Discipline
Posted 09-05-2008 at 01:57 PM by Vash
Is it something that is learned? Is it something that someone else can teach you? Or is it instead something that must be enforced through your daily life. I just don't know, but I sure wish I had enough of it. I am just not dedicated to things. I managed it for most of one summer, I ran 5 days a week every week and I began to notice definite improvements. I ran whether it was rain or shine, nothing stopped me, and it was gratifying. It was good to know that I had put in the effort, I did not let myself go the easy route, I stuck to it. However after this sojourn into the world of running it went downhill. I slowly slacked off more and more until I lived just like I did before. I effectivley annuled all my work and it sickens me.
At the start of this summer I tried to reignite my passion for the exercise, I think my longest streak was two days, I just couldn't make myself stick to it anymore. I have no excuses, it was pure laziness and it shames me. It was even easier then before for me because we got a treadmill installed. I was able to run in all conditions without getting soaked to the skin or freezing my junk off. I don't know why I couldn't enforce myself again. I think maybe part of it has been wow, I have spent far too much of these last 3 monthes in Azeroth instead of the real world. I am, begging the pardon of Terry Goodkind for stealing a line from one of his books, already thinking of it as my "lost summer". I look back upon it and I think, what have I acheived? What goals or new things have I accomplished this summer?
The list of answers is slim, very slim indeed. This is disgusting and I must change myself. I do not wish to change for the benefit of others, I do not wish to make myself into a better person simply because that might make me more appealing to others. I will change myself because I need to change, I need to look at myself in the mirror and back over my life(short though it is so far) and feel proud. I have to like what I see, and I have to understand that opportunity truly does sometimes only knock once.
How many times have you, while lost in thought, mulled over the times that you could have said yes but instead said no? Have you ever wondered where those yesses could have taken you? I know I do. This is not even the obvious yesses like when a friend asks if you want to go for a drink, or do you want to go to the cinema later. The other ones where you know if you had just answered differantly your outlook could have changed, maybe for the better, but theres always a chance for the worse.
Change frightens people, stability and sameness are safe, they offer a refuge that you can hide in, sheltered from new and scary experiences. I have learned the hard way that stability and sameness may seem to be warm and comfortable, but they're in truth choking influences that strangle your drive to better yourself. Change can be bad but without it life is a dull and empty place, berefit of any real excitement.
I don't know why I wrote this and I don't know if it isin't all just a pile of shit that I'll regret when I think it over tomorrow. Maybe I got some valid points across, whatever the outcome I'm glad I took the time to write it.
At the start of this summer I tried to reignite my passion for the exercise, I think my longest streak was two days, I just couldn't make myself stick to it anymore. I have no excuses, it was pure laziness and it shames me. It was even easier then before for me because we got a treadmill installed. I was able to run in all conditions without getting soaked to the skin or freezing my junk off. I don't know why I couldn't enforce myself again. I think maybe part of it has been wow, I have spent far too much of these last 3 monthes in Azeroth instead of the real world. I am, begging the pardon of Terry Goodkind for stealing a line from one of his books, already thinking of it as my "lost summer". I look back upon it and I think, what have I acheived? What goals or new things have I accomplished this summer?
The list of answers is slim, very slim indeed. This is disgusting and I must change myself. I do not wish to change for the benefit of others, I do not wish to make myself into a better person simply because that might make me more appealing to others. I will change myself because I need to change, I need to look at myself in the mirror and back over my life(short though it is so far) and feel proud. I have to like what I see, and I have to understand that opportunity truly does sometimes only knock once.
How many times have you, while lost in thought, mulled over the times that you could have said yes but instead said no? Have you ever wondered where those yesses could have taken you? I know I do. This is not even the obvious yesses like when a friend asks if you want to go for a drink, or do you want to go to the cinema later. The other ones where you know if you had just answered differantly your outlook could have changed, maybe for the better, but theres always a chance for the worse.
Change frightens people, stability and sameness are safe, they offer a refuge that you can hide in, sheltered from new and scary experiences. I have learned the hard way that stability and sameness may seem to be warm and comfortable, but they're in truth choking influences that strangle your drive to better yourself. Change can be bad but without it life is a dull and empty place, berefit of any real excitement.
I don't know why I wrote this and I don't know if it isin't all just a pile of shit that I'll regret when I think it over tomorrow. Maybe I got some valid points across, whatever the outcome I'm glad I took the time to write it.
Total Comments 6
Comments
 | Man, now I'm kind of ashamed of myself because as soon as I saw "running", my mind immediately jumped to, "Wow, what instance are you running five times a week?"...lol. Now I feel awful, thanks a LOT, Vash. Gahhhhhhhh... But yeah, I've found myself in the same predicament. Eventually it just becomes easier to sit there and let yourself vegetate in front of a computer screen, because it feels like the results are coming more immediately and visibly when you can actually SEE the upgrades. In the issues of weight loss and exercise...not so much. About 3 months ago, I weighed about 265 lbs. I'm 6'1", so it wasn't a huge issue. Now, I weigh 235 lbs. Am I happy with it? Yes and no. See, I USED to weigh 180 lbs., but that was also when I was playing basketball and soccer 3-4 times a week. So I'm happy that I've gotten to where I'm at. But I'm unhappy because I haven't yet reached where I want to be. So I'm working on it. Situations like that arise everywhere, both in RL and in WoW. It's not the things we do in life that are a waste of time, necessarily. I believe it's all a matter of perspective. You spent months of your life making an electronic incarnation of yourself stronger. Was it a waste of your time? Did you make friends along the way? Did you create memories that you find yourself thinking back on from time to time with fondness? If so...maybe it wasn't such a huge waste of time. Overall, the way you look at yourself in the mirror shouldn't be any different than the way you look at your WoW toon. See how far you've come. See the end result of the work you've done. And see the things that are still left to do. For therein lies the impetus to finish the things that have been left undone. I counter your ramble, sir. |
Posted 09-05-2008 at 02:36 PM by Orkchops  |
| | The only way I can stay consistant about working out is by getting up before work and doing it. Trying to force myself at lunch or after work always leads to excuses. It's actually easier during the school year because the kids have to get up so early for school, so I am up anyway. And Ork, never worry about a number. I truly do not care what I weigh, as long as I feel like I am eating healthy and staying active. Muscle density and water can change a person's weight by so much....for example I am your height, but the idea fo weighing less than 210 frightens me because I played football while you were playing basketball. I am very happy with myself usually between 225-230, not because of that number, but because that feels right for me. |
Posted 09-06-2008 at 01:19 PM by Tatt  |
| |  Early in the day is always best, and it's the only time I can get myself to regularly exercise. Getting a good Zune or Ipod is nice, too.  |
| Posted 09-06-2008 at 01:51 PM by Ciderhelm |
| | On the topic of exercise...I find it's usually best to work out with a friend or two. It's a lot more motivating to work out when there's peer pressure involved...lol...especially for a non-morning person like me. To use a painful WoW analogy(I know), exercise for me is a lot like doing Kara. Yes, it's repetitive, and a little bit trite, and it makes you absolutely not wanna step foot into it ever again after you've done it for the 100th time. But if you have friends there, the paradigm changes from "just another Kara run" to "having a good time running old content with your buddies". I'm fortunate enough to have RL friends/workout buddies that are also fellow guild officers(I go running and play ball 5 days a week with our priest leader, hunter leader, and GM.), so they know how to get my ass moving, since they're usually the ones that call my house at 8 AM on a Saturday and say, "Hey, wake up, we're doing Mag again today." Of course, that kind of early-morning wake-up call inspires me to call their houses at 3 AM on a weekday while they're sleeping and say, "Hey, fuckface, log on, we're doing SSC right now!", and then go to sleep with my phone off the hook so they can't call me back...lol. But I digress. If you don't have that luxury of having a partner, the solo grind(ugh, the wow terms ><) is also great if you have some music to motivate you, as Cider pointed out. Diet also plays a huge part in your motivation. Whenever I eat McDonald's or some other colon-blocking fast food, I generally lose all my drive. It's a tired saying, but you really are what you eat. Eat as healthy as you can, stay away from oversized portions, and you'll feel your energy returning. Motivation's the key to a good exercise routine, so try to bolster it with as many sources of inspiration as you can. Diet, music, friends, old pictures, whatever. Just do what you gotta do. @Tatt: Yeah, 180 isn't really the "ideal" I'm shooting for, it's just what all the diet books say I should be getting back to. But I remember when I was playing basketball, I looked pretty scrawny, even though it was all lean muscle...lol. 200-210 was more around my realistic goal, taking into account my altered metabolism and the shape that I want to achieve. |
| Posted 09-06-2008 at 10:44 PM by Orkchops |
| | Thanks for the advice chaps. You're right about the making friends and such Orkchops. During the last three monthes I think I've met some of the best people I've ever talked to on wow. I've accomplished things I'm proud of and I have so much more knowledge about the game and how my chosen class and spec work now. Those three monthes of concentrated effort will really help when the xpac rolls around as well. Before when I hit 70, I knew jack shit, it was all new to me, this led to a slow slow process of learning and gearing up. Once I hit 80 I will have those experiences to draw from and it will make my time spent confused less. On the subject of exercise I thank you all for your suggestions and advice. Some of the things, like getting up early to work-out, had never occured to me. I often find myself making excuses when it gets later and later on in the day until nothing ends up happening. Maybe this is a solution. The benefit is threefold as well. I'll be starting college tomorrow, and it would be nice to wake up without only leaving myself the minimum time to get ready. It will also leave me feeling energised and ready for the day ahead, as opposed to the zombie I usually am. I believe this will make the mornings much more bearable for me. It'll make me happier as well, knowing that I am finally taking things into my own hands and putting the effort in. Even if I don't see immediate results, it will be nice to have the confidence inspired by actually doing something about it. So thank you for your advice once more.^^ |
| Posted 09-07-2008 at 01:23 PM by Vash |
| | Great post, Vash... I've felt just as you describe not too long ago, myself. I did exactly what you did too; got into great shape (lost 30 pounds!) and then slid back once I had reached my goal. It was depressing that I couldn't find the self-motivation (discipline, I guess) to keep going after that. For me the trick to consistent excercise turned out to be joining an aerobics class; I developed friendships there and would feel like I was letting my new friends (and the instructor) down if I didn't show up (usually because I stayed home to play wow instead). When you think about it, you realize this social obligation mechanism is exactly what gets us to stick around in WoW long after it's lost its fun! |
| Posted 09-10-2008 at 11:53 AM by phenk |
Recent Blog Entries by Vash
- Contradiction (12-25-2008)
- You never miss it.... (09-09-2008)
- Titles (09-05-2008)
- Discipline (09-05-2008)
- Out of the frying pan, into the rep grind. (09-04-2008)
