Giving Up, Quitting?

This time of year often has people quitting on their new year resolutions.  Tis the season to give up.

I'm here to say DON'T. Not because I am a pillar of hope and success, but because I am an example of what happens when you do give up. Do you know how many things I could be by now if I ever just stuck with something?

Think back across your life, how many times have you quit? Okay, how many times have you quit for no good reason? I'm pretty certain it's not just me. Please say it's not just me.

It's me isn't it?
Damn.

Skills I don't have...

It's not just goals I give up, like the usual stop drinking, eat healthy blah blah blah, but I give up skills. WHY? If I had kept to at least one of my extra curricular activities when I was younger I could have been:

• a footballer
• a basketballer (REAL WORD*)
• a journalist
• a guitarist
• an urban/street dancer
• a pianist
• a ballerina
• an artist
• a french person
• a tap dancer
• a swimmer 
• a netballer (see above re: real word)

More often than not people quit things because they are hard, or they hold no interest for that individual. I was pretty good at the majority of these things, so why do I quit? Laziness I'm guessing, and what seems to be a deep rooted aversion to personal achievement.

Oh, the effort, emanating from my body...

To put it into perspective, here are things that I am, thanks to NOT quitting:

• an unemployed graduate
• an ex-smoker

Before you say "Hey well done on those two things!" with only a small hint of sarcasm, I probably could have earned a 1st but coasted to a 2:1, and quitting smoking is much easier when you have £0 in your bank.

I know what you're thinking, but I am not all self-pity, I don't think I am a total failure. I just know I could be better, and this is my mission for 2014, be the best that I could be. If I gave up on my goals this year, well then what would be the difference between this year, and last year? Progress is key, and only by sticking with things, week in week out, can I truly see progression.


So stick with whatever it is you set out to do this year, all the way through this month, and into the next, and so on. When you start to think about giving up, or have a little slip, carry on. Think about how awesome you'll feel next year when you realise that you have quit smoking/lost weight/learned to play the ukele, you will have made a change in you life, you will have progressed. Feel proud, advance further on the life fulfillment pitch.

Or...


 ...carry on like every other year, and end up realising what a waste of effort that first month was, when you have just given up anyway. Forget about your goals for a few months, find yourself making the same ones come 31.12.2014, and then realise you are back at square one, become jealous of your friends that stuck it out and furthered themselves, bettered themselves. Question the futility of your life.

Are you the best person that you could be?

 Ne me quitte pas has nothing to do with quitting or giving up, but the word quit was close enough to quitte, and it got into my head, so, you're welcome.

*nope.

2014: A Year To Change My Life

A couple of weeks ago I posted my year in review (How Was Your Year?), and it was all a bit depressing. As you can see, it wasn't a fantastic year. Deaths aside, I didn't do much. What's the point in living a life if you are not doing anything with it?!

So here are the things I would like to do/work on/achieve in 2014...

I am going to climb Snowdon. Ever the one to push us to do things, my dad has insisted that his ashes must be scattered at the top of Snowdon. Snowdon is 1,085 m tall and it looks beautiful, I am looking forward to getting to the top. I'm pretty sure it's going to be hard though because the most climbing I've done is Glenashdale Falls in Scotland (189m ) which was back before Hannah and I started working out and it almost killed us. Trust dad, a day that would normally just be sad, will now be one full of achievement and beauty as well.

Have you ever seen the program 'Obese:A Year To Save My Life'? It's pretty self explanatory, a dangerously overweight person works with Jesse Palveka to lose serious weight in the space of a year. Now I'm definitely overweight but I'm not in any immediate danger. The way I see it, let's do the changing now, so that I don't ever reach that desperate point. It's not all about the weight anyway, it's about the mindset. Generally, someone that sticks to a workout routine and eats healthy, has a healthier mental attitude, and is more productive and motivated in all aspects of life. I want this.

 

Remember when I said I was going to complete NaNoWriMo? Pah, yeah. I did not. I got to around 4000 of the 50000 word target. However, if I had not even have attempted NaNoWriMo, I wouldn't even have those 4000 words, or even much of a plot. So even though I failed, it was still worth doing. Life lesson right there guys. So this year, I AM going to finish my first novel. It might be terrible (let's hope it's awesome), but it WILL be finished!

I am setting myself the target of 3 official 5k races. By official, I mean timed, proper ones. Hopefully my time will improve as I go. If I'm doing REALLY well, I will do a 10k towards the end of the year. At least 2 of these races will be for charity.

Which brings me to charity. I'm not sure how but I want to do more charity wise. The easiest way is to regularly clear out my crap and give it to charity shops. My excellent habit of buying things that I never wear meant that my local RSPCA shop got a huge haul of clothes a few weeks ago and it felt good all round. It was painless, the shop got new stock, and my wardrobe was suddenly clutter free. Depending on time commitments, perhaps I could even fit in some volunteering...

Which brings me to work. My temporary contract is now over. I am unemployed again and as much as I don't like being worried about how to pay my rent, I do enjoy not having to work a job that I don't particularly love. I need to find a way to pay my rent, yet also further a career of some sort. I don't want to get to the end of 2014 and realise I have spent the whole year working a retail job and haven't made any progress from there. Now I'm realistic, so I'm not expecting to walk straight into my dream job by February, I will more than likely have to get a 'normal' job, at least a part time one. I need to use my 'down time' more productively. Instead of coming home from a shift and monging out on the sofa, I should use that time to do something that means I don't have to go back to that job. Writing is the easiest one, I can write at home, at any time. Audio work will be slightly trickier, most work experience is based in London, and will have to fit around whatever shifts I have at work, but I am determined to get some in. My 'lazy days' should be a rare treat, not a regular occurrence!

I'm going to have some fun times! This year I have been far too worried about being skint, and I've not made enough good memories. I've hardly been out because I've been too busy being miserable, and poor, and miserable. So in 2014, I am going to get out more, and stop acting like an 80 year old. In fact, I bet that there are 80 year olds that actually did go out more than I did this year (Above picture is from a couple of years ago, last known fun times...probably).

Holidays! Kinda. I haven't been abroad since 2008 I think, I've only been abroad 3 times in total. I would love to travel all over the world, but I think, budget wise, that might be a 2015 thing. In 2014, I can focus on little getaways. Firstly, as promised to my dad, I am going to take my mum to the Isle of Arran, he'd heard how I'd described it, and said that I should take my mum there, I think he'd would've loved it himself. Secondly, Reading or Leeds. Hannah and I are going to go to the Reading/Leeds festival, Blink 182 are playing, and I'm going to treat it like an awesome holiday. Who knows, maybe I can even fit in a couple of weekend visits to English places I've never been to before?

Lastly, I want to learn a new skill, or kind of cheating, finish learning a skill that I started learning a long time ago. This will either be playing the guitar, or speaking French, or both. I love learning, and I'm miserable when I'm not being educated somehow.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

So, as you can see, I've got high hopes for 2014. After such a disastrous 2013, I am so determined to make this work, so much so, that I am relocating. Come March, I will once again be a resident of Lincolnshire. I am leaving behind Manchester, for the slightly cheaper rent and much cleaner air of the shire. It's scary, it feels kind of backwards, but I know ultimately it's for the best. I was only staying in the city to try and break into the MediaCity crowd, and that wasn't working out as I was working all the time to pay the rent, to stay in the city. See how it all got a bit catch 22? I'll be better off financially, and closer to my friends and family (which I think will do me some good after the year I've just had), and to tell you the truth I've missed the trees/fields/sky that is not grey.


Thus concludes probably the longest post I've ever written, congratulations if you have made it this far, you will be rewarded by your relevant deity. Please do leave a comment with your hopes and dreams for 2014, I will read them as it's only fair.

Happy New Year!

How Was Your Year?

So it's almost over.
2013, you have been shitty.
You started out so well, there was champagne, and She Wolf, but somehow you took an absolute shit-turn for the worst....


My Year In Review:

Facebook now has a feature where you can see the 'highlights' of your year.

January:

I posted a screenshot from The IT Crowd, and although it is funny it's hardly a pivotal moment of my year.

February:

A photo of my cousins from years ago, which I won't post because 

a) I'm protecting their identity

 b) they all hate it.

March:

April:

May: 

June:

...I went bridesmaid dress shopping.

July:

August:

My sister got married.

Déjà vu

September:

October:

November:

December:

Apparently December doesn't count towards my year in review, but I bet it would be something along the lines of my new fringe, or some cookies I made.

Am I having a particularly dull and depressing year? Or do all of your years in review look this uneventful (obviously family deaths aside)? 

 My dad died, and it is still the worst thing I'll ever have to go through, and I'm proud that I haven't become a skaghead as a result of the heart carving, daily pain, but this is not a year that I would look back on and feel proud of. Not at all.

I haven't done anything! 365 days, and what do I have to show for it? This has been a complete non year, and I don't want to be having those until I'm at least 80. I have struggled so much with money, and moods, and situations, and blah blah blah excuses....

The world is too vast a place to be having another year like this one, change is coming...

(This is part one of two, so don't all go killing yourselves just yet. "2014" will be uploaded in two weeks time! In the meantime, why not have a look at your 'year in review' and see how much you like the look of it...)