01 Jan 2017

If I’m distracted by everything around me, perhaps everyone else is too. There is just too much stimuli around us. Information is everywhere, and our brains react to it on our behalf.

At the moment I’m a little distracted that I’m typing the wrong words. The small words are wrong, not just mistyped. I need to concentrate more, and I find it very hard to do. There are many things on my mind, most of which I have no idea about.

For some reason I have the radio on and I’m listening to American Football. It’s just noise, and I have no idea why it is on at all. I didn’t even select Radio Five Live Extra, but I have a different hi-fi setup to 99.9% of the population and that’s what I get. No I’m back to Five Live and listening to advice about New Years resolutions and how to make them stick. I’m hearing the same old crap they’ve been pushing out about achievable goals, and setting plans we can stick to. And this is expert advice, but it doesn’t work. The lady expert is going to write a blog! Beat you! This is annoying, but strangely motivating.

I’m beginning to think that the only way is selfishness. They (and in this case a clinical psychologist) don’t tell you that. If you want to do something, then do it. There is no point in setting a goal for something you don’t want to do, but I’m sure there are people climbing mountains, or completing an Iron Man for image purposes. I don’t want to do one and I won’t.

Do what needs doing, and then spend your time however you like. And in doing that, do as little harm to yourself and others,  but mainly to others. Goal setting is way too much like being at work, or studying. People used to have hobbies, just for the sake of having a hobby. Projects (See? I said project), could go on for years and years. They could go on and on and learning could be for learnings sake. Now, everything appears to be a competition. And spare time is contaminated by the feeling that I should be training to look good in a sporting event, learning new skills to progress my career, not relaxing. “If you snooze you lose!”

We should have a mantra in this country that states eight hours for work, eight hours to yourself, and eight hours sleep. If I’m not getting it, I’m constantly distracted by the fact that I’m not. Then I overcompensate and rest too much, and I’m pretty sure I’m not alone.

So my only resolutions are to keep writing a little every day. No goals. Run a little. No goals. Ride a little. No goals. So what if your goal was to run a half marathon this year. So fucking what? Well done!

My resolution. Be kind to myself. And remove  as many distractions I can from around me, and in my head.