, this was probably one of the most enjoyable parties of my life, actually. As a last thought, I cam across this on Facebook today, and thought it was a great summary of the habits that Cam advocates. I love it! I will strive to do all of these things. Challenge - Day 12 Did the 7-minute workout this morning. It kicked my butt, actually. Hadn't heard of this before, but I like it a lot! Great little routine and app, I will definitely keep doing it. Gratitude I am grateful for... Cam helping me to decide to go to the party last night.Everyone I met last night.That I am free from injury.The leisure time I have to read.Coffee coffee coffee.Silence.http://www.twitch.tv/bobross (not gaming)That my CO/Smoke detector is functioning.The courage to take risks.That Americans are very friendly. (I had a conversation with the Germans last night about how they love how open and friendly the average stranger is on the street; not so in Europe).

Day 41 Today is my day off work. I just woke up, meditated, and took a (cold) shower. I think I'm going to go grab coffee and run some errands... should be a chill day. Last night I met up with a couple of guys for dinner. I had only met them briefly before at a meetup but we agreed to hangout again. It went really well and we all got along and had some great conversation. We were able to discuss intellectual topics which was really refreshing for me - I haven't had friends to really discuss such things in depth with since college. I'm hoping that we can hang out again and that I can get to know them better. Ironically (or perhaps not) they both work in a video game related job, but a slightly unconventional one. They're both involved with a company that's designing certification standards for the video game industry. So, you could take a course that would certify that you knew XYZ about game development and design. I think it's a pretty cool idea. Nonetheless of course the topic of video games came up. I think when we first met I was asked if I played Hearthstone and I said "yeah I used to but I'm taking a break or something". This time I was more upfront about the fact that I was quitting games. They had a lot of questions about it, which was a good chance for me to be vulnerable and honest about why I was choosing to do it. I described how it had made my life better and how I was spending more time on activities that were meaningful to me. One of them said that they thought it was (I assume impressive/disciplined/something) because most people would not choose to do what I was doing. I suppose he's right? I hadn't thought about it that way. Anyway, it was good that I laid it out on the table early and we were able to have conversations about topics other than video games and connect over those instead. It did make me aware of how in the past I have frequently bonded with people over games though. It's easy to talk about them and find something in common there. I can't do that any more, so I need to learn how to bond over other interests. Also, as a side nice, I have recently been binge-listening to the Tim Ferriss Show podcast and is pretty amazing. It took me a few episodes to get into it but now I'm hooked. So much great stuff there. I think that's all for today. Have a good day everyone! Game Quitter's Challenge - Day 11 Unintentionally took one day off the challenge, but I'm back on it! Cold shower. Just got done with it. It was invigorating and not as bad as expected. I can see why people like these. I feel super warm afterwards. Kickstarts your body's thermogenesis or something. Awesome! Gratitude I am grateful... That I still have an estimated 18,797 days left to live That the Tim Ferriss show provides such great and interesting information.That I made new friends last night.That I got some great responses from the friends I sent appreciation messages to from GQC Day 10 bonus mission.For birds outside my window.That I am healthy enough to train for a 5k.That I have software to help prevent RSI.That I have today to do with as I wish.That my work schedule is so flexible.For my education.

Wow, two decades? Crazy. Nonetheless that's good to hear that it finally did go away eventually! Hopefully I will eventually fully overcome it. I can see how piano could lead to the same sorts of problems, for sure.

Day 40 Nearly half way to 90 days. Right around the corner. This morning I had a wake up call about another reason for me to quit gaming. It's a personal story from my life. I started to write a post about it here, but it ended up turning into a blog post. You can read it here: https://kortheo.wordpress.com/2015/10/29/video-games-rsi-massage-computers/ Hope everyone is having a great day. Gratitude: I am grateful for: JR, my massage therapist from the article.That I was able to get a flu shot today for free.That I'm going to meet some friends later for food and drinks.That I took the day offThe way a lit candle makes my room glow at night.When strangers radiate good moods.That my friend invited me to hang at his place on Halloween, since I have no plans.Pizza Port. The reimbursement checks on my desk that I need to deposit.That my cell phone has lasted 2 years without a case and isn't broken or cracked.

Sometimes sleeping in is the right choice. It takes wisdom to know when it is, and when you're just lazy :). haha. I slept in recently too, helps to catch up on rest.

Haha, just watched, that is awesome! I also watched his dance video and Zane's dance video last night. Haha, great stuff!

OK, I'm making the decision to move my challenge journal into my main journal for visibility, since I'm going to end up posting some things here for the challenge anyway. Might as well simplify things. If you're reading this, the first 9 days are in this thread: http://forum.gamequitters.com/topic/275-challenge-journal-travis/ Game Quitter's Challenge Day 10 - The Moment of Truth Dammit Cam! Singing and dancing? You know how to pinpoint my weak spots, don't you? I hate karaoke. I would prefer to do almost anything else. Or at least that's what my attitude has been for years. After dancing last night though and expanding my comfort zone a bit, I can see how it could be fun. I also see now that the reason I 'hated' it wasn't because it was un-fun, but simply because it requires being pretty vulnerable, which I used to be incapable of doing. I did some searching on meetup and found a meetup group with 15 people confirmed going to karaoke next Friday, Nov 6th. I joined it. I know no one in the group. It's also like 45 minutes away haha. Oh well! It was the best option. We'll see how freaked out I am next week. I'm going to go send some appreciation to people!

Day 39 Pretty big vulnerability hangover from posting that dance video. So much self-criticism in my head about how I should have done it differently. But I guess that's a sign I did push my comfort zone. It was definitely silly. It was fun though. Also, I linked it to a friend last night and she said it made her day. So I'll count that as a plus! Nonetheless I feel great today. I definitely feel as though I'm gaining confidence and caring less about what people think. It's a process, but a satisfying one. I'm taking tomorrow off work, and I will be going to get my eyes examined and get a prescription for contact lenses. Every few years I like to change up my eyewear situation. Also, my ex-girl friend commented (before we broke up) that she preferred me without glasses... and now I can't get it out of my head that I actually prefer myself without them too. Anyway, contacts are always a nice option to have. I will also continue my 5k training tonight, which I'm looking forward to actually. I actually signed up for the race now, so I have an incentive to train. Also, I forgot to mention that I am going to grab dinner and drinks with some guys tomorrow. It's two guys I met at a board game meetup and one of their co-workers, who I haven't met yet. I'm excited because I haven't made any new friends in a long time, and this is a chance to develop some. Also historically my closest friends have been mostly women, so it would probably be good for me to learn how to bond with guys for a change. Gratitude I am grateful for... Misty blue fog on my morning commute.A commute that runs along the California coast and sage brush.My sister for being supportive.My friend Kelsey for appreciating my silly dance video.My friend Nina for reading The Martian with me.Brene Brown for her work on vulnerability.The odd old guy at Starbucks who sits outside and draws with Crayola products for hours.Gamequitters!Learning about myself and growing.The ergonomic chair that my work provided for me.That doing these gratitude lists has become so much easier for me. (so meta) Ha, thanks. I will check that out when I'm not at work I do not claim to know how to dance: In fact, I do not know how to dance. I will absorb science and learn how to dance!

Game Quitter's Challenge Day 9 - Dance Party I am not embarassed. ...OK, maybe a little. It gets slightly repetitive in the middle because my repertoire of dance moves is limited ha. My feelings won't be hurt if you skip a bit . I just wanted to finish the whole song. Enjoy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-83FaPuq-io&feature=youtu.be I had way more fun with this than expected.

Awesome feedback. This is definitely what I've hoped for! Yeah. It does make a difference, doing these things. Some other thoughts on it: they were more challenging than I expected. Going into the GQC I didn't expect to have my comfort zone pushed as quickly and as far as it has been. And for me it took real effort. I also probably wouldn't have been able to succeed without support from the forum. I very nearly talked myself out of all the (courage) challenges, ha. Glad I did them though. Upon reflection I can also see that my conception of 'challenge' previously was purely intellectual. I haven't given much thought even to physical challenges because I previously never saw myself as the type of person who did things like that. But now I'm doing a 5k and engaging in physical challenges bit by bit. And I don't even think I considered what an emotional/social challenge like the courage missions would look like, or that it was something someone could work on in such a deliberate way. So yeah, doing these exercises is definitely changing my perspective for the better.

Thanks! Ha. As little as a week go I struggled to get 3 gratitude items on my list. Now that I've expanded them to 10, I have no choice but to be specific without repeating things. After doing it for a bit, coming up with 10 things isn't so hard. I just have to look at the good things all around me. Another trick I picked up is the idea of "negative visualization" from stoicism - it's a simple way to consider how your life could be worse, to encourage you to appreciate what you have. I am not poor, but it's entirely possible that I could be, so I should take time to appreciate the fact that I am not. I'm seeing now that gratitude really is a muscle. It gets easier the more you use it. I used to kind of not want to do gratitude... now I am honestly enjoying it.