It's been a while. 2015 has been a very quiet year for blogging, although I did end up taking more photos than some of the previous years. I've been writing down short notes in Google Keep for the purpose of eventually turning them into blog posts, but find myself just ending up with more and more notes and never in the right mood to blog. But rather than throw them away, I'll write them down here. They'll prove useful to future me.
In addition to the small thoughts, when I think back on 2015 I can clearly notice one massive.. let's call it 'deficiency' in my life: I have too many hobbies. I've reached the point where I've upped my quality of life so much that I need more real-life burdens to sustain myself. Or, to put it in real-life terms: bought a car, started living together with girlfriend, need to pay the mortgage. Thanks to the amazing apartment we bought I never have to complain about housemates or noisy neighbours again, but in return I need to keep it and all items in it clean and operational. 2015 is also the first full year that I owned a car - another maintenance burden. Adding all that newness to my old hobbies and combining it with a now more urgent need to earn income so I can pay the bills means that I have less time ever for just my old hobbies. Oh boohoo, #fwp..
It's the main thing I want to improve upon in 2016: I want to spread myself less thinly. Less hobbies, more in-depth enthusiasm. Some things will have to go, such as the car. Other hobbies may need to be put into perspective given how little time I've spent on them in the past year. But all in all, a reorganization of priorities is necessary. It's time to catch up to where I am in life.
That was the big thought. Here's some small ones. Think of it as me-to-me pep talk.
- Being good at something might make it boring, but only if you're not careful.
- A strong appreciation for things can only happen when you are not tired and if you are not worried about other things you could be doing with your time.
- Pace yourself. Always go slower than you think you should.
- You can't stuff new experiences into your brain bucket if your bucket is already overflowing. Vacate your brain first.
- As the body weakens the comfort zone decreases. Keep your body in shape. At least a little.
- You can't just receive absolute freedom and immediately know how to handle it.
- Question: if you were in the position of someone who feels guilty about their lifestyle, wouldn't you want to be able to enjoy life without guilt if you were them?
- Question: how, as a 30+ years old with a steady relationship, busy work and long commute, can one keep in touch with old friends and have a steady circle of people one loves to hang out with every week? I'll be thinking about this one for the rest of the year..
- Home is the worst place to change yourself.
- Don't go with the flow. Think for yourself.
- Keep asking yourself: what is my goal right now?