My Journal - SpiNips

[SpiNips]

Hello!

I've been feeling better. I'm still in no condition to train BJJ but gym might be an option for tomorrows exercise. Physics was alright and in the evening I went out to see my friends which sparked up my day a lot. The best thing today was being with friends.

It seems like there is plenty room for improvement in my life. I've been reading plenty of Mark Manson's articles - big thanks to @WorkInProgress - and they've given me a lot food for thought. I'm not looking for a bigger than life passion at the moment, just little things and activities I enjoy. 

At this point it is a good reminder that my journey with gaming is not entirely over. I still need to find new activities to overtake gaming's habits. It's invaluable to have support both in real life and here on the internet. Thank you once again!

Today I'm grateful for:

• Last exam of the week is behind
• We came up with a good and interesting idea for a activity
• Ginger hopefully helping me cure the flu
• Riding school by bike, it leaves me extra time for sleep
• Playing Ping Pong with my friend
• Having an awesome family to back me up

[Cam Adair]

Happy to hear you're feeling better

[SpiNips]

Hello!

Today was a great day! School was great, we set up a little quiz from our teachers and it was well accepted. I played some chess with my friend. In the evening I went to the gym and had a good time there. The best thing that happened today was managing to do plenty and having good energy.

There is still plenty of unclarity in my head. I'm somehow feeling that my approach to certain thing is changing. I can't really describe what's happening but I'm sure it'll take me forward.

A hobby that I'm definitely interested in is chess. Lately I've noticed many of my friends playing it and I've got to say that I like the game. Chess has an enormously complicated system but learning the basics like forks, pins and some good strategies wouldn't be bad at all. Especially now that I'm still too sick to do BJJ.

Times are changing, we are moving forward – Keep it up friends!

Today I'm grateful for:

• Blueberries and milk
• An invitation to meet friends tomorrow
• Cool little social moments
• Kahoot.it
• Tunafish in oil
• Indian background music
• Chapman sticks – Check'em out (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rLsSfd67qE This one is for you @AlexTheGrape )

[AlexTheGrape]

Thanks for the the link! I didn't know that 'keep on keeping on' resonated so much with you  I'd never seen a Chapman stick, that was certainly a breath of fresh air in terms of music. 

Sounds like you've had a great day. Chess is a great game for the mind, but just be aware that it's not ok to be playing chess on a computer for long periods, as that can lead to gaming cravings.

Have a great weekend dude!

[SpiNips]

Hello!

I missed yesterday's post due to celebrating a friends birthday. These two days were fun days filled with friends and celebrating. The best thing that happened today was singing Paradise city along with my friends playing it on guitar and bass.

I recently felt that I might need to turn down my habitual way of analyzing. Not meaning that I should abandon my rational thinking, but maybe get a little more present with the moment – more out of my own head.

I also thought about Chess. More so whether I should play it online. There are clear benefits for improving as a player. You are able to practice more with busy schedule.  Sitting in front of a computer screen for more than I have to doesn't sound appealing though. Maybe I'll take it easy first and learn it irl.

For now I might make a little reschedule with writing my journals here. Maybe, maybe not well see.

Today I'm grateful for:

• Pizza
• Driving home safely
• Honesty
• Hugs
• Enthusiastic conversations

[SpiNips]

Thanks for the the link! I didn't know that 'keep on keeping on' resonated so much with you  I'd never seen a Chapman stick, that was certainly a breath of fresh air in terms of music. 

Sounds like you've had a great day. Chess is a great game for the mind, but just be aware that it's not ok to be playing chess on a computer for long periods, as that can lead to gaming cravings.

Have a great weekend dude!

Keep on keeping on seems to just pop everywhere.  There is a risk to playing chess on the computer – the possibility of cravings of course and maybe just the general overspending of your time on the net. We'll figure it out. Have a great weekend as well!

[SpiNips]

Hello!

Today was a good day. I studied and did some minor tasks that required completing. I went to gym and it was great. Day by day I'm getting closer to being able to train BJJ. The best thing that happened today was stumbling upon my friends in the gym.

Chess is an awesome game, but watching tutorials and playing it on my phone makes me feel like I'm wasting my time, similarly to gaming. I guess I have connected gaming like activities with negative feelings. Meh.

Right now I feel like I need to just take a good sleep.

Today I'm grateful for:

• Getting maths done
• Creating a plan for studying next phase
• Having friends to learn chess with
• Finnish rock music
• Mustard
• Meeting my grandparents

[Cam Adair]

It's a very fine balance with chess and gaming. I play chess but it's no more than 1-2 games (5 min blitz) in a day a few days a week and only once or twice a week I'll watch a 30 minute video of a grandmaster game. But it's very easy for that type of game to get more more involved if you let it.

[SpiNips]

Hello!

Today can be described with a single word – maths. I've been counting vibrations, studying electrical currents and deriving scary functions. The best moment of the day was eating a great dinner, seeing my teacher do a great dance and Finally, Finally, Finally completing all of my maths problems.

It's a very fine balance with chess and gaming. I play chess but it's no more than 1-2 games (5 min blitz) in a day a few days a week and only once or twice a week I'll watch a 30 minute video of a grandmaster game. But it's very easy for that type of game to get more more involved if you let it.

Boundaries. A very good idea indeed! I'll need to find what I'm comfortable with. Chess sure has same qualities as computer games. I'm not planning on becoming Kasparov, just good enough to enjoy the game more and beat the average Joe.

It's been a hard days night and I've been working like a dog. Time to get some well deserved rest.

Today I'm grateful for:

• Homemade hamburgers
• Having a maths support-group
• People who are willing to be vulnerable
• Being in shape to train BJJ tomorrow
• My physics teacher who is always trying out something new. I like the way she builds best results by experimenting!

[WorkInProgress]

 

It's been a hard days night and I've been working like a dog. Time to get some well deserved rest.

I like people quoting the beatles still

[SpiNips]

Hello!

Today was a good day! I got good seats for the rest of the phase. I spent the evening watching movies with my friends. The best thing that happened today was having a great conversation with my teacher.

I decided that I'm not going into online chess for now. There are other goals that require more attention for the time being.

One thing that I'd maybe like to learn in the future is to speak either Spanish or Russian. While traveling it would be cool to be able to chat with locals with their own language! Cool and useful!

Today I'm grateful for:

• Walnuts
• No school tomorrow
• Yesterday's work paid off
• Educational videos on YouTube
• The Hydraulic Press Channel. He is finnish like me

[Cam Adair]

Mmmm walnuts.

[SpiNips]

Hello!

Today was a productive day. I applied for a job in a cleaning company. The work will be hard for sure but I prefer it to for example telemarketing since I'm able to have a positive impact on people's lives. I hung out with my friends in the evening. The best thing that happened today was getting the application done.

It's awesome to see that daily posts can no longer fit the first page. Soon it'll be easy to find Gamequitters in neighbouring countries. 

I'll finish Mark Manson's Models soon. Manson continues to impress me with his ideas. Some of them are rather different than what I learned from Mate. It's great to read about relationships from different perspectives.

Today I'm grateful for:

• Friends who are able to sing
• Dancing karaoke, It was awesome
• Fats for being dense in calories
• Having a warm and safe place to sleep (Although I want to sleep a night in a paper recycling bin just for the sake of trying it out)
• Levi's black jeans

[Merdoc_Rowboat]

 

Today I'm grateful for:

• Levi's black jeans

bruh, Levi's are the best.

[WorkInProgress]

Yeah Mark Manson is awesome.

[SpiNips]

Hello!

Keeping it short since it's late. Today was yet another productive day. I attended my BJJ lessons after a break. It had its good sides but I'm still feeling the flu :// I've taken so many breaks from BJJ the last months that I get rather negative emotions from it. Maybe it's just about getting back to regular training. The best thing that happened today was capturing my friends queen with my tower.

I finished Models. I won't start a new book for a while so that I can apply its lessons better.

Today I'm grateful for:

• Coldplay
• Stratovarius
• Breaking my streak of not training BJJ
• A nighttime walk
• Being able to help my friend

[SpiNips]

Hello!

It's late again but it doesn't matter, it's weekend. Today was great! I watched a good documentary about Finnish motorcycle gangs. I spent the evening hanging out with a couple different groups of friends. We decided that it was time to go for a ride. We drove all over the city and had so much fun. The best thing today was being able to laugh my ass out. It was great spending this day with friends and not worrying too much about anything.

I wrote about my personal dreams and goals in my journal.

Today I'm grateful for:

• Gymnastics, It's great sport
• Being spontaneous
• Cheap food
• Chess and MtG
• the Queen – Don't stop me now

[SpiNips]

Hello!

A night to remember. For sure. We celebrated my friends birthday. It was fun and I didn't spend too much money which is good. I'm considering about getting some sort of a job in order to have a better financial balance. The best thing that happened today was going to meet some friends who were also partying. Another one was working through an emotional baggage.

Today I'm grateful for:

• Going my own way today
• Warm jackets
• Upbeat music. I found great bands today
• Sleeping in a clear room in clear sheets
• Survival story that I will probably remember for nearly the rest of my life

[SpiNips]

Hello!

Today I've been recovering from yesterday. I've been studying, eating and resting. The best moment of the day was reading about the history of my family. Jouko Pirhonen was awarded with a Mannerheim Cross for his achievements in marine combat against Russia. War is not cool. It's probably much worse than I can imagine but the courage of these men is unbelievable.

I'm currently contemplating about what to do with with my time. I know that I must follow what I want – where my intuition leads me. It's not about closing my ears from advice or suggestions rather just about following what I want not what somebody else wants me to follow. I don't know but I kind of do.

Today I'm grateful for:

• Dropkick Murphys and the Pogues
• Pulled pork made from Kassler
• Metal
• Awesome sunset
• Playing chess with my mother
• Seeing my grandmother

[SpiNips]

Hello!

Today was great! It was especially great because BJJ was really fun today. We did good drilling, we had great time with my partner and I managed to get a sneaky leg lock in a spar. It feels so great to nail it since it's really easy to counter but you can surprise people with it. The best moment of the day – BJJ, definitely.

I thought about distraction and constant overflow of stimuli. I'm not sure how can I replace the automatic "Draw your phone out and check something random out" reaction. It's not constant but when I'm tired at home after school for example it's habitual to just scan the phone for anything interesting. Maybe I just need a better resting activity. 

Today I'm grateful for:

• Cars
• Planning out a new workout routine
• I'm staying on top of my courses at the moment
• Boney M and Whitesnake
• Being able to go to bed early tonight

[SpiNips]

Hello!

Today was a good day. Studied, played chess and trained Bjj. Bjj was definitely the highlight of my day. The drills were very useful and I was able to use them when sparring. 

I'm a bit tired since I had an argument with my father but it's nothing too bad, we were just rubbing our boundaries together. I guess you can also see this as an opportunity for growth, sticking with your decision and showing that you have a spine. In reality the argument was just a double-edged sword with no correct outcome if I look at it objectively, even though to remain in my boundaries I had to do what I did.

Today I'm grateful for:

• Having fun in Bjj
• Rye Bread
• Turkish yoghurt
• Free food in school
• A day to rest from sports tomorrow

[SpiNips]

Hello!

Today I was more tired than I usually am. Could be my body craving for time to rest. Today's best moment was playing chess with my friend.

I watched a TED video called "Change anything". It demonstrated really well the mechanics behind sticking to habits. I notice that I currently have a feeling of scarcity attached to my improvement. I feel that I'm not improving enough or not developing myself enough. I think that improvement should not be motivated by scarcity but rather by the fact that you enjoy and want to make your life better. Maybe I should work towards letting myself enjoy my current shape of life more. After all I believe I will find projects I want to work on in the future.

There will be days when my journal is just about "Hey! Enjoying my addiction free life" without going deeper into it. I'm looking for ways to improve my life as all of us are, but there will undoubtedly be times when the content here is superficial. 

Being part of this community with cheerful atmosphere and people willing to help others improve is a true blessing. I'll read your journals and notice "Hey I could try that out too" as has happened with meditation, stronglifts, books and many other ways of improving as well. Let's keep improving together.

Today I'm grateful for:

• English breakfast tea
• Interesting lectures about the history of racism
• Mead
• Scheduling
• Having a job interview tomorrow

[SpiNips]

Hello!

Today was a good day! The job interview went well. We'll see how it turns out. BJJ was also great today although I managed to hurt my head by slamming it to a concrete floor in the midst of sparring. It's always unpleasant to hurt your head but luckily these kind of accidents happen seldom and I believe that humans have evolved to last these kind of hits every now and then. The best thing today was going out with my friend celebrating his 18th birthday.

Spending too much time and money in bars is not something I'm not willing to do. It's great to celebrate with friends at times but in general I enjoy for example just chilling with them much more. I'll need to find a way to make this easier.

Today I'm grateful for:

• Helicopter armbar, amazing Bjj move
• The job interview going well
• Full milk
• Well cooked eggs
• Meeting my friends after they had a performance

[Mad Pharmacist]

Great to hear you had a good day! And you're so grateful each day! That's so inspiring!

Hope that you'll get the job you've been interviewed about today! What kind of job is that?

[Cam Adair]

30 pages on your journal..