Hello!

Today was a slack off day. After school I went to chill with my friends to the beach. It was great and the water was very clear. I better buy a snorkel and a pair of swim fins. I spent the rest of the day studying and managing my schedule. That isn't too bad, but I feel like the focus wasn't at its best shape. Probably has something to do with little sleep and stress the last few days. Going to take a good sleep next night though.  The best moment of today was chilling at the beach with my friends.

I skipped exercising today because I didn't set the conditions up properly. Trying to do better in the future.

Today marks the end for the "No alcohol"-challenge. In the beginning I was afraid about the fun I'd miss, but it turned out to be quite a different experience. I think that the fact that I haven't drunk alcohol the past month has had a positive impact on my mood, energy and clarity. Physiological benefits are clearly noticeable. Not drinking alcohol provides an interesting point of view to social relationships. It really shows how much of the average teenager spends social time under the influence in Finland. I don't know whether the best way to move forward would be to drink in small quantities when going out with friends who drink or to reserve drinking for more special events. Nevertheless finding out that drinking is not always "necessary" is good.

Today I'm grateful for:

• Being early in my schedule
• The Radio feature on Spotify
• Getting the job
• Arttu for helping me out with a project
• Being able to take a nap outside

Edited May 31, 20169 yr by SpiNips

+1 to sober life. I drink very little alcohol personally.

Hello!

Today was a weird day with both negative and positive feelings. All in all a pretty regular day. The best moments of the day were just little random social moments.

I feel like there are so many thoughts running at my head right now, that I can't really grasp. This will ease after tomorrow since then this semester is pretty much complete.

Today I'm grateful for:

• Last exam tomorrow
• Finding a new pair of shorts
• Being healthy overall
• My trustworthy bicycle
• A waterfight tomorrow B)

Hello!

Today was alright. The exam was fun and the water fight was awesome! I had this feeling that I need to take a rest and wind down today, but today turned out to be one of the more active days. Sometimes it's hard to judge whether the feeling of tired is from being active or from being inactive. The best moment of today was winning in tug of war against our nemesis school Rellu!

Now that I have a job I think I need to think about my relationship to money. My parents have supported me well and I'm very grateful for that. I know that it's easy to take money for granted, which on some occasions causes helplessness when your parents aren't there to support your life. On the other hand I'm sure that if it's a problem there is no way but to face it in the future for good and I'm quite confident that about my ability to overcome it. You don't have to be perfect at everything just yet, there is plenty of time to learn more when it's the actual time to overcome these challenges. I feel like that not on all occasions should you rush and get beyond the present moment.

Summer is coming! Last day of school tomorrow. Summer is interesting since it's a long break in which you have time to form new habits and try more things out. Not too much pressure, but still I'm interested to try new routines out.

Today I'm grateful for:

• AC/DC – Moneytalks
• Sun cream
• History and philosophy
• Trying out snorkeling for the first time of my life
• Nice chat with a great person

• My trustworthy bicycle

Oh boy, if it had to happen someday it had to be this. The handlebar of my trustworthy bicycle broke ;_;

Hello!

School is out! Yeeah! Welcome summer. Today was a good day.  I got a stipend from success in mathematical subjects which I greatly appreciate. It feels like the effort I've put into them is rewarded. Today I met with one of my good old champions, my gymnastics coach Sergey. That Russian son of a gun has been a very important model figure for me. The reunion was filled with emotions. He's very important for me. You probably don't need to guess the best moment of the day was.

To give myself a little feedback I must say that now I know I have a job I've spent money less carefully. I'll figure out good habits with money from Ramit's book and start shaping them.

Today I'm grateful for:

• Meeting my gymnastic friends and coach
• Metal
• There is no rush to go to sleep now
• Cozy shorts from H&M
• Feeling that my work has been appreciated
• Hugs

Great job finishing school this year! That's awesome.

Have fun with your new found time after ending your school year! Hopefully you'll have learned many things from this year and can put it into practice with all the new time you'll have. 

Hello!

Today was a day well spent. I did some interval sprints which felt rough. I ate out with my family and proceeded to meet my friends. I also wrote and read quite a bit. The best moment of the day was having a good dinner with my family.

Yesterday we celebrated finishing this year of school. I don't know whether my intention was to drink that much. Still everything went alright, nothing too bad happened. With new observations from the month of sobriety drinking felt quite different. In the morning I jotted down a couple observations:

• Controlling the amount that I drink. I shouldn't take with me more than I intend to drink. From experience I know roughly what the optimal amount is. It always nicer to be little short on the drink than drinking too much.
• Alcohol should not be used to deal with problems. Dealing with problems with alcohol just creates more problems
• If I'm not willing to do or say something sober why would I wan to do or say it under the influence.

It's good to notice these kind of changes because they help propel me towards learning.

An issue I'm dealing with is about feedback. When should I allow myself to give myself positive feedback? The Willpower Instinct argues that categorizing the things you've done is bad in the long run. The logic behind this is that when you've done something "good" it is easier to indulge in a "bad" activity due to the function of our neurology. But going with this idea I have not allowed myself to give myself a pat on the back. Not letting myself be rewarded annoys me. I feel like there is a misunderstanding by my part. The scale to which the assumption of "good" and "bad" applies is not clear at all. Phew. This is like opening a ball of yarn with no ends.

Tomorrow is the first day with my new job! I have got to say that I'm excited. I'll try my best and learn as much as I can.

Have fun with your new found time after ending your school year! Hopefully you'll have learned many things from this year and can put it into practice with all the new time you'll have. 

Thanks! What kind of holidays you have in New Zealand? Also good luck with the job interview. Hope the result is what you are looking for!

Today I'm grateful for:

• Amazing green tea
• Classical music
• Scheduling for bringing order into wild summer days
• Pizza
• Being able to sleep in a cold room thanks to the Finnish "summer"

I personally find way more motivation to do more good things when I take time to recognize myself - because I'm always very quick to recognize when I do BAD things. So you gotta balance that out a bit.

Hello!

Today was a cool day. I helped my friend move, worked and hung out with friends. The first day at work went smoothly. Some minor problems, but overall a promising first day. I noticed that there might be time between the orders so I'll take a book with me tomorrow and use the spare time. Delivering food is a good exercise. My legs are a bit sore from cycling. It's great that you're able to improve your physical condition while working. The best moment of today was dining at my friends place.

I personally find way more motivation to do more good things when I take time to recognize myself - because I'm always very quick to recognize when I do BAD things. So you gotta balance that out a bit.

That is true, I notice it too. I feel like the philosophy isn't very useful for me personally. I like framing my challenges with the Slight Edge and enjoy the process. No reason not to be happy and grateful for positive things.

I got Sethi's book and I will begin working on it once I finish the Willpower Instinct. I took a quick peek at the book and noticed it's written from American perspective. Not too big of a problem, I just have to find the Finnish counterparts.

I want to write and plan my summer a bit. I need to start studying Swedish and history in time for the matriculation exams. I'll try to set some basic habits this week.

The work is taking time from my other hobbies. It's annoying – you really can't do it all. Hmm, prioritizing I guess.

Today I'm grateful for:

• Honey tea
• Being able to do physical work
• Spending time with friends
• My trustworthy bike is fixed
• Having great workmates

Hello!

Today was a chill day. Work was great even though there were little orders in the beginning. I used the time to read the Willpower Instinct, which was really great! Essentially I got paid to read a good book. The rest of the shift was busier. The best thing that happened today was having fun during my shift interacting with people.

A piece of information that really struck me was the description of hyperopia which means that delaying the gratification is easier than giving into it. I notice this type in myself quite clearly. For example when I was a child I used to store my candy in a shelf and very rarely ate them. Guess I thought they would taste better later or that I could make my sister jealous for having candy when she didn't. Anyways I ended up having a big pile of rock hard candy which I had to throw out in the end. The problem is that hyperopians miss the chance to enjoy those moments just like I could've enjoyed those delicious treats.

I notice that I am both of the archetypes. A good way to counter hyperopia was to schedule some indulgence. That way you won't miss out on having fun and relaxing your mind. Hyperopia is kind of like taking Slight Edge so seriously that you forget to live.

Today I'm grateful for:

• I will teach you to be rich is here
• My job is fun
• Having a studying meetup tomorrow
• The camp is closing in 
• Lynyrd Skynyrd

Hello!

Today was an unique day. I was not very productive mostly because of poor scheduling and plans which changed. Meeting with my friends in the evening made the day a lot better. The best thing today was watching a comedy talk-show with my family.

I marked some possibilities for improvement:

• Computer is not really rest for me. Internet is very useful but also time sucking and confusing
• Managing little things is actually rest for me
• There needs to be a variety of things to do I can't just sit, read and cook. Sports and socializing are highly recommended to keep me feeling active and energized

I witnessed a conversation with two of my friend who compared each other in nearly every aspect of everything. Physical capability, academical success, relationships and so on. I feel like this level of comparison isn't really fruitful. People are good at different things and there isn't really sense in pursuing something solely because you want to be better than someone at something. It's because you are not necessarily following you own preferment. 

Earlier today I watched a documentary about Finland in which a Finnish actor pointed out that typically Finns are very prone to comparing themselves to their neighbours. Money is especially a thing with which I notice this effect. If I have enough money for my needs the fact that my friend makes more won't turn the sum any smaller.

Today I'm grateful for:

• Zedd and his Zelda remix
• Muse – Knights of Cydonia
• Ovens for making cooking very easy
• Recognizing that there is still plenty of room to improve with my driving skills
• Having had the chance to learn about diet, exercise and finance

Hello!

Today was better than yesterday, but I'm still feeling a bit annoyed. It's probably due to not Investing enough time into social activities. I planned a meet with my friend tomorrow so that'll take care of this problem tomorrow.  The best moment of today was going to the gym and doing a full-body workout.

I wrote few pages in my personal journal about rational, emotional and spiritual qualities of the mind. To sum it up I feel like the rational part is too dominant at the moment and I'd like to find a better balance between them. Every single one of the is important for your well-being no doubt.

Sometimes the world feels like a very complicated place. Midst of messy thoughts Rousseau's idea of Natural Human is somehow resonating with me strongly. Maybe it's just the simplicity of it that attracts me. 

Today I'm grateful for:

• History being a well-rounded subject to study
• Exercising
• Oasis
• Having a supporting family
• Training with my friend tomorrow

Having not been to the gym this week due to unfortunate circumstances, I'm so jealous of you going to the gym.

Hello!

Today was a great day. It felt good to spend social time with my friends. The Finnish government requires each male in military service age range to be physically checked. It was cool hearing what they said about my physical attributes. It appears that I have a bit high of a blood pressure for some reason. Well, maybe it's just flu/tension etc.. I sparred a little with my friend Matias which was great. I learned new stuff and it was motivating to see his improvement. My work shift was good as well. I got to cycle about 15 km which is good exercise. The best moment of the day was doing sports with my friend.

Tomorrow I'm going to meet the camp organizing group. It's good to sit down and prepare as much as we can.

I drank a little bit today. Don't know whether that's entirely necessary. Could've gone without drinking with little effort had I thought about it that way. Not too important though.

Today I'm grateful for:

• Meeting new workmates
• Getting exercise in many different forms
• Brains as an organ for being so capable of adaptation
• Social momentum
• Next week is going to be a blast!

It's six am in the morning and I'm sitting here writing. Today was so long that I barely remember it all. My day consisted of planning a Prometheus-camp and seeing my old friend Matu who came here from Helsinki. It was awesome to see him after a long time of not seeing each other. The best moment of the day was singing Singstar ABBA with him to about this point in the morning. This kind of moments make life worthwhile.

Here is a picture I took a few minutes ago:

At summertime it is lovely to live near the arctic circle! The amount of light really boosts your energy. Of course winter is the other way round but lets enjoy the summer while it lasts. 

Having not been to the gym this week due to unfortunate circumstances, I'm so jealous of you going to the gym.

Oh damn, doing sports is such an awesome way to use your time! Thanks for your support of reading my journal!

Today I'm grateful for:

• Singstar ABBA (I wonder if there is a singstar Queen!)
• Seeing an old friend
• Doing a good job in assessing the amount of drink that was fitting for this evening. 
• My team being open and vulnerable
• Next week I'll never have to be hungry, not even once. Camps have best food ever!

Beautiful pic!

Hello!

I spent most of my day recovering from yesterday. I feel like the evening was worth it in the end. It's a memory that I'll have with me way longer than a night well slept. The best moment of the day was doing some miscellaneous stuff with my mother. I feel like she has had a way more positive energy recently.

I'm off to a camp tomorrow morning. I'm going to probably miss most of next weeks posts but I'll be back – you won't get rid of me this easy.  I'm going to start paying off my sleep debt soon. Have a great week everyone!

Today I'm grateful for:

• Good flow with preparing a speech
• Reading a book in a hammock while the sun was shining
• Next weeks weather looks promising
• A good team to organize a camp with
• Allergy medication

Have a great time at camp!

Hello!

Today I returned from the camp. I was tired after a busy week of socializing and working. Having arrived I took a nap and went out to see some other friends of mine. The best moment of the day was writing and receiving a positive message from every person in the camp.

I have to say that the confirmation camp changed my perspective on life. It's good to be around totally new people – there is so much to learn. I noticed that some of the actions that I thought would make me happy actually have less impact on me. I saw that people can be happy doing entirely different things. This encourages me to think there are plenty of ways to be happy. I need to keep working on my own.

A very good part about the camp was that I could bombard a priest with every possible question I had in mind. I consider myself as an agnostic so it's really interesting to hear other people's thoughts on god and spirituality. Learned a lot through conversation. 

There is so much to write that I need to continue once I'm a bit more fresh. Good night everybody!

Today I'm grateful for:

• Making new friends
• Grilling with my friends
• The priest in our camp
• Getting new perspective on obeying rules
• Having an opportunity to practice public speaking

Hello!

Today was another good day. Mostly hanging with friends and going to the gym. The best moment of the day was eating lunch for 4 hours in a Chinese eat-all-you-can restaurant.

I figured out that something in my house is triggering some sort of allergy. I'm trying to find out what it is by momentarily moving to the basement. If it helps I know there is something that needs to be looked at. If nothing changes I can safely move back to my room and see if I can change something else.

I planned that it might be best to give up BJJ for a while once this summer is over. This is because when the next semester hits it'll be very hard to maintain my schedule. This summer I have plenty of time for sports though! Let's see if this thought develops over time.

It's very late and I need sleep. Let's write more tomorrow!

Today I'm grateful for:

• Baba Yetu
• Having fun with friends during lunch
• Squats feeling good today
• My father supporting me
• Having no work tomorrow!

Hello!

Today has been partly a good day. I did a good interval-run in the morning. I'm hoping to improve my cardio by running when I don't have anything else sports scheduled for the day. The best moment of the day was driving to a lake with my friends.

I've felt somehow annoyed and dissatisfied with my life. I feel like there is something that I need to change. I had this thought that maybe I'm trying to change too many things rapidly making my thought process messy. I have a feeling that I need to slow the rate of life down a bit. To have time to have fun and rest without the need to think about the grand scale of life for a while. To stop analyzing my life for while, kinda rolling with it for a while and have more perspective on it that way. This doesn't mean stopping taking responsibility, but looking at life differently for a while. There is a need for change and I don't really know whats the essence of it is but I will figure it out.

Today I'm grateful for:

• Moving to the basement eased my breathing problems
• Guns N' Roses
• Surviving from a scary incident without harm
• Meeting my friends this evening
• There is plenty of time for me to try new things out

Check out the book "PLAY"

I bet what you need is to just find some time each week to just do something for fun without any other attachment. For me, this is surfing.

I bet what you need is to just find some time each week to just do something for fun without any other attachment. For me, this is surfing.

I agree. And for me it's writing and drawing.

Hello!

Today was a good day. I was busy working and studying. The best thing today was playing chess with my friend Mikko.

I set up a simple schedule to study for my matriculation exams. It's otherwise ready – just the rewards for completing a set of habits is missing. Happy to make some progress on this!

I had a longer shift in work and enjoyed it. There was this one mistake with the order. I had just cycled 2.5 km from an restaurant. When I arrived to the customer he asked where was the other pizza. The order was complicated. I did an extra 5 km cycling, but in the end the customer was happy with the way we handled the problem. Probably happier than if he'd just gotten the pizzas in time. Every cloud has a silver lining.

Tomorrow is the Midsummer day, a big holiday in Finland. Looking forward to spending the day with my friends.

Check out the book "PLAY"

I bet what you need is to just find some time each week to just do something for fun without any other attachment. For me, this is surfing.

Hmm, yes I guess that could help. I'll try to take a more playful attitude to my life. I feel that in the summer the play part happens quite naturally. Of course I need to read the book to know what I'm talking about. Thanks for the suggestion!

I bet what you need is to just find some time each week to just do something for fun without any other attachment. For me, this is surfing.

I agree. And for me it's writing and drawing.

Can you post some of your drawings in your journal?

Today I'm grateful for:

• Doing a work I enjoy
• Remembering to accept emotions and thoughts
• My friends cooked me food
• Fun matches of chess
• Having many options to choose from where I will celebrate tomorrow