I know I haven't written in a while. The main reason is that I just haven't wanted to. I spend a lot of time working and rehabbing my knee, so rather than force myself to sit and write something when I didn't want to, I was doing that instead. I'm really not sure how my recovery timeline is stacking up to the "average" recovery timeline, and I'm not really concerned about that either. I feel like its coming along at a good pace given my injuries. I spend a lot of time on my recovery. I try to squeeze in little things here and there, because I'm sure it all adds up to a little bit faster and better recovery. I thoroughly enjoy it. It brings me satisfaction. As a result, I want to do it as much as possible.
One big problem I've observed is that so many people are simply mesmerized by televisions, facebook, and video games. These are all huge distractions in life, but that's what they want to squeeze into every possible second of their day. I have been, and still am, guilty of this also, to certain degrees. We all get off work and want to plop down in front of the TV...or our laptops. These things all have their place, but have you heard any inspirational stories where they said "and all that TV I watched was a huge key to my success." What goals do these things push you toward? Getting really good at watching TV?
It's so unfortunate. I bet if most people simply turned off their TVs and computers, they would go insane from boredom. They wouldn't know what to do with themselves. What would they fill those hours with? Hopefully they would find something productive to do, but I bet most people would break down and turn the TV back on. But imagine if you replaced these things with a hobby you were really passionate about. Something you just couldn't get enough of. You'd be so grateful for all this extra time to do it!
I was raised to think that you should seek out a career that gives you this much satisfaction, too. Try to find someone to pay you for something you'd do for free. It makes being successful in your job so much easier, because work is much less of a burden (that isn't to say you wont have days you don't want to work). You probably spend a good portion of your free time sharpening your skills in some way as well. A perfect example is my brother. He always thought computers were cool, from a very young age. He wanted to know how to make programs. One summer, maybe around middle school, he bought a book and taught himself how to make really basic programs. He thought this was cool too, so he taught himself the next more advanced programming language, and kept doing it and kept doing it and now he's a software engineer. He's a mighty good, and he loves to talk about writing programs, if you'll let him.
Regardless of whether we are talking hobbies or careers, the hardest part is figuring out what it is that you enjoy the most, besides watching Kim Kardashian and her sisters spend their money and cry about their lives on E! Once you figure that out, it's just a matter of setting your goals. "I want to write a computer program that does twice as many things," "I want to run a marathon," "I want to win a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tournament," "I want to ______________________________."
If the goal you set is something you truly, genuinely want, you'll find yourself constantly figuring out a way to get closer to it. Think of the kid who just HAS to have that toy - that genuine desire most adults lack. He is too young to work a real job and has no money, but he has his mind SET on getting that toy. He can't stop thinking about it. So what does he do? He scrounges for change, tries to sell some old toys, sets up a lemonade stand, or begs for odd jobs just for a little bit of cash. Sure enough, eventually, he has enough for that toy. If you can figure out what it is that you really, really want and desire, and tune out the distractions around you, it's almost impossible for you not to reach it.
I really wanted to convey this message, so I took a good amount of time to write this, and didn't stop until I was done. Right now, the thing I genuinely want is to get back toward jiu jitsu. I want to do that way more than I want to watch TV, or play video games. I have a bunch of goals right now to help me get there. More short term is getting my knee healthy again; intermediate is returning to jiu jitsu classes on a regular basis and being able to spar; and long term includes returning to competition. I have a goal of getting at least two gold medals before the end of 2013. Added bonus if they're at the same tournament :)
