This is probably the fourth or fifth blog that I've made in my lifetime. I've been wanting to get back into blogging for years, but I wanted to keep it from becoming a place of ranting and self-analysis like my others did. Those are just too personal and let's face it, who the hell wants to spend time reading an entry about how much someone hates something (unless it's humorously written) or one that involves someone whining about how unfair life is ("OMG So-and-so is totally mean! My parents won't let me stay out late! They suck! I can't get a bf/gf! OMG my life totally sux! *insert more drama-addict whiny shit*"). Yeah...I don't see how anyone would want to read such things unless they plan to make fun of them...or they have no life and like to troll...or both. Sometimes those go hand in hand.
So, I've been racking my brain to figure out what I want to write about. I wanted to do something that was somewhat personal, but would keep me from ranting and raving on bad days. Avoidance of ranting also led me to decide against some sort of highly opinionated blog because there are things that get me really wound up. In the end, it came to me. Write something positive about life. I'm a big fan of looking on the bright side of things and the idea that life is an ongoing learning experience, so I came up with the five items list that I have come to call "Reframing the Day".
Reframing is essentially changing the way you think about a situation. Looking at an event with a different perspective, context, point-of-view, etc. I particularly like to use humor. I spent way too much time in high school and college focusing on the negative things (especially in high school). This really changed when I read an article on reframing in one of my college courses and it was only built upon when I took Positive Psychology and read Viktor Frankl's Man's Search For Meaning in History of Psychology. The weeks I spent experimenting with these ideas were some of the best I have ever experienced. When you look on the bright side of things...you just feel better. It's not about ignoring the bad stuff either. You merely reframe the bad stuff to make it more positive and/or humorous. For example, I have no job right now (I'm trying to remedy that), but for now it allows me to focus on getting things done that I would otherwise ignore if I were busy with a job (cleaning my room, learning to cook, etc). Yeah, the problem still exists, but I'm not letting myself get depressed about it. Negativity dooms progress. Short term you might get more done if you're trying to make yourself feel better, but that doesn't last long and there's the chance your progress could deteriorate (starting with the "two steps forward, one step back" effect and eventually you're going backwards).
The rules of the blog are simple:
1.) Try to post once a day (I say try because sometimes I really don't have anything to say. This blog is meant to encourage me to make daily posts. If I had made it mandatory then I don't think I'd enjoy it at all).
2.) At least three of the five statements must be positive.
3.) Negative items must be spun in a humorous light. (ex: "Today I learned that violently shaking a Micron pen is a bad idea...The spatter effect on the wall is fun though.")
4.) Try to keep things short and simple. (It's unlikely I'll write more than two paragraphs again unless I have an amusing story to write about).
5.) Do not write when angry. Do not write when angry. Do not write when angry! (When angry, go play video games instead...or work on battle scenes for your stories).
Every now and then you might get some extra paragraphs or even an extra entry from me, but only when I feel like it or if it's something necessary (like a hiatus I can't avoid or sommat). The blog design will also change with the seasons.
So, that's what the blog is all about. It gives me something to do every day and encourages me to keep it positive regardless of what happens. I get more things done that way.
Catch ya' on the flipside, mates.
~Marty / SoLuKo~
No comments:
Post a Comment