I hope you enjoy this video. I am very interested in AI, particularly now that it has even become part of the video gaming world. Call of Duty has had AI agents since the launch of Call of Duty MW 2. They introduce a whole new layer of complexity in the game, particularly now that they mimic real players. There are times I have had trouble telling the difference between the two!
AI has also changed the way we create art, write, and a whole slew of other things. I don’t know about you, but I embrace these changes, because they are coming whether we want them to or not. Some pundits say AI will ruin education, destroy creativity, and a whole lot more. Personally, I think it is a tool to be used like anything else.
I hope you have a great Tuesday, folks. I also hope you learned a little today. That is what this day is all about.
When was the last time you sat down and thought about your life?
Many of us are moving at warp speed. We rush to work. We rush home from work. We rush to get dinner and chores done. Then we plop on our couch and watch a show or movie, read our Facebook newsfeed, or watch videos on TikTok, Snapchat, or Instagram. Then we go to bed to start all over again.
Reflection can occur as you journal, which is why I think journaling is such a great habit. Journaling allows us to gather all those random thoughts, reactions to situations in our lives, and anything else rattling around up there and translate it into words on a written page or typed on a digital one. The time we take to think about what we are feeling, where we are, where we want to go, and where we’ve been is healthy and it helps us clarify and define what is important to us.
Reflection can also occur when we take a walk, run, or exercise. Exercise can be quite mundane, particularly if you walk or run the same route. You see the same things; you hear the same things. When boredom kicks in, the mind wanders. You think about what happened today. You think about what you need to do. You think about what you’d like to do. Ideas come. The exercise coupled with this boredom is the perfect storm for reflection. I tend to do a lot of reflecting when I am watching a show that I’ve seen over and over again. The different scenes spark thoughts about this or that.
Listening to music is also a great time for reflection as different songs will bring up memories, motivate us, and spark our creativity. I tend to have a difficult time thinking when I’m listening to any music with vocals. The kind of music that helps me during my reflective periods is labeled focus by Apple Music. They are instrumental, low-key, and inspire me to think. I’m listening to some of this music now as I write this posting.
When is the best time to reflect? It really depends on you and your schedule. My best times are early morning when the rest of the house is asleep. I find this time to be very healing. I also find the peaceful calm of the early morning helpful to inspire pondering what is possible. I daydream if you will, while I journal and work out some sticky thoughts that need unravelling.
Sometimes it comes easy. Sometimes not so much. So, I write in my journal what comes to mind and always reread the previous day’s notes to see if I can reword something that is clearer now or jump into a new topic or stream of thought. I find the consistency of journaling is what makes it easy to capture everything because I never miss a day.
Reflection can also be captured by recording something on your smartphone using one of the apps for recording. I do this if I’m on a walk or working out. I don’t like to miss ideas or thoughts, so I capture everything and then listen to them when I have something to write or type with.
Here’s a short video that discusses the importance of reflection.
Well, that’s it for today, folks. I hope you have a great Thursday!
For anyone that writes a blog, you know that some days you just don’t have any idea what to write. For me, I just have a way of coming up with something to offer here that is meaningful to me and others.
Ideas for writing are the same as ideas for goals and projects. Some folks are overwhelmed because they have too many ideas. Others are on the other side of that spectrum–they have no idea. This can lead to being paralyzed, not knowing where to go, what to do, or what to write.
Scott Allen is known for the quote: “Done is better than perfect.” Perfectionism is paralyzing. It is one of the leading causes of procrastination. Keeping in alignment with Scott’s quote, it is better to do something, rather than nothing.
I like writing every day because it builds a habit. It also gives me the opportunity to get that great article now and then. Think about all the great work you missed out on because you either had too many choices or not enough. So, toss aside that perfectionist inside of you. You’ll give yourself the opportunity to do something great, even if you have days where you didn’t hit that mark. The key is to do something–anything, so you don’t miss out on those opportunities when the stars align, and you tap into your inner genius or muse.
Well, I’ll end here for now. I hope all of you have a great Monday. Remember: “Done is better than perfect.”
It’s so nice to be back at my desk and creating content. I love to write, and this medium allows me to express myself in specific ways on a daily schedule. Over time, however, I began to get the nudge to write about anything and when you’re on a tight schedule like my blog requires it takes away a little freedom, which I crave. So, from now on, Fridays will be my free writing days. I’ll write about popular topics, but don’t be surprised if I go off on a tangent into other topics just to keep things fresh and interesting. Over the last 4 years, I’ve gotten very good at finding interesting topic areas that I enjoy that many of you have enjoyed too.
Today, I just wanted to explain what Fridays would bring, so you would not be surprised that my funny Friday postings had disappeared. I will still inject some humor or may drop a Youtube video here that I find funny, but wanted to have an opportunity to write about anything that comes to mind on Friday.
For those of you who are new to my blog, here is my weekly schedule of writing. If you see any topic that is interesting, feel free to visit me on those days.
Monday Motivation
Ted Talk Tuesday
Wisdom Wednesday
Reading, Watching, and Learning (Thursdays)
Free Writing Friday
Gaming Saturday
Spiritual Sunday
Well, that’s it for today. I hope all of you have a great Friday and have some nice plans set for the weekend. For me, it’ll be running some errands, going to the gym, reading my books, and GAMING! I’ll be exploring the DMZ this weekend on Call of Duty MWII. It’ll be great fun!
All, I’ve decided to alter my postings on Thursday. I’ve been posting what I’m reading, what I’m learning, and what I’m watching, but frankly it bores me to tears. I imagine it bores many of you too, so I’m going to leave Thursday a free writing day, where I write about whatever comes to mind. I’m going to call Thursday my “Free Writing Day”.
I hope all of you like what I come up with and have a great weekend!
So, it’s been a busy week. I took advantage of the holiday to do some research on some courses I need to take and found a great Canva course and Discord course on Udemy. There was a sale, so they only cost me $12 a piece. I just started Discord a bit ago and will start the Canva course today as well.
I’m still watching the Crash Course World History course. It is really great. The host, Tom Green, is hilarious, and the format for these videos is about 10 minutes, so it’s an easy watch and doesn’t eat up much of the day. It is part of Curiosity Stream so if you want to watch it, you’ll have to pay your $19 for the year, which to me is an absolute steal.
I’m still in the Deep Time book. Currently the Marines are storming the Glothr orbiting space station to rescue some humans that were captured. On the surface of Invectus, one of the pilots is being rescued after being downed. Admiral Gray is still in charge and running the show from the space carrier America.
Oh! This weekend, I’ll be watching the second Venom movie called Carnage. It should be a great flick. My sister bought it and we’ll be watching it as part of my birthday weekend. I’ll be 59.
Well, that’s it for now, folks. Have a great Thursday!!
I hope you enjoy this video. It’s an important topic to me, because both my wife and mother have it. It is tough for them to read, to write, and even communicate, because of the wiring of their brains. Enjoy!
It’s Tuesday, folks and I hope you have a great one.
I’m a little wiped today, as I ground the last few days on CODM to attain Legendary status in ranked play. I got it last night, after a week worth of heavy game play. Grinding by the way, is a term in gaming for playing and playing and playing until you reach a goal. I grind to get diamond camo and I grind to get Legendary. I still have 3 days to get Legendary again in Battle Royale and knock out the season’s last challenge.
The reason I ended up grinding the last few days to get Legendary status in CODM is because I did not plan out the season well. I only had 6 days left in the season when I started, and now I’m down to two days to finish out the Battle Royale. So, what’s the lesson. It would be much easier moving through a single rank area in the progression than trying to do multiple levels in a short period of time.
It’s easier to get in shape if you work out each day. It’s easier reading 50+ books a year if you read a little each day. It’s easier to write a book if you write a little each day. This little consistent actions each day will be bring Big results. Subsequently, when season 6 starts in 2 days, it’ll be working on both Battle Royal and Ranked Multiplayer each day to attain Legendary status in both within the first few weeks. This will be much less stressful, and a heck of a lot more enjoyable. I do not want to do this again.
So, if there’s a goal you have, like reading so many books, posting so many blog posts, or working on a book, do a little each day. These little actions build momentum, build habits, and make attaining big results easy–almost subconsciously. Once you learn this anything is within reach.
Whenever we look at adding something to our day or creating a new habit, we have to know what makes us tick. For me, habits are only formed when I do something every day. When it comes to exercise, I have to do it first thing in the morning and I have to go to the gym every day. If I take a day off, that day off turns into a few days, and before you know it, I’m not going at all. Not a good solution.
So, I do the same things each day. I write by working on my blog, my book, my journaling, my letters. Another habit that will fall to the wayside for me if I do not do this each day. Make sense?
Perhaps many of you are not wired this way. That’s ok. The key to being motivated and getting things done is about self-knowledge and regulation. Know thyself. Know what makes you tick. Learn some tricks to help you attain the goals you want to achieve and the habits you want to establish for yourself.
I hope all of you have a great Monday. It’s rainy and cold here in Michigan. A perfect day for writing, learning, and reading and drinking coffee.
It’s snowing in my hometown. What a great way to wake up! Snow is such a nice thing to wake up to. I’m drinking my coffee, sitting in my favorite chair in my home office, and I’m listening to some of my favorite instrumental music. I find my environment motivating, which is the topic of today’s Motivation Monday edition.
One of my writer friends in Australia, K.M. Allan, author of the Blackbirch series, has a laptop, her cats, a whiteboard, and typically a cup of tea and some goodies to snack on. This is her environment to write. Mine is a cup of coffee, a comfortable chair, my laptop, and some music I listen to through my airpods. The point is that your environment can be motivating or demotivating.
What do you like to drink? Tea, Coffee, energy drink? Do you have a comfortable office chair? Do you like to listen to music while you work? Do you have any specific gear you like to work with? These are all questions to ask when you are going to work. Your work environment can be a huge source of motivation, particularly when you’ve found the right combination of things to make your work interesting and fun.
When I was a corporate recruiter, the work could be very monotonous. Most days it was terrific, but there were some days it was absolute drudgery. So, I started at looking at ways to flair up my workspace. I bought a chair and replaced my employer-issued one. I bought some new pens, pen holder, new legal pads, and I also got a few big jars of pretzels, licorice, and assorted nuts. I brought in a picture of my family. I also brought in my Bose bluetooth speaker. Once I had this set up, the drudgery days became less so. I could see my family and this motivated me to grind through my calls. I had snacks within easy reach so I wouldn’t have to get up from my desk until my calls were done. Oh, I even bought a Keurig coffee maker so I could have coffee on demand. You see, I learned early on that the environment I worked in made a huge difference between drudgery and adventure, discomfort and comfort, and meaning and meaningless. You can do the same.
What can you add to your environment to make it more comfortable? What can you add to your environment to soothe the mind? What can you add to your environment to overcome the drudgery in your work? What can you change in your environment to add meaning to your work?
Happy Monday, folks! I wish all of you a great day!
Daily Ramblings... 