bad habits

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  1. Anonymous

    Ok, so today I decided to declare war on my top 3 worst habits, as they (at least 2 of them) really make me unhappy a lot of times. As such an endeavor seems easier to tackle if one shares it with others, I decidet to post them here.

    #1: Lazyness
    That I really hate. After work i usually have about 3-4 hours of sparetime. Instead of using most of it for practicing, I tend to watch some stupid tv shows (first it was Lost, then Californication, now ist Mad Men.....) or surf the internet for at least 1,5 hours. I REALLY need to change my ways and use my time more effectively!!

    #2: Smoking.
    Thats really a classic. I hate it, yet I cant stop. Aside from all the known bad consequences, it makes my hands get cold and I have a harder time playing guitar- especially now in autumn/ winter.

    #3: Cracking my fingers.
    I do that at least twice an hour, in a very excessive way. For anyone playing an instrument this is just a plain stupid thing to do. It may seem harmless right now, but I wonder what my knuckles are going to look like in 20 years.

    So come on guys, make me feel better, join me in the fight, and lets hear some of your bad habits! Cheers, lupo

    • Posted 1 year ago
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  2. JorgeRubiales
    Member

    I had the same bad habits as you do. I forced myself to practice more, and now I don't have the "need" to crack my fingers, and most of my lazyness is gone. I just can't stop smoking, but I figure that when I move to UK (tobacco is more expensive there, and you can't smoke on closed areas) I'll deal with that one too.

    Just keep your mind busy with music, and don't stress yourself. Enjoy it.

    • Posted 1 year ago
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  3. denjz
    Member

    I was a dedicated smoker for 12 years.Quit 3 years ago.It was one of the hardest things to do and I'm really happy I did it.If you are serious about it then consulting with a doctor might be a good idea.They offer some really helpful solutions.Don't go cold turkey,it's too hard.

    ...Laziness is undefeatable.Just forget about it.Surf the net and enjoy yourself. ;-)

    • Posted 1 year ago
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  4. silverwater
    Member

    I've found with bad habits/life improvements that it's best to choose one thing to change about yourself at a time, only taking on a new change when the first becomes a normal part of your life.

    • Posted 1 year ago
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  5. Floatingbridge
    Member

    go easy on yourself. by this i dont mean dont do it, just dont expect amazing results or for you to take things in stride for a little chunk of time when embarking on such a huge set of changes.
    the smoking thing, yes, it's is super wise to quit and for so many obvious reasons. i started to feel things at a higher resolution ,almost as if when things ( for the sake of sparing pages on the subject ) " feel to real" i would smoke. now ( and i have quit rather recently) things seem very vivid and i guiltlessly breathe in to all of my body ( at the risk of sounding yoga corny- it is just something i would think about when napping or falling asleep only , the awareness on breathing and being in my body and experience and what ever i had read about this... ultimately i wouldnt explore it too far because i could feel the tight and shallow range of my breath and just chalked it up to " oh well, i'm just a western world dude".
    basically, i think it will always smell good on someone else and i cannot "dabble " in it.

    laziness is tough too because if you work your ass off, you see yourself crawl out from an unbelievably not into it starting point to an hour or so later being able to really get shit done and have things happen... for other people.

    (wow, i just erased a huge paragraph that just felt like too long and too depressing about laziness and personal identification with music that felt like a little too much to share)

    cracking knuckles... is this that bad? i guess it depends on your constitution. i heard if they naturally pop its cool and yes, i've heard that if you do it too much it can be arthritis stuff later.

    again. be mellow with yourself and see this as a time to see not why these things are bad but what or why have these things served a function. what could it be? what else is there to do? etc.
    take care

    • Posted 1 year ago
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  6. mastaneh
    Member

    We all have habits and some are bad and some are good and some are somewhere in the middle.
    The fact that you are noticing things is a good thing eh?

    Laziness could be a preseption of what you tell yourself you may or may not be, maybe it has something to do about how you learn and how in a at best totally messed up education system that most of us have been subjected to, we are thought to compare how and how fast we learn. Set goals that are realistic to uncover the real source of this one.

    You may want to look into something called nonviolent communication
    http://www.cnvc.org/

    as Floatingbridge mentioned you may want to look in to the language that happens in your communication with your self, it's the sticky under the radar stuff that can be the powerful blockers in life, and it's a huge journey to have desire and want to change and go from normal to natural in life! Congratulations for a huge bit of courage and honesty in posting this thread.

    • Posted 1 year ago
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  7. Anonymous

    Hey guys, thanks for all the replies so far!!
    I stuck with silverwaters suggestion and started with one thing: the 'lazyness'. Instead of watching TV or surfing the net, I started to relax just by listening to music - the change it brought was pretty dramatic! First, it relaxes me much more than TV or the internet (because in fact, I work with a computer all day anyway). Second, it feels like I'm doing something productive -which is true. So far, during those afterwork 'relaxation periods' I've been listening to Coltranes 'Blue Trane' and 'Everybody digs Bill Evans' exclusively, and I'm so familiar with those records by now that I really gained something for my music and guitar playing as well.
    At the same time - as I'm feeling more comfortable with my time management and therefore with myself- I'm not inclined to smoke as much as I did before.
    Mastaneh- you are right that in todays world selfdiscipline and performance are sometimes rated higher than the individuals mental and physical health. Thanks for the link, I'm going to check out that nonviolent communication thing. -It seems quite interesting, because oftentimes I don't like myself, because I feel that I dont work hard enough or deliver the desired results soon enough...I probably have a terrible way of communicating with myself.
    Cheers, Lupo

    • Posted 1 year ago
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  8. silverwater
    Member

    There are so many things to do daily that various sources say that can improve your life for music, that it seems overwhelming. Quit smoking, meditate/concentration exercises, cardio exercise, drink 2.5 liters of water, take vitamins, do stretching, do hand exercises, do brain training exercises, relaxation techniques...

    But it's really been helping me to pick one at a time. The first one I did was quit smoking. After that fucker was out of the way, others seem easier to adapt.

    I've started doing that post-work relaxation ritual too.

    • Posted 1 year ago
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  9. InWalked
    Member

    These posts have all been very constructive. I've never smoked but I have other nasty vices that are difficult to break. In the last 10 years or so, my overall health has improved - basically from horrible to okay but with lots of work left to do. Definitely see how it effects my playing, writing and overall focus. Bought an elliptical a few weeks ago and it gives me an asswhooping workout that I so desperately need. I've used Our Secret World as a way to distract my mind from the physical exertion that I need. Can definitely see a huge improvement in my creativity. Thanks all for sharing.

    • Posted 1 year ago
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  10. animitta
    Member

    I have all "bad habits"...lazyness...some smoke...alchool....egotism....uncleverness......ignorance...and many more...but i have some qualities too: stubbornness and compassion for myself....i hope : )
    I wish you a Merry Chiristmas and a Happy New Year.
    All the best
    Animitta

    • Posted 1 year ago
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  11. Floatingbridge
    Member

    Awesome , lupo! And everybody digs bill Evans is so good ( I transcribed up to the first few measures of the solo for minority) then I saw the chart and his chords were so much cooler!good for you, this is inspiring.

    • Posted 1 year ago
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  12. Peter
    Member

    You all might want to check out this book "The War of Art" by Steven Pressman. It's a "self help" book, but really gives some deep insight into overcoming internal obstacles. I got a lot out of it. It's also a pretty funny read....

    • Posted 1 year ago
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