My Journal - SpiNips

[Cam Adair]

Travis is doing BJJ too! Have you tried any yoga yet?

[SpiNips]

Hello!

Today I haven't been feeling like my usual self for some reason. I've been kind of tired and feeling down. I'm guessing it has something to do with all the work and upcoming challenges. I'm going to call a doctor since my flu is still kicking. I'm also kind of worried about head concussions in BJJ. I know it's probably exaggeration and you'd surely notice if you had one of them but still the idea makes me annoyed. Hmph. Day by day and this will be over.

The best thing that happened today was a conversation we had during our lunch.

Travis is doing BJJ too! Have you tried any yoga yet?

He's still at it? Great! Have you seen him irl? If so, regards to him!

Today I'm grateful for:

• Meditation and breathing
• School being the least of a problem currently
• Lentils, they have been the heroes of my diet
• Still feeling in control of my life and destiny
• Today's nap was a success!
• Taking notes from Dale Carnegie's How to stop worrying and start living, It suits my needs at the moment

[Cam Adair]

Yes we hang out!

When are you coming to California?

[SpiNips]

Hello!

Today was a peculiar day. It started with quite an unusual way, I woke up at 4 am and wasn't able to sleep. It's probably due to stress and anxiety about future events. Today I have taken action to fix those sources of anxiety and took a nap. I already feel a lot better! :^) The best thing that happened today was doing funny stuff with my friends.

It seems I have been having quite a differences in my mood in the recent days. Maybe I shouldn't even analyze it that much. Sometimes anxiety and stress just come around. The most important thing for me is to keep my environment supportive for coping with those feelings. Not too much work and time to rest and have fun. 

Today I'm grateful for:

• Listening to Sips' Fairytale of SipsCo, nostalgia
• Awesome sunset today
• It's the last day of my No-Wheat diet
• It's Friday tomorrow 
• Alex and Tomasz completing the 90 day streak!

[SpiNips]

Yes we hang out!

When are you coming to California?

California, ey  It's rather far away so it'll be at least a few years before I'll be even able to consider the trip  

[Cam Adair]

Yes we hang out!

When are you coming to California?

California, ey  It's rather far away so it'll be at least a few years before I'll be even able to consider the trip  

:D 

[SpiNips]

Hello!

I missed a couple of posts due to a camp! It was great and going there helped me grow as a person in it's own way. The camp was organized by a congregation of my region. I have to admit that I don't agree with some of the Christian statements, but I agree that the work they are doing for example in Ethiopia and Liberia is irreplaceable. People are willing to use their lives helping people there. I feel like in that regard the religion has a very positive influence. I also got to participate in serving the communion which was a great honor. To participate in an event which is holy for so many people is -- it made my perspective more open.

Got my Driver's License!!! Yeah! This is awesome! It feels funny driving alone for the first time. This allows me to ease the difficulties caused by distances which is great.

Since I've been feeling a little ill during the last half-a-year or so I decided to go check that there is nothing wrong with my general health. It seems like this winter was irregularly filled with viral infections in general, so not too much to worry about. I will get the results form my blood test on Wednesday. 

For this month I'm going to try to work on making my BJJ schedule more solid. I'm cutting out the gym for April and devote more time for BJJ as I feel it's required. Going to be missing those squats though ;_;

There is plenty to write about but I'll save it for other days! Good night, sleep tight.

Today I'm grateful for:

• Less anxiety and stress due to doing stuff
• Awesome food at the camp
• Having played a lot over the weekend (not games)
• S6 has been working great
• Travis is back!

[SpiNips]

Hello!

Today was a good day. After getting home form school I didn't feel too good. It turns out I have fever. Probably due to some kind of a flu. I'll have time to read, ponder and study which is great but getting back to training BJJ is going to take a while.

The best thing that happened today was successfully driving myself to school! My driving is getting better little by little.

I'm going to bed early so that I'll have enough rest to heal.

Today I'm grateful for:

• History, there is always interesting stuff to learn
• Honey and tea, good for my throat
• Time for reflection tomorrow
• Finishing Kafka's The Trial. It was distressing but a great read anyways
• My mother cooking for me

[Cam Adair]

Feel better bro! 

[SpiNips]

Hello!

Today I had a lot of work to do. It's so useful to have a car at hand. I wouldn't have been able to do everything without it. 

The best thing today was reading my old journal.

While reading the journal I can't but say that there has been a huge change. You can really see it from the way I wrote and experienced the world. On the other hand I'm a bit dazzled. How can I spend the next 280 days as well as the past 280? Thinking that way isn't going to help I guess. It's better to think "What can I do this day/week/month to improve my life?" not get too clinched with life's messy, complicated entirety. 

Today I thought how rarely I'm bored anymore. Not that boredom would necessarily be a goal, but filling my time with for example watching arbitrary YouTube videos feels like filling my head with unnecessary noise.

I'm slowly starting to feel better. I'll take it easy for a little while so the flu won't return.

Today I'm grateful for:

• A friend backing me up
• Broccoli
• Quinoa
• Having time to play
• Already feeling much better
• Getting the results from my blood test tomorrow
• My next phase is going to have more time to invest on having fun

[Cam Adair]

One day at a time, those are the results that compound. When you first started you didn't think about where you'd be 280 days from then, you just focused one day at a time and looked up every once in awhile to make sure you were going in the right direction.

[SpiNips]

Hello! Keeping it quick today, I have a rather high temperature.

Today's best part was being able to drink and eat.

I watched a ton of Ted-talks and chilled most of the day. Hoping to get better tomorrow! Having high fever usually means body getting rid of all the pathogens.

I once again stumbled upon Jim Rohn's idea about you being the average of the 5 people you spend most time with. It annoys me at times even though I know that it has a wise message. The idea of hustling the perfect five just seems annoying. People have their faults, so do I, I'm going to have to deal with people I dislike in my life, not over a certain extent, but in some regard yes. Sometimes I get stuck on a persons negative side when thinking about how will I benefit/hinder from being around her/him. This idea needs to process in my head. It might well be that I'm wrong about this, but for some reason I dislike the idea.

Today I'm grateful for:

• Blueberry soup
• A warm blanket
• My father coming back from a trip
• A warm and sunny day
• Cold tap water

[WorkInProgress]

I dislike the idea too, because you have to filter persons in your life through a point of value wich seems ethical wrong. On the other hand I see the practibility of sourrounding yourself with sucessfull people. I decided not taking any harsh consequences. I just watch if beeing around people does me well( i.e. if  have fun spending time with them, do they support me if I need help, are they uplifting). With these persons i iniate more contact, while other persons in my life have to be more active to spent time with me. I think switching your priorites a bit doesn't hurt anyone but can help you a ton in the long run.

[Cam Adair]

Don't take the idea too literally. The premise is right - that you should be aware that the people in your environment have an impact on you.

That doesn't mean you should just kick everyone out who you can "benefit" from - but maybe you shouldn't spend so much time with your family members who make you miserable either. Find different ways to interact. Family is one thing too - your "friends" are another.

I think the point is less about "five" and more about who you spend the majority of your time with. For instance, I live in California because it's a mecca of people my age (millennials) who are pursuing their dreams, trying to make a difference in the world while also having fun doing it. I hang out with people like Alexi Panos and Preston Smiles (YouTube them), and others. To live in California means I don't get to hang out with my family as much, but I call them regularly (almost every day) to check-in and say hey. I also spend very little time with people that are negative or bring me down. That doesn't mean everyone doesn't have their flaws, or that we don't go through hard times, but there's a difference between that and being an asshole. Or always being negative. Or being dramatic. I go through hard times, and you will rarely see me not looking for the positive, or very very rarely see me not treat someone right. Those are the differences.

[kortheo]

Hello!

I missed a couple of posts due to a camp! It was great and going there helped me grow as a person in it's own way. The camp was organized by a congregation of my region. I have to admit that I don't agree with some of the Christian statements, but I agree that the work they are doing for example in Ethiopia and Liberia is irreplaceable. People are willing to use their lives helping people there. I feel like in that regard the religion has a very positive influence. I also got to participate in serving the communion which was a great honor. To participate in an event which is holy for so many people is -- it made my perspective more open.

Got my Driver's License!!! Yeah! This is awesome! It feels funny driving alone for the first time. This allows me to ease the difficulties caused by distances which is great.

Since I've been feeling a little ill during the last half-a-year or so I decided to go check that there is nothing wrong with my general health. It seems like this winter was irregularly filled with viral infections in general, so not too much to worry about. I will get the results form my blood test on Wednesday. 

For this month I'm going to try to work on making my BJJ schedule more solid. I'm cutting out the gym for April and devote more time for BJJ as I feel it's required. Going to be missing those squats though ;_;

There is plenty to write about but I'll save it for other days! Good night, sleep tight.

Today I'm grateful for:

• Less anxiety and stress due to doing stuff
• Awesome food at the camp
• Having played a lot over the weekend (not games)
• S6 has been working great
• Travis is back!

Hey man! Glad to see you're doing good still. I probably won't be posting as frequently but I'll try to post something substantive once a week at least. I'm also doing BJJ now! It's so awesome!

[SpiNips]

Hello!

I'm still sick. Today I have slacked quite much, I could've used my time wiser I have to say. I'm going to take it easy for the next couple of days since I still have fewer.

The best thing that happened today was eating carrots.

Today I'm grateful for:

• A caring family
• Dudesons helping me remember that human body is built to withstand
• Silver tea
• Progressing in math
• Getting my next phase sorted out, It's going to be great!

I'll write more tomorrow!

Edited April 7, 2016 by SpiNips

[SpiNips]

Hello!

Today has been an okay day. I'm getting better steadily. Today I was able to spend my time being more productively since I was not so tired. I'm going to get my momentum rolling to start healing from the grippe.

Here are few statistics I made. The first graph illustrates my Day,Energy-scale and the second graph illustrates my Day,Sleep-balance. From these graphs we can roughly see how sleeping affects my energy levels. Of course correlation doesn't necessarily mean causality, but this is not too far-fetched so I'll give interpreting these graphs a shot.

From these graphs it's visible that they mirror each other to some extent. When my energy was low my sleep time increased. After a time of more sleep I was able to be very energetic even with 8 hours of sleep. The sleep results are inaccurate between 23rd and 27th due to a vacation. A very interesting phenomenon to notice is how stress affects me. Towards the 3 last days of the graphs you can see both my energy and my sleep time decreasing. Those were the days that preceded my Driver's License exam. Overall my energy and sleep levels were reasonably good.  The average sleep time per weeknight was 8h 21 minutes.

The best thing today was spending time with my family.

I dislike the idea too, because you have to filter persons in your life through a point of value wich seems ethical wrong. On the other hand I see the practibility of sourrounding yourself with sucessfull people. I decided not taking any harsh consequences. I just watch if beeing around people does me well( i.e. if  have fun spending time with them, do they support me if I need help, are they uplifting). With these persons i iniate more contact, while other persons in my life have to be more active to spent time with me. I think switching your priorites a bit doesn't hurt anyone but can help you a ton in the long run.

That sounds wise. Not losing your shit if you see negativity around but trending towards the people you want to be with. Surrounding yourself with people who are motivated has sure given me a lot of power myself, both here on GameQuitters as well as in real life.

Don't take the idea too literally. The premise is right - that you should be aware that the people in your environment have an impact on you.

That doesn't mean you should just kick everyone out who you can "benefit" from - but maybe you shouldn't spend so much time with your family members who make you miserable either. Find different ways to interact. Family is one thing too - your "friends" are another.

I think the point is less about "five" and more about who you spend the majority of your time with. For instance, I live in California because it's a mecca of people my age (millennials) who are pursuing their dreams, trying to make a difference in the world while also having fun doing it. I hang out with people like Alexi Panos and Preston Smiles (YouTube them), and others. To live in California means I don't get to hang out with my family as much, but I call them regularly (almost every day) to check-in and say hey. I also spend very little time with people that are negative or bring me down. That doesn't mean everyone doesn't have their flaws, or that we don't go through hard times, but there's a difference between that and being an asshole. Or always being negative. Or being dramatic. I go through hard times, and you will rarely see me not looking for the positive, or very very rarely see me not treat someone right. Those are the differences.

Wise words! It's not so much about the minor details. It's more about what's really important having great time, learning and trying out new stuff and sharing your experiences with people who you want to share them with. Thanks!

 

Hey man! Glad to see you're doing good still. I probably won't be posting as frequently but I'll try to post something substantive once a week at least. I'm also doing BJJ now! It's so awesome!

Great! Your journals are always very inspiring. BJJ, Yeah!!! Loving it as well. I've got to keep up with you, the next time I come to SoCal I'll be sure to roll with you! (And I'm going to make you tap >:^).)

Today I'm grateful for:

• Bacon and eggs
• Star Wars
• Hearing about Eckhart Tolle on a video. I have the Power of Now on my library and could read it next!
• Doing a little walk outside and getting some motion
• Finnish school system doesn't punish you for being sick

[kortheo]

Haha! If you are in the area definitely let me know and we'll roll

[SpiNips]

Hello!

Today my vitality was back on good levels. Today was overall a productive day. I studied, switched tires and socialized. The greatest thing today was just organizing a board game meetup with my friends. We played for nearly 5 hours and had a blast!

I'm trying to find out if there is something bothering me. At times I feel like I'm missing something and then the feeling disappears. Let's see if reflecting and journaling can help it.

Today I'm grateful for:

• My friends' cat was very allergy friendly
• Pizza
• Foggy weather
• Slowly getting my momentum going
• Monty Python and Juice Leskinen

[Cam Adair]

Haha! If you are in the area definitely let me know and we'll roll

The first Game Quitters BJJ match!

[SpiNips]

Hello!

Today I have been studying and enjoying the beautiful weather. I managed to find great black jeans form a sale, so now I have all three basic colours of pants khaki, black and blue. The best thing today was hanging out with my friend Santeri. 

I'm having a weird feeling about something and I don't quite know what it is. I know it's about life, thinking, over thinking, action, being present. I don't even know really. It doesn't feel too good though. The feeling is distressing. I'll see if I can find any clues and track it down a little.

Today I'm grateful for:

• Beautiful sunny day today
• Quizlet for learning words
• My red knit garment
• How stretching in the morning feels like
• Knowing that I'm the master of my fate and happiness

[SpiNips]

Hello!

Today I felt anxious, as if something was wrong with my life. I feel like it's a signal for me to change something. Maybe it's just getting back to sports, but I'm not closing off for example trying out new sports and hobbies. For some reason I can't find the meaningfulness from my life at the moment. Anyone been through similar processes?

Today I managed some little things, from which I'm very happy and grateful for. I studied for my exams and did light bodyweight workout to get back in action.

The best thing that happened today was cooking.

I'm going to sleep early so that I'll have plenty of energy tomorrow. Keep up the good work guys, reading your journals reminds me that determination is the key and that there will be good times ahead for those who are willing to put in the persistent work.

Today I'm grateful for:

• Learning about how I learn
• How noticing gratefulness lights up the day
• Negative emotions for guiding me in the right direction
• Having a fridge full of food
• Full milk, helping me get strong again

[kortheo]

For some reason I can't find the meaningfulness from my life at the moment. Anyone been through similar processes?

Yeah, I've definitely been in that place before. It is in some ways a question I'm currently exploring as well. What are my goals? What do I want to do in my life, and why? What makes me feel fulfilled and satisfied?

 Figuring out what makes you feel fulfilled or what has meaning for you is partially a matter of being mindful of your experiences and a matter of trying new things. Is there something you've felt for a long time you wanted to do but never done? Maybe you're not even really sure why you want to do it, but you just do. Well, go ahead and just do it. Try it and see how you feel. If you feel good about it, satisfied, keep doing it.

There are a few other ways to get at this. I think for me it's thinking about people I admire - what are they doing that I'm not? If you did those things you might start to feel satisfied and respect and admire yourself.

Another one is thinking about what you wish you could do, but don't feel good enough for, or you feel afraid of trying. Frequently the areas we are most hesitant to explore are the ones that will be most rewarding for us. Programming is such a thing for me. I've always kind of wanted to learn programming, but never have, even though I really respect programmers and find it to be an impressive skill. Recently I've realized the only reason I haven't learned it is because I was afraid of it, afraid I wasn't good/smart enough, that I didn't deserve to have a career I was fully proud of and satisfied with, etc. Sometimes you have to get past those mindsets and just do the thing and you'll start feeling a lot more meaning in your life. I've been learning scripting lately (which is basically programming) and I find it very satisfying as my skills grow.

Also remember that you don't need to fully accomplish your goals to be fulfilled. As long as you are putting your best effort to make progress towards them, you will feel good about yourself.

Maybe I didn't answer your question directly, but I hope you find this helpful.

Best,

Travis

Edited April 11, 2016 by kortheo

[SpiNips]

Hello!

Today was a better day than yesterday. I studied physics for many hours and now feel quite content with my knowledge. I did some light bench, squats and curls which made me feel immensely better. Sports definitely are a source of fulfillment and joy in my life. The best moment today was partying with my sister.

For some reason I can't find the meaningfulness from my life at the moment. Anyone been through similar processes?

Yeah, I've definitely been in that place before. It is in some ways a question I'm currently exploring as well. What are my goals? What do I want to do in my life, and why? What makes me feel fulfilled and satisfied?

 Figuring out what makes you feel fulfilled or what has meaning for you is partially a matter of being mindful of your experiences and a matter of trying new things. Is there something you've felt for a long time you wanted to do but never done? Maybe you're not even really sure why you want to do it, but you just do. Well, go ahead and just do it. Try it and see how you feel. If you feel good about it, satisfied, keep doing it.

There are a few other ways to get at this. I think for me it's thinking about people I admire - what are they doing that I'm not? If you did those things you might start to feel satisfied and respect and admire yourself.

Another one is thinking about what you wish you could do, but don't feel good enough for, or you feel afraid of trying. Frequently the areas we are most hesitant to explore are the ones that will be most rewarding for us. Programming is such a thing for me. I've always kind of wanted to learn programming, but never have, even though I really respect programmers and find it to be an impressive skill. Recently I've realized the only reason I haven't learned it is because I was afraid of it, afraid I wasn't good/smart enough, that I didn't deserve to have a career I was fully proud of and satisfied with, etc. Sometimes you have to get past those mindsets and just do the thing and you'll start feeling a lot more meaning in your life. I've been learning scripting lately (which is basically programming) and I find it very satisfying as my skills grow.

Also remember that you don't need to fully accomplish your goals to be fulfilled. As long as you are putting your best effort to make progress towards them, you will feel good about yourself.

Maybe I didn't answer your question directly, but I hope you find this helpful.

Best,

Travis

Thank you for the effort you put into writing that reply! I've thought about this a lot. Personally I have a strong desire to express myself through sports. Trying out new sports and keeping up with BJJ and especially gym is a good idea. Sometimes I have this annoying mental attitude that says "Hey, you're never going to be very good at this sport, why bother doing it.". It's more about doing it because you love doing it and it brings satisfaction to your life. Getting good will come in time and the only person you have to beat is yourself. 

Maybe the whole idea of thinking yourself having to be very extraordinary has to go to trash. It's okay just to be normal guy doing stuff he likes and not care too much about whether you'll be remembered as this awesomely talented special being. These kind of things require time and growth to get over with.

If I get sick there should be some activity I can do so if I'm not able to do sports like last week I don't just end up sitting home bored. After a while that starts getting to your head. Photography wouldn't be too bad of a hobby I think.

This is a hard puzzle to crack. I feel like I already know some of this stuff, it just needs to be arranged correctly. Life feels such a big entity that it often leaves me clueless about what to do.

Going to sleep now so I'll be sharp in the test.

Today I'm grateful for:

• Good focus on my studies
• A nice walk with my sister
• My mom told me about her life
• Finding a job interview
• English Breakfast tea by Clipper

[WorkInProgress]

As I read your post I had to think about a markmanson article where he writes about being average . Check it out!