Hi folks,
Here I am on steemit! Finally. It took a while. You know.
First I had to stumble across the platform, by way of dtube, via youtube, and then I had to learn a little bit about the platform, and the cryptocurrency side of things, and finally I submitted my details for registration, and then...
Then I had to wait a few days.
Then Bitcoin crashed and brought down the whole market.
And I had to freak out a little.
And then I had to take a little slap in the face.
And then I had to recover, and that seems to be happening now in tandem with the crypto market (at least today).
And well, here I am, finally, starting a post, a feed, a blog, and overwhelmingly that means I am doing things differently.
And here's why I am quite excited about being on steemit - because it means I am doing something different, and that is a sure indication that things are changing.
You see, last year I faced a number of personally challenging situations, nothing hugely dramatic or tragic, yet challenges that led to the biggest change in my life in the last decade - a change of employment. I'd like to say I made the decision to quit my long term job quietly and calmly and happily went on my way into the next phase of my life. A seamless, well thought out transition.
It wasn't quite like that. It was a bit messy, and I behaved, well, a little unprofessionally, and it was quite scary. It was probably a mid-life crisis of sorts, and frankly I was lucky to end up in a good place, out of a bad job, and rewarded monetarily much more handsomely than I had expected was possible - no great fortune, but I did get a little helping hand from my previous employer to get out of the red and back to breaking even..so long as I could find the next job.
Now, I won't go into all the details of that personal drama here and now, but suffice to say I made a decision to make a few changes (in the way I live my life) during my little hiatus from the working world.
Decisions are wonderful things, I make them all the time. Unfortunately, after having made a decision, I often find myself trudging along doing the same old same old, and not getting anywhere. Whether it be losing weight, shaping up and getting fit, or finishing off that novel, or producing a series of youtube, (or now, maybe dtube) videos, practicing my broken Japanese so I can get to more than pure survival level, learning karate so I can survive on the street, or even starting a blog...well, it always seems to end with little more than good intentions.
And here I am, 43 years old, out of shape, no novel, struggling to ask for another cup of sake, and no blog to speak of - wait a minute - this article, this intro, may just count, but I'll come back to that. Suffice to say, many a decision made but no visible results.
And that's not good. Because results are good - even bad results are good, or at least better than no results at all. At least you know where you stand.
Well I've decided to start getting me some of them there results, for better or worse! I've made that decision. It's good on two counts:
*I've made a decision - it's a bit like an incision, a cut, cutting away the past, opening up to the future
I see them this way, there are decisions you make that change everything, like going to Japan to teach English was for me, a decision that changed my life irrevocably - hello Mrs magicsea! And then there are decisions that you think you made, but really you just liked the idea, the thought, much more than the actual follow through of action that you then need to take.
How do you know which kind of decision you have made? Well, are you taking action as a result and is that action different? You might be taking action that feels different, but is it really?
Are you embarking on a new course? If yes, great! If no, or you're not sure, it's time to take a good look at your decision and a good look at yourself.
The key is to ask yourself: "Am I doing anything differently?
*I'm all happy because I have decided to start
And let's face it, starting is the hardest part of anything. You don't get anywhere, you don't even get bad results, if you don't make a start. Without this fundamental action of taking the first step and making a start, you simply cannot and will not achieve anything that is new or different, you cannot change your course, your direction, your trajectory, your life.
So today, I decided to start, to change my course, so good on me!
Let's be honest though...I love a good thought, especially one like this. I have these 'start something new' thoughts by the dozen each and every day. But, if I reflect carefully on my thinking and dreaming, most of it is just that. Thinking and dreaming.
This is all well and good because we all need plenty of thinking and dreaming, but not so much that we never do anything new or interesting, or different.
I am well aware that I am a dreamer, and it can be a good thing if you aspire to be an author, but I think too much before actually doing anything, before 'actualizing' the thought or plan into reality.
On top of that, I am a procrastinator, which sucks...so I'll have to keep a close eye on whether or not I am taking concrete actions that are different and new.
A wise person, who knows me well, Mrs magicsea, said to me recently, "Do something different! Go write at the beach, or the park, get out and do something different!" Poor Mrs magicsea, she puts up with a lot.
Like a lot of my good ideas, she had them first. I'll often excitedly regale her with my latest breakthrough idea or plan, only to be reminded that she told me the exact same thing a week ago or a month ago, or as she likes to say, 17 years ago when we first met. She's smart, Mrs magicsea. I'm a slow learner, a late bloomer.
But not to worry, slow is fine, late is ok, there's no point in rushing, life will do that for you. If you find your course at the age of 15 or even 43, no matter because you will have found your adventure.
Today, I start.
I have decided and I have begun, now I do things differently.
And to my new friends, my fellow steemians - man, I hope I got that right - hello! Let's do things differently!
I can't wait to see the results!
By the way, I think I'm supposed to post a picture of myself here so you know I am real. I'll do that real soon.
And...
Bing!
It's me.... and Nobby.
I'll tell you more about Nobby in a future post.