Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Drivers

Tags

driver, Enjoyment, habit, Hobby, Joy, Monday, motivation, motivator, self-preservation

I was reading a few days ago about what drives people to do what they do. For some a drive comes from serious loss or pain. For others they are inspired by someone. There is no way to categorize or analyze this because there are just too many reasons for people to do what they do. So, it’s best to stick with learning about what drives you.

What drives you to do what you do? Do you like to exercise? Do you like your hobby? Do you enjoy your work? Do you enjoy companionship? General Grant, who had throat cancer late in life, wrote his memoir to support his family when he was gone. His driver was family and responsibility.

One of my drivers is competence. I like to know how to do things. I like to learn new things. Then, I like to apply those things to what I am doing every day. If there’s a new technology or app I can use to make my life easier or more efficient–I’m there. One of the things I’ve learned over time is how much better it is to know where something is, rather than memorize it. There is so much information out there. If you can’t remember how to do something, simply know where to learn how to do it.

Drivers are what get us up in the morning. Hobbies, responsibilities, passions, whatever you label them, drivers are very motivating. Sometimes we need to take a little time and really think through what drives us. Once I discovered my true drivers, it made it easier for me to find the motivation to do the things I wanted to do and the ones I needed to do.

Have a great Monday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Gaming Saturday – COD MW2

Tags

Call of Duty MW2, Campaign, Competitive, Enjoyment, Excitement, Fun, Gaming, Ranking, Weapon camos

Well, I finally got to play COD MW 2. I played it on an XBOX console. Wow! What an experience. I have not played the multiplayer games yet but wanted to say that the campaign was terrific. It took me about 7 hours to beat, but what a ride! If you are a Call of Duty fan, this one did not disappoint.

I got the basic version, which runs $69 US. I highly recommend it if you enjoyed previous versions of COD.

On the mobile front, I just achieved the CROWN rank in PUBG, Diamond in APEX, and still legendary in CODM in both multiplayer and battle royale. CODM had a truckload of challenges this week. Wow! If you haven’t used C4 yet, boy is that fun, particularly on the shipment map playing hardpoint. It is so satisfying to get a C4 charge inside a canister and set it off. Multi-kills arise!!

One of the things I wanted to address is the mindset for ranking. Ranking in any game can be frustrating. In CODM it is frustrating to play with random players as you approach the higher ranks. When you lose, points are deducted. Wow, that sucks. This is the same in each of the games you rank in. If you lose you’ll lose ranking points. It’s all part of the process. The key to ranking is sticking with it and grinding. It’s the same way with grinding weapon camouflages. You have to grind to get 150 10-kill games to diamond out a golden assault rifle. But, it will happen if you stick with it.

This is the key to all of these games. You have to stick with it and drive through. Some of you who read this blog may be casual gamers. You’re not in it for diamond weapons or predator rank. You’re in it because it’s fun. I’m totally fine with that. I like to compete. I like to finish challenges. I like to rank up. These are the things that drive my game play.

Well, that’s it for today, folks. I’ll be diving into CODM, APEX Legends Mobile, and PUBG Mobile today. Have a great Saturday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Gaming Saturday – YouTube

Tags

CODM, Console Gaming, Diablo Immortal, Enjoyment, Fun, Improving, Mobile gaming, video gaming

If you are serious about gaming, this suggestion is a no-brainer. Watch YouTube. Regardless of the gaming genre or the game you like to play, there is always someone who is producing content for that game. So today, I’ll give you highlight some streamers I watch to improve my game play.

The two mobile games I’m playing are Call of Duty Mobile (CODM) and Diablo Immortal. I haven’t found a favorite streamer yet, but these are a few that passed on some great tips. One huge tip I learned yesterday watching some streams was the importance of focus and patience. Focus means you are building one aspect of your Diablo character, particularly the gems. When you are all over the place you won’t have the strongest character you need, when you begin progressing to higher levels of game play.

In Diablo, for example, there are different levels of game play that allow you to fight higher-level enemies and get better loot. These levels are normal, Hell I, Hell II, and so on. If you get to Hell III, like I am currently, but do not have gems and other gear built up, you’ll get crushed when it comes to running around the world. The creatures are going to be too tough and it’ll be frustrating.

On to the videos. This first one will be a streamer for CODM. He passes along strategies that will preserve your ammo, keep you alive longer, and hopefully become a better player.

YouTube Streamer Kith

Here’s one for Diablo Immortal. It’s a great video to watch if you’re just starting out.

Provided by YouTube streamer Ryhkker

So that’s it for today. YouTube is a great resource for gamers and you’ll always find one or more streamers who you’ll enjoy watching. Once you’ve learned something, apply it. Get into your game, try out the strategy that is suggested and see if it works for you.

Happy Gaming!

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Wisdom Wednesday – 5 Quotes

Tags

5 Quotes, Earl Nightingale, Enjoyment, Life, Quotes, wisdom, Wisdom Wednesday

Don’t let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use.

Earl Nightingale

Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don’t wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it’s at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored.

Earl Nightingale

We can let circumstances rule us, or we can take charge and rule our lives from within.

Earl Nightingale

The more intensely we feel about an idea or a goal, the more assuredly the idea, buried deep in our subconscious, will direct us along the path to its fulfillment.

Earl Nightingale

The biggest mistake that you can make is to believe that you are working for somebody else. Job security is gone. The driving force of a career must come from the individual. Remember: Jobs are owned by the company, you own your career!

Earl Nightingale

I hope you are having a great Wednesday! I took my nephew and his girlfriend back to the airport today, for their flight back to Arizona. We had a great time with them. Enjoy these quotes and have a great day!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Bonus Content – Video Games and Netflix

Tags

Dead Space, Dead Space 2, Dead Space 3, Enjoyment, Entertainment, Fun, Netflix, Recuperation, Relaxation, The West Wing

Image by QuentinLGH from Pixabay

I enjoy my relaxation time as much as I do the work I do. Currently, I am playing a video game called Dead Space. I am also watching a series on Netflix called The West Wing. If you have not played Dead Space, I highly recommend it. I won’t offer any spoilers but it is one great game. It has some really scary scenes and has a great back story. I love video games with a great back story. The West Wing is a television show that was very popular. The series is about a President (Martin Sheen) and a whole host of great characters who really make the show. The writing is superb and I enjoy it tremendously.

If you are into video games, try out Dead Space. It is re-engineered to work on the Xbox One and will set you back $15. It also has two more games beyond the original–Dead Space 2 and Dead Space 3. I’m going to play the heck out of Dead Space this month and will jump into Dead Space 2 next month. It’s $19.99.

That’s it, folks. I just wanted to spread the word about two great things I do when I relax. I hope you give them a whirl if you are into Netflix and video games. They are a real treat!

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Post Christmas

Tags

Christmas, Contentment, Enjoyment, family, Friends, Joy, Love, Planning, reflection

Well, the family has gone home! It was a great two days, hanging out with my sister and her boyfriend. It was nice opening presents. It was awesome watching some movie favorites, like Raiders of the Lost Ark.

I enjoyed the holiday season this year because it was so great to revisit Phoenix and reconnect with friends and family there. It was also nice to come home and enjoy family, my Mom’s roast duck and all of the goodies I enjoy eating during the holidays.

Now it’s time to continue the celebration as we approach the New Year. This week, like the previous week will result in altered postings because I want to focus on the holidays and worry about the schedule again at the commencement of 2019.

I hope all of you had a great time with your families and friends and are looking to create the best year yet in 2019. I hope all of you have a safe and joyous New Year’s celebration.

All the best to you and your families during this precious time of the year.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – The Weekend!!

Tags

Endorphins, Energy Boost, Enjoyment, Free time, Fun, Games, Party, Weekends

It’s Friday and the weekend is ahead. Even though I am recently retired, I still have great feelings on Friday, thinking about all of the things I will do this weekend for fun. My weekends are normally comprised of some reading, watching a show, playing a few games online, doing my laundry, organizing my room, and preparing for the upcoming week, not necessarily in that order. The biggest thing for me is the lack of structure during the weekend. It balances out my strict schedule during the week.

As I write this posting it is still raining outside. In Michigan, like most of the Midwest, we are getting rained on daily, with more coming tomorrow and tomorrow night. It is really a huge change of pace compared to my living in Arizona, where rain is sparse, but high temperatures are frequent (my brother said they hit 100 this last week). That is one thing I will not miss about AZ—the high temperatures of summer.

Anyways, as I stare out the window and notice the squirrels dancing about in the trees in our front yard, I enjoy the release of the weekend and the sudden boost of energy we feel when we know we are going to have fun. Isn’t that the weirdest thing? When we’re at work, we tend to feel tired and lethargic toward the end of a long week. As soon as we exit the workplace, get in our car, and pull out of the parking garage, we get hit with a huge amount of energy. Where does this come from?

Some of it I think is just the mental dump that occurs when we realize we don’t have to think about work until Monday. Some of it may even be a little bit of a psychological boost from endorphins from the expectation of our upcoming free time. Whatever it is, Friday afternoons are still great, even as a retired guy.

I hope each of my readers has a terrific weekend! I’ll continue to post my quotes and any workouts I get in over the weekend, but hope all of you have a terrific time with your loved ones, significant others, and friends and have a great adventure this weekend. I plan on hitting one of my favorite coffee joints for a nice cup and hitting the library for a few hours. I may go to the gym if I feel like it, but Saturday and Sunday are off days on my current workout routine. Who knows? That’s the beauty of the weekend.

Until next time…